Category Archives: Ice-Pay

UK Moves to Ban Crypto Purchases Using Borrowed Funds Under New FCA Rules

Understanding the Proposed Ban The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed new regulations to prohibit retail investors from using borrowed money—such as credit cards or loans—to purchase cryptocurrencies. This move aims to safeguard consumers from overleveraging in a volatile market. Why Is the Ban Being Proposed? According to the FCA, an increasing number of…
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SEPA Verification of Payee (VOP): Key Changes, Deadlines

What Is SEPA Verification of Payee (VOP)? As digital fraud and social engineering scams continue to evolve, the European payment industry is introducing Verification of Payee (VOP) to boost security in credit transfers. VOP is a new anti-fraud mechanism that ensures the beneficiary name matches the account number (IBAN) before funds are transferred—adding an essential…
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Rising Tide of European Payments: A Strategic Answer to Trump’s Tariffs

The aftermath of trade tensions and tariffs imposed during the Trump administration has reignited Europe's ambition to reduce dependency on foreign-controlled payment systems like Visa, Mastercard, and the SWIFT network. As geopolitical risks mount, Europe is investing in payment sovereignty through homegrown solutions such as SEPA Instant, Open Banking, and the European Payments Initiative (EPI).…
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Crypto Exchanges and Gambling: Avoiding Card Scheme Fines Through Smart Integration

As the overlap between crypto exchanges and online gambling platforms grows, regulatory pressure from card schemes like Visa and Mastercard continues to intensify. One of the most critical risks for crypto exchanges is miscoding—when gambling transactions are incorrectly processed through merchant categories not permitted for such activity.To avoid hefty penalties, crypto exchanges must ensure that…
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