Payabl. has been a principal member of Mastercard for 12 years, offering a range of payment solutions including card acquiring, POS terminals, and tailor-made payment services to meet the needs of modern marketplaces.
Wave is a Toronto-based company that offers user-friendly and affordable financial services for freelancers, contractors, and small business owners. Their latest feature is Wave Payroll, which allows users to pay employees and contractors via direct deposit, generate tax forms, and offers a self-service employee portal. Wave does not offer benefits administration, but promises more capabilities in the future. The platform is ideal for seasonal businesses and offers a free invoicing plan. Users praise Wave for its ease of use and affordability, but criticize its lack of customization options and limited features for larger companies.
Visa and Mastercard reached a billion settlement to limit credit and debit card fees for merchants, with savings likely to be passed on to consumers through lower prices.
India reversed a laptop licensing policy after U.S. officials lobbied behind the scenes. The policy initially required companies like Apple, Dell, and HP to obtain licenses for all imported laptops, tablets, PCs, and servers, which raised concerns about potential sales slowdowns. However, India decided to only monitor imports and reassess the policy a year later. U.S. trade officials and government emails revealed concerns about India’s compliance with WTO obligations and the impact of sudden policy changes on the business climate. The U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai met with Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to discuss the policy, and India later admitted the policy’s sudden rollout was a mistake. The USTR is tracking India’s scrutiny of imported devices to ensure compliance with WTO obligations. India stated the policy reversal was not due to U.S. pressure but a realization that local manufacturing of laptops and tablets was not significant at this stage.