Latest Payments News: Coalition Urges UK Government To Make Fraud A National Priority, and more

Catch up on some of the stories our payments compliance analysts have covered lately, and stay up-to-date on the latest news.

Coalition Urges UK Government To Make Fraud A National Priority

In advocating an ambitious, cross-sectoral fraud strategy, the group of consumer, industry and civil society organisations highlighted the variety of criminal threats and identified areas where intervention could be most effective.

The broad coalition warned that sustained criminal attacks on individuals and businesses are eroding economic growth, public services and living standards.

In a letter sent to Home Office Minister of State Lord Hanson on October 6, the signatories – UK Finance, Innovate Finance, Which, Victim Support, Cifas, the Fraud Advisory Panel and the RUSI Centre for Finance and Security – called for an ambitious and cross-sectoral fraud strategy.

They identified issues such as authorised push payment (APP) fraud and recommended action that tackles the problem in a comprehensive and coordinated way.

The coalition said that fraud, which now accounts for 41 percent of all crime, is costing the UK economy an estimated £219bn a year.

The signatories added that the latest Crime Survey for England and Wales recorded 4.2m fraud incidents in the year to March 2025, a 31 percent increase on the previous year and well above the government’s fraud reduction targets.

The organisations, representing financial and payments players including Visa and Mastercard as well as fintechs such as Wise and Revolut, warned that successive governments have failed to respond adequately to the escalating problem.

“We do not accept that the sustained attacks by organised crime against UK citizens and businesses are an inevitability,” the letter says.

Pix Installment Rules Should Offer Clarity And Increase Safety For Consumers

The Central Bank of Brazil’s (BCB) framework for governing Pix Installments, to be published in the final week of October, should standardise the definitions and terminology and enhance the user experience across financial institutions.

Under the forthcoming rules, private credit or deferred payment solutions linked to Pix transactions may continue to operate, provided they comply with the new regulatory requirements. These solutions are already widely used in the market.

According to the BCB, detailed operational procedures and user experience standards will follow in early December.

These will outline the process for contracting credit operations tied to Pix payments and for repaying instalments, such as recurring payments, subscriptions and buy now, pay later (BNPL).

Once the procedures are released, financial and payment institutions will be given a transition period to align with the new standards.

The announcement was made on October 2 during a meeting of the Pix Forum, the permanent advisory committee comprising around 300 representatives from the financial sector and civil society.

Digital Euro Roadmap Signals Continued Progress On The EU’s CBDC

Despite ongoing debate over the merits of introducing a digital euro, the announcement of a timetable for relevant legislation demonstrates the EU’s commitment to its creation.

Fernando Navarrete, the MEP overseeing the digital euro legislation, has announced likely deadlines for the regulation.

The topic has so far proven divisive in the European Parliament, with critics including Navarrete himself.

“We are closing a key stage in the European Parliament’s work on the digital euro,” Navarrete wrote on LinkedIn.

He noted that a “process of active listening” has taken place, including with stakeholders from the payments industry, addressing financial stability, privacy, distribution models, costs, market alternatives and international comparisons.

Although Navarrete said that the Parliament is “still in the process of finding the best possible approach to provide a response that adapts to the reality of our time” and that “provides a response tailored to the challenges and needs of Europe”, he outlined the intended timeline for the legislation.

The publication of the report proposal will come in the last week of October, followed by a presentation of the report to the Committee on Economy and Monetary Affairs (ECON) on November 5/6 2025.

The deadline for amendments is December 12, 2025, and the debate of amendments in the ECON will be on January 28/29, 2026.

The negotiation meetings between the political groups are due to happen between January and April 2026, and the vote in the ECON is expected by May 2026.

Brazil’s Pix Sets New Standard With Fraud Dispute Button

The dispute mechanism hardwires consumer redress into Pix, strengthening consumer protections and cementing Brazil’s position as a global leader in instant payments.

Pix users can now challenge fraudulent transfers directly via their banking app, following the Central Bank of Brazil’s (BCB) launch of a new “dispute button” feature.

According to the BCB, the aim is to allow Pix transactions to be disputed entirely digitally, without human intervention. The process should also accelerate the blocking of funds in the scammer’s account, improving the chances of recovery.

Formally known as the Special Return Mechanism (MED) self-service tool, the button can be activated in cases of fraud, scams or coercion.

Once a user triggers the function, the transaction details are immediately forwarded to the recipient’s financial institution, which must block the disputed funds.

Both banks then have a week to review the case, with possible refunds processed within 11 days. However, the mechanism does not apply to commercial disputes or errors, such as sending money to the wrong Pix key.

"When disputing a transaction, the information is instantly forwarded to the scammer's bank, which must block the funds in your account, if any. Partial amounts may also be blocked,” said Breno Lobo, the deputy head of the BCB’s department of competition and financial market structure.

“After the block, both banks have up to seven days to review the dispute. If they agree that it is indeed a scam, the refund is made directly to the victim's account. The deadline for this refund is up to eleven days after the dispute,"

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