Payment gateways and PSPs
Gateways, payment service providers and orchestration.
30 pages
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
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
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 · 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
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
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 · 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- 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
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