https://afcsblog.ingonoka.com/2026/04/ Recent content in April 2026 on AFCS Blog Hugo en https://afcsblog.ingonoka.com/post/rba-interchange-decision/ Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0800 https://afcsblog.ingonoka.com/post/rba-interchange-decision/ <div id="preamble"> <div class="sectionbody"> <div class="paragraph"> <p>In reference to the famous first line of the communist manifesto &#34;Ein Gespenst geht um in Europa – das Gespenst des Kommunismus.&#34;, I venture that a spectre is haunting the payment industry — the spectre of interchange regulations.</p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>The most recent example is a <em>&#34;…​ Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging (the Review) as part of the RBA’s regular review of its retail payments regulation …​&#34;</em> <span class="citation">(<a href="#Reserve-Bank-of-Australia:2026aa">1</a>)</span></p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>Unfortunately, as expected, banks and regulators only know one set of tools - regulations, compliance, bureaucracy. And if all they have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail to them.</p> </div>