The payment industry rarely stands still, but 2025 has brought an unusual concentration of regulatory changes, technology shifts, and competitive moves. This merchant-focused briefing covers the developments most likely to affect your bottom line — from chargeback rule changes to digital wallet growth.
Visa VAMP: Tighter Chargeback Monitoring
Visa’s Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) consolidates its dispute monitoring programs and introduces stricter thresholds for high-dispute merchants. The new program monitors dispute rates more broadly — including fraud claims — and lowers the threshold at which Visa begins fines and mandatory remediation. Merchants should audit their dispute rates and invest in 3DS and fraud prevention now, before thresholds are breached.
3DS2 Adoption Accelerating
SCA requirements in Europe have driven widespread 3DS2 adoption, and the technology is now spreading to non-European transactions for its liability shift benefits. ConvesioPay Q1 2026 data shows a 5.1x improvement in chargeback rates for 3DS-authenticated transactions — making this one of the highest-ROI investments a merchant can make in 2025.
Apple Pay’s Growing Share
Apple Pay’s ecommerce share continues to climb, particularly on mobile. ConvesioPay Q1 2026 data shows Apple Pay transactions carrying 5.8x fewer chargebacks and less than half the decline rate of standard card transactions. Merchants that haven’t optimized Apple Pay placement at checkout are leaving conversion on the table.
Mobile Commerce at 38.6%
Mobile now represents 38.6% of ConvesioPay Q1 2026 transaction volume. Merchants with desktop-optimized checkouts are losing a significant portion of potential revenue to mobile friction. One-tap checkout methods (Apple Pay, Google Pay) are the most effective mobile conversion lever.
The Aggregator-to-PayFac Migration
Merchants are increasingly moving away from self-serve aggregators (Stripe, Square) toward PayFacs that offer genuine support, industry expertise, and proactive account management. Growth-stage merchants cite account stability, dispute support, and integration depth as the primary drivers of this shift.
Interchange Regulation Watch
Credit card interchange regulation continues to be debated in the US. While no sweeping changes have taken effect yet, merchants on interchange-based pricing would see meaningful impact if regulation passes. ConvesioPay’s transparent flat rate (2.9% + $0.30, no monthly fees) provides pricing certainty regardless of regulatory outcomes.
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