Editor
Ofir de Peretz
Ofir de Peretz is the editor of Payments30 and the founder of Humainz, Inc., the company that publishes it.
He has spent his career leading marketing and growth for technology companies, including global CMO roles covering more than 20 country markets, and has been part of several technology company exits, including in payments. He co-founded Kazoolink in Paris.
Ofir edits every Payments30 article and is responsible for its sources and accuracy. Corrections go to corrections@payments30.com.
Ofir also provides marketing services to companies in the financial sector. Under our editorial policy, a page about a company he works with, or about its direct competitors, carries a disclosure or is not published.
How we work: editorial policy and corrections policy.
Articles
Guide · 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 · 10 min read
Company profile · GatewaysAdyen review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Adyen's Dutch banking licence, regional authorisations, Interchange++ pricing and 2026 results, checked against company sources.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
Comparison · GatewaysAdyen vs Stripe: products, pricing and markets (2026)Adyen vs Stripe compared: licences with register links, published card fees, volumes and which merchant profiles each tends to suit. Checked 3 Nov 2026.Updated 3 November 2026 · 9 min read
AirwallexCompany profile · Cross-borderAirwallex review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Airwallex in 2026: multi-currency business accounts, card acceptance and Visa cards, licences in the UK, EU, Singapore, Australia and more, plus fees.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Guide · 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
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 · 7 min read
Alternatives · 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 · 10 min read
CircleCompany profile · CryptoCircle review: products, technology and pricing (2026)How Circle's stablecoin stack works: USDC and EURC issuance, CCTP crosschain transfers, Wallets APIs, Gateway, the Arc blockchain and 2026 launches.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Company profile · CryptoCoinbase review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Coinbase licences in the US, EU and UK, its products, fee model and regulatory record, checked against regulator registers on 3 November 2026.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
eToroCompany profile · Forex and CFDseToro review: products, pricing and markets (2026)eToro's products, platform, stock, crypto and CFD fees and markets, with its regulators, checked against eToro's own pages.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
GoCardlessMollieCompany profile · Open bankingGoCardless review: products, technology and pricing (2026)GoCardless profile: how its bank payment platform runs Direct Debit, Pay by Bank and VRP through one API, with published UK pricing and Mollie ownership.Updated 3 November 2026 · 8 min read
Guide · 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 · 9 min read
Guide · 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
Guide · 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
IGCompany profile · Forex and CFDsIG review: products, pricing and markets (2026)IG's UK, Swiss and South African entities, retail loss figures, spread betting and CFD costs, and client money rules, from IG's own disclosures.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
Company profile · APMsKlarna review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Klarna profile: how its pay later and checkout products work, merchant pricing model, markets and regulation, from Klarna's own disclosures.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
MarqetaCompany profile · CardsMarqeta review: products, technology and pricing (2026)How Marqeta's card issuing platform works: Core API, Just-in-Time Funding, real-time risk controls, stablecoin-backed cards and 2026 launches.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Company profile · CardsMastercard review: products, technology and pricing (2026)How Mastercard's network works: MDES tokenisation, Click to Pay, open finance Pay by Bank, Mastercard Move, developer APIs and 2026 launches.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Regulation · RegulationMiCA explained: CASP licences, stablecoins, key datesWhat the EU's MiCA regulation covers, how CASP authorisation works, the stablecoin categories and why transitional periods ended on 1 July 2026.Updated 3 November 2026 · 8 min read
MollieGoCardlessCompany profile · GatewaysMollie review: products, technology and pricing (2026)Mollie's payments API, checkout, in-person terminals, Pay by Bank and published EUR and GBP fees, plus its 2026 GoCardless deal and EEA expansion.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
MollieComparison · GatewaysMollie vs Stripe for European merchants (2026)Mollie vs Stripe for European merchants: APIs, payment methods, products and published EUR pricing side by side. Checked 3 Nov 2026.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Guide · 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 · 10 min read
Guide · Open bankingOpen banking payments explained: UK and EU rulesHow open banking and account-to-account payments work in the UK and EU: PSD2, PISPs and AISPs, the CMA Order, VRPs, SCA and the latest usage data.Updated 3 November 2026 · 10 min read
Guide · GatewaysPayment gateway vs PSP vs acquirer: who does whatA gateway moves payment data, an acquirer contracts with the merchant and settles funds, and PSP is the umbrella legal term. How the roles differ.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Guide · GatewaysPayment orchestration explained: routing, failover, vaultsHow payment orchestration routes card payments across several processors, retries failures, stores cards in a neutral vault and keeps tokens portable.Updated 3 November 2026 · 9 min read
Company profile · Cross-borderPayoneer review: products, technology and pricing (2026)Payoneer profile: multi-currency accounts, marketplace payouts, B2B payments, Checkout and APIs, with published fees, 2026 figures and the Nuvei deal.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Company profile · APMsPayPal review: products, pricing and markets (2026)PayPal profile: Luxembourg bank licence, FCA e-money authorisation, US state licences, UK merchant fees, products and regulatory history.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
PayURapydCompany profile · GatewaysPayU review: products, pricing and markets (2026)PayU in 2026: the Prosus-owned Indian payment aggregator, its Polish PayU S.A. business, licences, published fees and recent disposals.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
PepperstoneCompany profile · Forex and CFDsPepperstone review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Pepperstone's Australian, UK and Bahamas licences, retail loss figures, Razor and Standard pricing and platforms, from Pepperstone's own disclosures.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
PlaidCompany profile · Open bankingPlaid review: products, technology and pricing (2026)Plaid profile: how Link, Auth, Transfer, Signal and Plaid's network-trained risk and credit models work, plus its pricing plans and 2026 launches.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
PlaidTrueLayerComparison · Open bankingPlaid vs TrueLayer: open banking APIs compared (2026)Plaid vs TrueLayer compared: open banking APIs, pay by bank, data products, coverage, SDKs and recent launches. Checked 3 Nov 2026.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Plus500Company profile · Forex and CFDsPlus500 review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Plus500's licences by entity, CFD fees, US futures charges and FCA history, checked against Plus500's own disclosures and FCA documents.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
PrimerCompany profile · GatewaysPrimer review: products, technology and pricing (2026)Primer profile: an orchestration layer that connects PSPs, routes with no-code Workflows, vaults cards and adds fallbacks and Global Accounts.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Regulation · RegulationPSD3 and PSR explained: status and changes (Nov 2026)Where the EU's PSD3 directive and Payment Services Regulation stand in November 2026, and what changes for payment and e-money institutions.Updated 3 November 2026 · 9 min read
Alternatives · 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
RapydPayUCompany profile · GatewaysRapyd review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Rapyd in 2026: licensed entities in the EEA, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel and US, products, pricing model and the PayU Latin America deal.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
Guide · Open bankingReal-time payments explained: SEPA Instant to Pix (2026)How instant payment rails work: SEPA Instant, UK Faster Payments, FedNow, RTP and Pix compared, with operator figures and what they mean for merchants.Updated 3 November 2026 · 9 min read
Company profile · EMIsRevolut review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Revolut's licences, UK bank status, plan prices and 2025 results, checked against the FCA, Bank of Lithuania and Revolut's own disclosures.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
Company profile · GatewaysStripe review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Stripe's Irish, UK and US licences, published UK and US card fees, 2025 volume and product range, checked against company and regulator sources.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Checkout.comComparison · GatewaysStripe vs Checkout.com: products, pricing and markets (2026)Stripe vs Checkout.com compared: licences by entity, published vs quote-based pricing, 2025 volumes and the merchants each tends to suit.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Guide · AcquiringTap to Pay and SoftPOS explained: iPhone, Android, MPoCHow SoftPOS turns a phone into a card terminal: Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, device rules, PIN entry, the PCI MPoC standard and who offers it.Updated 3 November 2026 · 8 min read
TrueLayerCompany profile · Open bankingTrueLayer review: products, technology and pricing (2026)TrueLayer profile: how its Pay by Bank network, Payments API v3, hosted page, Bank on File and payouts work, with coverage, 2026 launches and FCA status.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
TrustlyCompany profile · Open bankingTrustly review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Trustly profile: pay by bank products and technology, markets, pricing model and regulation, from Trustly's own disclosures.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
Company profile · CardsVisa review: products, technology and pricing (2026)How Visa's technology works: VisaNet processing, Visa Token Service, Visa Direct, developer APIs, stablecoin settlement and 2026 agentic commerce launches.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
Comparison · CardsVisa vs Mastercard: networks, tokens and APIs (2026)Visa vs Mastercard compared on network technology, tokenisation, developer platforms and products for merchants and issuers. Checked 3 Nov 2026.Updated 3 November 2026 · 10 min read
Alternatives · 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
Company profile · Cross-borderWise review: products, pricing and markets (2026)Wise's products, payment infrastructure, UK and US fees, FY2026 results and regulation, checked against company and regulator sources.Updated 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
Comparison · EMIsWise vs Revolut for business: accounts, FX, APIs (2026)Wise Business vs Revolut Business compared: accounts, FX pricing model, cards, APIs, acceptance and plan fees, with UK figures. Checked 3 Nov 2026.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
WorldpayComparison · AcquiringWorldpay vs Adyen: products, pricing and markets (2026)Worldpay vs Adyen compared: licences by entity, published UK and Interchange++ fees, ownership after the Global Payments deal, and who each tends to suit.Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read
XTBCompany profile · Forex and CFDsXTB review: products, pricing and markets (2026)XTB's Polish, UK and Cyprus licences, retail loss figures, stock and CFD costs and the xStation platform, checked against XTB's own disclosures.Updated 3 November 2026 · 5 min read