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Attorney General Wilson Joins Coalition Urging Credit Card Networks to Block Illegal E-Cigarette Sales

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson joined a 13-state coalition in a letter to major credit card networks (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover) urging them to stop processing payments for illegal e-cigarette products. The coalition states that only 41 e-cigarette products have received FDA authorization for legal sale, while thousands of unauthorized brands continue to sell products generating $11 billion in annual retail sales—representing over 80% of the U.S. e-cigarette market. The AGs argue that payment platforms are already violating their own network rules regarding illegal transactions and high-risk merchant categories by facilitating these sales.

Hillier v Martin No 25 - Legal Professional Privilege Implied Waiver

Federal Court of Australia found implied waiver of legal professional privilege applying Mastercard Asia/Pacific v ACCC [2026] FCAFC 37 in Hillier v Martin (No 25) [2026] FCA 455. The Court ordered the applicant James Hillier to produce specified documents for inspection by the Norman Waterhouse parties, with limited exceptions for privileged communications. The decision clarifies the scope of implied waiver doctrine under the Evidence Act 1995 (Cth) ss 118-119.

Blockchain Security Standards Council Membership Changes

The DOJ Antitrust Division published a notice pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993 disclosing membership changes in Blockchain Security Standards Council, Inc. Four entities were added as parties: Mastercard, Coinbase, Fireblocks, and Kraken. Payward, Inc. withdrew from the venture. No changes were made to the planned activity of the group research project.

Iowa AG Leads 13-State Coalition Urging Credit Card Firms to Block Illegal Vape Payments

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced she is leading a coalition of 13 attorneys general in sending a letter to major credit card companies—Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover—urging them to identify and remove merchants selling illegal vape products from their payment networks. The letter cites that illegal vapes, predominantly manufactured in China, account for over $11 billion in annual U.S. retail sales and more than 80% of all vape sales nationwide. The coalition invokes precedent from 2005, when state AGs and ATF successfully worked with payment card networks to stop illegal internet cigarette sales, and requests that the credit card companies publicize steps they have taken to address this issue.

Merchant Card Payment Surcharging Reform Conclusions

The Reserve Bank of Australia Payments System Board has published its Conclusions Paper on the Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging, finalizing decisions to remove merchant surcharging on debit, prepaid, and credit cards across eftpos, Mastercard, and Visa networks, lower interchange fee caps, and increase transparency requirements for card networks. Most changes take effect 1 October 2026, with remaining changes effective 1 April 2027.

Mastercard Asia/Pacific v ACCC - Implied Waiver of Legal Privilege

The Federal Court of Australia Full Court in Mastercard Asia/Pacific v ACCC [2026] FCAFC 37 upheld that implied waiver of legal professional privilege is not limited to express assertions about privileged communications. The Court affirmed that waiver can arise from conduct opening the subject-matter to scrutiny, including the filing of affidavits asserting non-competitive purposes, even before they are read into evidence. This judgment clarifies privilege law applicable to ACCC competition proceedings.

FTC Chairman warns PayPal, Stripe, Visa, Mastercard CEOs on debanking

The FTC issued warning letters to the CEOs of PayPal, Stripe, Visa, and Mastercard regarding concerns about 'debanking' customers based on political or religious views. The letters remind companies of their obligations under the FTC Act and warn of potential investigations and enforcement actions for practices inconsistent with terms of service or customer expectations.

Monitoring in distributed computing system

USPTO granted Mastercard International Inc. Patent US12598069B2 covering methods and systems for monitoring services in distributed computing environments. The patent, with 20 claims, describes coordinated monitoring processes where computing nodes track service performance and share monitoring information across the distributed system. The patent was filed on July 2, 2024, establishing intellectual property rights in distributed monitoring technology.

CFPB Proposes Cutting 556 Staff While FTC Warns PayPal, Stripe, Visa, Mastercard About Debanking

The CFPB has proposed cutting its workforce to 556 employees from the current 1,100, citing funding limits in the One Big Beautiful Bill. The FTC, meanwhile, has issued warning letters to PayPal, Stripe, Visa, and Mastercard admonishing them to ensure their policies do not deny consumers access to financial products based on political views, religious views, or other First Amendment-protected activity. The FTC has also proposed a significant budget increase for its Financial Services section within the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

FTC Warns PayPal, Stripe, Visa, Mastercard Against Debanking

FTC Chairman sent warning letters to PayPal, Stripe, Visa, and Mastercard cautioning against debanking practices. The letters cite a Presidential Executive Order prohibiting financial institutions from denying services based on political or religious beliefs, orientation, or lawful industry involvement. The FTC warns these payment processors that denying services to customers based on such factors violates federal consumer protection principles.

Digital Sovereignty Push Risks Global Data Flows

IAPP published an article summarizing panel discussions at the IAPP Global Summit 2026 regarding digital sovereignty trends. Speakers from Hunton Andrews Kurth and Mastercard discussed how countries are increasingly implementing data localization measures, AI sovereignty frameworks, and domestic technology production policies in response to geopolitical tensions. The article notes that company boards are now prioritizing digital sovereignty as an industrial policy concern.

FTC Warning Letters on Debanking Practices

The Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to executives at major payment networks including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and Stripe, reminding them that denying financial services based on political or religious beliefs may violate Section 5 of the FTC Act. The letters signal increased enforcement focus on how financial services firms manage account closures, suspensions, and access to services.