by Matt Rej
Here’s a roundup of the biggest news stories in the payments industry this month, including:
- Processor rate increases
- Earnings results
- New payment solutions
- Noteworthy partnerships
Let’s dive in.
SpotOn Raised Prices in May
SpotOn increased its base processing rates this month.
Merchants using this provider can expect to pay 0.15% more per transaction when they accept Visa, MC, and Discover. SpotOn also increased Amex rates by 0.35% per transaction.
These changes will be reflected in May 2026 statements. Read more here.
WorkWave Payments Increase Announced for Next Month
WorkWave Payments announced a rate increase that goes into effect on June 1st.
The problem with this notice is that it didn’t specify the actual amount. We’ve seen this playbook before used by other processors, and here’s what it means:
- Not every account will be impacted equally.
- You’ll need to wait until your June 2026 statements are available (in July) to see your new rates.
- Or you can contact WorkWave Payments now to ask.
Processors do this on purpose so you won’t question things, and by the time you notice, it “seems” like it’s too late to do anything about it.
But that’s not true. If you’re using WorkWave Payments, you can definitely push back against the rate hike, regardless of when it goes into effect on your account.
Fiserv Announces Rate Increase
Fiserv announced a rate increase that goes into effect on July 1, 2026.
For merchants on an IC+ pricing structure, rates are increasing by 0.05% + $0.03 per transaction.
If you’re on a tiered pricing structure from Fiserv, rates are increasing by 0.10%, 0.20%, and 0.40% for qualified, mid-qualified, and non-qualified, respectively. Read more.
Processor Earnings Released
Several major payment processors released 1Q26 earnings this month, including:
- Fiserv
- Global Payments
- Toast
- PayPal
- Block (Square)
- Shift4
- Adyen
- FIS
This information is crucial for merchants using these providers, as they offer insights into future rate increases or potential changes to your account. Executives on the earnings calls literally tell investors their plans moving forward, and most of the time, those have a trickle-down effect on your statements.
There were a lot of common themes across these calls this month, including: AI and agentic commerce, a push for value-added services (VAS), and rising hardware costs.
I published a full summary and key takeaways from 1Q26 processor earnings that you can check out for more info.
FIS and Anthropic Partner for AI Bank Agent
FIS has partnered with Anthropic to build a “Financial Crimes AI” agent for banks, designed to assist with anti-money laundering initiatives.
They plan to create other use-case-specific agents for things like credit decisions, fraud prevention, deposit retentions, and more. These will be available through FIS banking partnerships.
For merchants, this won’t immediately have an impact on your bottom line. But if acquirers or issuers eventually start using these tools (and paying for them), they’ll be looking for ways to recoup costs. Read more.
Adyen and SAP Roll Out Unified Payment Solution
Adyen and SAP expanded their partnership this month to launch SAP Unified Payment, built natively into SAP Commerce Cloud.
Instead of relying on third-party gateways, this integration runs directly through Adyen’s platform and ties into SAP’s ERP systems for real-time settlement and automatic reconciliation.
It’s an enterprise play for Adyen. Large retailers running global storefronts can consolidate into one contract and one technical interface across ecommerce, POS, and back-office systems. Here’s the full press release from Adyen.
Elavon Launches New Business Solutions Suite
Elavon rolled out a new payment suite during National Small Business Week. Called “Elavon Business Solutions,” it bundles payments, software, and services into a single platform with industry-specific packages for verticals like retail, restaurants, services, and ecommerce.
One unique angle is the “human support” that Elavon is promising here. They’re offering 24/7 support, dedicated onboarding, and ongoing account management.
This is their way of differentiating from competitors that funnel merchants into automated support loops. Just keep in mind that while this may seem convenient, it’s obviously going to be priced accordingly.
Clover Offers Enterprise-Grade Tools for Fine Dining
Fiserv announced an exclusive partnership with Tabit to launch Clover Reserve, a fine-dining version of Clover POS.
This spin-off targets full-service and high-end restaurants, which pushes Clover into an area it hasn’t really competed in historically.
More competition in this category is generally good news. But if you’re using an all-in-one POS platform like Clover, your rates will generally be higher because you’re paying for extra features on top of core processing. Read more.
Toast Announces Partnership With Preferred Hotels & Resorts
Toast is now a recommended POS provider for Preferred Hotels & Resorts across the US, UK, and Canada. The deal covers software, hardware, and payments for food, beverage, and retail operations at hotels.
It’s worth noting that Toast still isn’t quite a complete PMS solution. So while this is a step toward gaining more traction in the hotel space, it doesn’t provide everything needed for reservations and front desk billing.
Payment Giants Offer AI Training for SMBs
Two of the biggest names in payments both rolled out new small business AI programs in May.
American Express launched two initiatives offering free, globally available training courses and a scholarship program that provides eligible US small-business employees up to $1,000 toward AI certification courses.
Separately, PayPal partnered with Anthropic to offer a free online course in AI fluency for small businesses. Alongside the course, Anthropic launched a new “Claude for Small Business” plugin that connects directly to PayPal, QuickBooks, HubSpot, and Canva.
Shift4 Expands Pay with Crypto Solution
Shift4 partnered with Lydian to add Tether (USDT) into its Pay with Crypto product.
Merchants can accept this stablecoin from any major wallet and receive funds settled in their local currency. All without ever holding or touching the digital asset themselves. Read more.
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