This English executive brief introduces the complete Russian-language research article. The full study separates historical source evidence from original analysis and labels hypothetical calculations. It is available through the link below.
Read the complete study in Russian ↗The following is Human Fintech’s analysis
Calculate the cost of a completed sale.
A quoted acquiring rate is not the entire cost of accepting payments. The merchant also needs to understand fee categories, settlement timing, refunds, disputes and the labour required to match money with orders. Compare providers on the same transaction mix and contract perimeter. A lower headline rate may be offset by a different allocation of risk, a longer cash cycle or additional manual exceptions.
Make comparison operational.
Build an order-to-settlement view before attributing margin changes to a payment provider. Separate unsuccessful attempts from genuine incremental sales, and distinguish cash availability from accounting revenue. Test routing or checkout changes against a stable baseline with comparable customers and fulfilment outcomes. The Russian research develops these questions through illustrative calculations and operating scenarios. The PSR material cited is evidence about a defined UK card-fee market; it is not an estimate of every merchant’s costs or a global fee benchmark.
Sources for the full study.
[1] Payment Systems Regulator. MR22/1.10 Market review of card scheme and processing fees: final report. 2025. Выводы о британском рынке основных комиссий Mastercard и Visa; не являются оценкой полной стоимости приёма платежей во всех странах.
[2] Payment Systems Regulator. MR22/1.10 Annex 2: Bargaining positions of acquirers and merchants. Март 2025. Источники доказательств и анализ переговорных отношений в рассмотренном рынке.
[3] Payment Systems Regulator. MR22/1.10 Annex 12: Quality of information provided by the schemes. Март 2025. Первичный материал о качестве информации по комиссиям платёжных систем.
White Fintech.
Part VII of White Fintech covers payment businesses, including company structure, risks, compliance and economics. Explore the contents and the free sample.
Complete English edition, PDF + EPUB. Read the first 30 pages free, with no sign-up.