The cover · Technology
How money really moves
Issuers, acquirers, schemes and the few hundred milliseconds in between. A plain-English tour of what happens when a card is tapped, from authorisation to settlement.
Read the cover story
Top stories
The profiles
All 26 companies →- GatewaysAdyenAdyen's Dutch banking licence, regional authorisations, Interchange++ pricing and 2026 results, checked against company sources.
- Cross-borderAirwallexAirwallexAirwallex in 2026: multi-currency business accounts, card acceptance and Visa cards, licences in the UK, EU, Singapore, Australia and more, plus fees.
- CryptoCircleCircleHow Circle's stablecoin stack works: USDC and EURC issuance, CCTP crosschain transfers, Wallets APIs, Gateway, the Arc blockchain and 2026 launches.
- CryptoCoinbaseCoinbase licences in the US, EU and UK, its products, fee model and regulatory record, checked against regulator registers on 3 November 2026.
- Forex and CFDseToroeToroeToro's products, platform, stock, crypto and CFD fees and markets, with its regulators, checked against eToro's own pages.
- Open bankingGoCardlessGoCardlessGoCardless profile: how its bank payment platform runs Direct Debit, Pay by Bank and VRP through one API, with published UK pricing and Mollie ownership.
- Forex and CFDsIGIGIG's UK, Swiss and South African entities, retail loss figures, spread betting and CFD costs, and client money rules, from IG's own disclosures.
- APMsKlarnaKlarna profile: how its pay later and checkout products work, merchant pricing model, markets and regulation, from Klarna's own disclosures.
Guides
All guides →
Cards3D Secure explained: EMV 3DS 2, SCA and exemptionsHow EMV 3-D Secure works: the data flow, frictionless vs challenge, the SCA rules behind it and the EU exemptions, explained in plain English.Updated 3 November 2026 · 8 min read
APMsAlternative payment methods explained: wallets to PixWhat counts as an alternative payment method, who runs iDEAL, Wero, BLIK, Pix and UPI, and how wallets, BNPL and bank transfers differ from cards.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read- CardsHow card payments work: authorisation to settlementWho does what in a card payment: issuer, acquirer and scheme, plus authorisation, clearing, settlement, interchange caps and chargebacks.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
CryptoHow stablecoin payments work: issuers, chains, settlementHow a stablecoin payment moves from wallet to merchant: issuers and reserves, blockchains, on and off-ramps, fiat settlement and the MiCA basics.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
RegulationHow to check a financial licence on a regulator's registerStep by step: check a PSP, EMI, broker or crypto firm on the regulator's own register, match the legal entity and permissions, and screen for clone firms.Updated 3 November 2026 · 8 min read
CardsNetwork tokenisation explained: VTS, MDES, cryptogramsHow network tokens replace card numbers, how they differ from PSP tokens, how Visa Token Service and Mastercard MDES work, and what the schemes publish.Updated 3 November 2026 · 8 min read
Alternatives
All alternatives →
APMsBest PayPal alternatives for online checkout (2026)PayPal alternatives for online checkout compared: Adyen, Checkout.com, Klarna, Mollie, Stripe and Trustly, with licences and published UK fees.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
GatewaysBest Stripe alternatives for online merchants (2026)Six Stripe alternatives for online merchants compared on licences, focus and pricing model: Adyen, Airwallex, Checkout.com, Mollie, Nuvei and PayPal.Updated 3 November 2026 · 8 min read
GatewaysRapyd alternatives: cross-border, high-risk merchants (2026)Rapyd alternatives for cross-border and high-risk merchants: Airwallex, Checkout.com, Nuvei, Paysafe and Trustly compared on licences, sectors and pricing.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
Cross-borderWise alternatives for international business payments (2026)Wise Business alternatives compared: Airwallex, PayPal, Rapyd, Revolut and Stripe, with licences and published FX and payout fees as of November 2026.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read