Seismic Shifts in Credit and ACH Processing
As of January 20, 2026, the payments industry is grappling with the implementation of a temporary 10% cap on credit card interest rates. This federal mandate is expected to significantly impact the risk appetite of traditional acquirers, potentially pushing more merchants into the high-risk category as banks tighten lending and processing criteria to protect margins.
Nacha’s 2026 Fraud Monitoring Mandate
Simultaneously, the March 20, 2026, deadline for Nacha’s Phase I Enhanced Fraud Monitoring Rules is looming. High-risk sectors relying on ACH for payouts, such as iGaming and earned wage access (EWA), must now implement risk-based monitoring to detect account takeovers and unauthorized entries proactively.
- Interest Cap Impact: Reduced revenue for issuers may lead to higher merchant discount rates (MDR) for high-risk industries.
- ACH Compliance: ODFIs and high-volume RDFIs must deploy velocity-based monitoring tools before the March deadline.
- Stripe-Crypto Integration: Offsetting these challenges, Stripe’s new partnership with Crypto.com now allows direct crypto spending, providing a compliant alternative for high-risk consumer transactions.