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Payments guides and gateway insights

Sourced, dated research for merchants in Africa, LATAM, Southeast Asia and MENA: gateway comparisons, settlement guides and payment-method breakdowns.

A stack of translucent record cards, marked with a single gold checkmark on top, floating above a violet silhouette of Australia.
Compliance

AUSTRAC Registration for Crypto Businesses (2026): VASP Rules

AUSTRAC registration is an anti-money-laundering obligation, not a financial-services licence, and it is mandatory before providing virtual asset services in Australia. The VASP register replaced the DCE register in 2026, and ASIC's licensing regime for digital asset platforms does not commence until 9 April 2027.

21 August 2026

Merchant fees in Australia: a descending stepped rate diagram with two gold milestone markers over a bold violet silhouette of Australia, beside abstract payment card shapes
Comparison

Best Payment Gateways in Australia (2026): Merchant Fees After the Surcharge Ban

Australian merchant fees run 0.85% to 2% for small business card acceptance, and surcharging ends 1 October 2026. Five gateways compared, each rate carrying the date it expires.

21 August 2026

An abstract arc of connected institutional nodes with data ribbons travelling between them, three nodes lit in gold, representing one transfer-information rule implemented unevenly across jurisdictions
Compliance

The Travel Rule for Crypto Businesses: Thresholds, Data and Jurisdictions

In most major regimes there is no minimum transfer size below which the Travel Rule stops applying, and the thousand-figure you have read about governs a different obligation. Nine jurisdictions compared, every row cited to the regulator's own instrument.

5 August 2026

A Bangkok shopfront at golden hour with a QR payment stand on the counter
Comparison

Best Payment Gateways in Thailand (2026): Fees, Settlement and Acceptance Compared

PromptPay QR costs a third of what cards cost at the same provider, so method mix moves your effective rate more than provider choice does. Nine Thai gateways compared on rails, published rates, settlement and payout.

2 August 2026

A shop owner in a Kampala storefront completing a mobile money payment on a phone at the counter
Comparison

Best Payment Gateways in Uganda (2026): Payouts, Fees and Licence Status Compared

Every gateway recommended for Uganda takes MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money, so rails decide nothing. Compare 9 providers on payouts, fees, settlement and Bank of Uganda licence status.

1 August 2026

Monnify alternatives in Nigeria: a business owner comparing payment gateway fees and providers on a laptop
Comparison

7 Best Monnify Alternatives in Nigeria (2026): Fees, Licences and Who They Accept

Compare Paystack, Flutterwave, Squad, Fincra, Korapay, OnePipe and Boldrails on fees, settlement, virtual accounts and CBN licences.

21 July 2026

A UK business owner comparing an EMI account and a bank account side by side on a laptop, sort code and IBAN details visible on screen
Banking

EMI Account vs Bank Account: What Is the Real Difference? (2026)

An EMI safeguards e-money, a bank takes deposits under FSCS. Compare EMI vs bank account, safety, and when to use each.

17 July 2026

A business owner reviewing high-risk business bank account and EMI safeguarding documents on a laptop, account dashboard visible on screen
Banking

Best High-Risk Business Bank Accounts (EMI), 2026

The safeguarding-vs-FDIC trade-off explained, a 7-provider acceptance matrix, jurisdictions, costs, and how to open a high-risk EMI account.

17 July 2026

A UK small-business owner reviewing a declined bank account letter at a desk, laptop showing a banking dashboard
Banking

Business Bank Account Declined? What To Do Next (2026 UK Guide)

Why UK banks decline business accounts, the five-step fix sequence, how to appeal to the Financial Ombudsman, your 2026 debanking rights, and providers that accept high-risk businesses.

17 July 2026

A West African shop owner completing a mobile money payment on a smartphone across a storefront counter in Dakar
Guide

How to Accept Mobile Money in Francophone Africa (2026 Guide for Businesses)

Accept Orange Money, Wave, MTN MoMo, Free Money and Moov Money across francophone West and Central Africa through one licensed provider. Merchant codes, KYB, fees, settlement and the BCEAO PI-SPI deadline, sourced to GSMA and BCEAO.

12 July 2026

Mobile-money wallet icons across an abstract Africa and Asia map converging into one glowing API hub
Comparison

Mobile Money APIs Compared: M-Pesa Daraja, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money and Orange Money (2026)

There is no single mobile money API. Compare M-Pesa Daraja, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money and Orange Money on markets, use cases, auth flow, settlement and fees, sourced to GSMA, Safaricom, MTN, Orange and Ericsson.

11 July 2026

A shop owner in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire completing an online payment on a tablet, checkout screen showing mobile-money and card options
Comparison

Best Payment Gateways in Côte d'Ivoire (2026): Rails, Fees, Settlement and the BCEAO Licence Check

Compare CinetPay, Paiement Pro, Green-Pay, InTouch, NOWPayments and Boldrails on rails, fees, settlement and BCEAO licence status. Only nine Ivorian providers were BCEAO-licensed as of February 2026, and all must join PI-SPI from 30 June 2026.

11 July 2026

A West African market street with one shopper paying by mobile app and another paying on a feature phone by USSD
Comparison

Orange Money vs Wave (2026): Fees, Reach, and How a Business Accepts Both

Compare Orange Money and Wave on fees, agent-network reach, USSD, wallet-to-wallet transfers, safety and regulation in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire, plus how to accept both rails through one licensed API.

11 July 2026

A Kenyan shop merchant and customer completing a mobile phone payment at a small retail counter in Nairobi
Guide

How to Accept M-Pesa Payments in Kenya (2026 Guide for Businesses)

Register a Lipa Na M-Pesa Till, PayBill or Pochi la Biashara, see who pays the fee and how settlement works, or accept M-Pesa online via one API.

1 July 2026

Best payment gateways in Nigeria: a merchant comparing providers on a payments dashboard in a Lagos workspace
Comparison

Best Payment Gateways in Nigeria (2026): An Honest Comparison

Compare fees, settlement speed, methods and licensing for Paystack, Flutterwave, Monnify, Boldrails and more.

27 June 2026