美国纽约东区联邦地区法院法官布赖恩·科根9日做出裁决，初步批准 Visa 与万事达（Mastercard）两家卡组织与全美商户达成的最新和解协议。根据该协议，两大卡组织将降低并限制信用卡刷卡手续费，预计在2031年前为商户削减约380亿美元的经营成本。 此项裁决标志着这场始于2005年、历时逾20年的反垄断诉讼取得突破性进展。此前，全美商户集体起诉Visa、万事达及相关发卡银行，指控其合谋操纵俗称...
美国纽约东区联邦地区法院法官布赖恩·科根9日做出裁决，初步批准 Visa 与万事达（Mastercard）两家卡组织与全美商户达成的最新和解协议。根据该协议，两大卡组织将降低并限制信用卡刷卡手续费，预计在2031年前为商户削减约380亿美元的经营成本。 此项裁决标志着这场始于2005年、历时逾20年的反垄断诉讼取得突破性进展。此前，全美商户集体起诉Visa、万事达及相关发卡银行，指控其合谋操纵俗称“刷卡费”的刷卡手续费（Interchange Fees），涉嫌违反美国反垄断法。2024年6月，法院曾因300亿美元的前期和解方案让利幅度过小而予以驳回，本次获批的方案为两大卡组织于去年11月提交的修正版本。法官科根在裁决中表示，该协议“公平、合理且充分”，法院后续倾向于做出最终批准。 根据最新达成的和解条款，Visa和万事达承诺在未来5年内，将刷卡手续费率降低0.1个百分点；同时在未来8年内，将标准消费卡的费率上限锁定在不高于1.25%的水平。此外，协议还赋予商户更多自主权，允许商户向消费者加收刷卡附加费，并可选择性接受特定类别的卡种（如商业卡、高端消费奖励卡或标准消费卡）。这一规定打破了卡组织长期执行的“接受其一即须接受全部”（Honor All Cards）的行业惯例。 受此利好消息提振，纽约股市周二常规交易中，Visa股价上涨1.7%，万事达股价上涨2%。两家卡组织随后发表声明对法院的裁决表示欢迎，称该协议在平衡各方利益的同时，为商户提供了更大的支付接受灵活性。原告方聘请的诺贝尔经济学奖得主约瑟夫·斯蒂格利茨等专家评估指出，该方案除直接为商户减负外，最终还将使消费者在内的各方获得总计约2240亿美元的综合收益。 然而，该和解方案遭到美国零售业及商户团体的强烈反对。包括全美零售商联合会（NRF）、商户支付联盟（MPC）以及全美便利店协会（NACS）在内的多个行业组织，联同零售巨头 沃尔玛 （Walmart）向法院提交了反对意见。反对者普遍认为，修正后的协议未能从根本上铲除持续30多年的反垄断行为，商户仍被迫在“承担高昂的高端奖励卡手续费”与“拒绝接纳此类卡片导致客户流失”之间做出两难选择。此外，商户依然无法针对特定发卡银行进行选择性拒付。 针对业界的反对声音，法官科根在裁决中坦言，尽管反对者提出的诸多质疑不无道理，且和解方案也并非十全十美，但司法审判评估的核心在于该...
Winston Cheng, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Lenovo said the AI infrastructure boom is probably “the greatest infrastructure build in the history of mankind,”, he was discussing the company outlook with Bloomberg’s Sangmi Cha at Bloomberg Invest 2026 in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)
Winston Cheng, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Lenovo said the AI infrastructure boom is probably “the greatest infrastructure build in the history of mankind,”, he was discussing the company outlook with Bloomberg’s Sangmi Cha at Bloomberg Invest 2026 in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)
(Bloomberg) -- Paramount Skydance Corp.’s $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. is being reviewed under the European Union’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation, with regulators probing involvement of Middle Eastern funds helping to bankroll the takeover.Most Read from BloombergHouse Republican Says Hegseth’s D-Day Remarks ‘Inappropriate’US Launches Strikes Against Iran After Helicopter Sh...
(Bloomberg) -- Paramount Skydance Corp.’s $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. is being reviewed under the European Union’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation, with regulators probing involvement of Middle Eastern funds helping to bankroll the takeover.Most Read from BloombergHouse Republican Says Hegseth’s D-Day Remarks ‘Inappropriate’US Launches Strikes Against Iran After Helicopter Shot DownUS Strikes Iran After Helicopter Downed, Testing Peace TalksStocks Pare Tech-Led Drop as Rota
The US and Iran exchanged strikes overnight after President Donald Trump retaliated against Tehran for shooting down an American Apache helicopter. The skirmishes further jolted a two-month-old truce and exposed the fragility of talks between the warring sides aimed at securing a lasting peace in the Middle East. The US military said it had completed an operation that saw fighter jets strike Irani...
The US and Iran exchanged strikes overnight after President Donald Trump retaliated against Tehran for shooting down an American Apache helicopter. The skirmishes further jolted a two-month-old truce and exposed the fragility of talks between the warring sides aimed at securing a lasting peace in the Middle East. The US military said it had completed an operation that saw fighter jets strike Iranian air defenses, ground control stations, and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missiles on four American targets, including shelters housing F-35 fighter jets and a command center for the US military at Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, state-run IRIB News said on Wednesday. Iran also said it fired drones at the US’s main naval base in the Middle East, located in Bahrain, and struck Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait. Tehran warned regional states not to allow the US to use their territory for attacks on the Islamic Republic. There were no immediate reports of casualties in any of the attacks. While indirect talks between Iran and the US about an interim deal — meant to extend the ceasefire by two months and reopen the Strait of Hormuz — continue, the confrontations underscored how high tensions are running. They followed strikes between Iran and Israel earlier this week, which led to Trump calling on both countries to stop. Trump has repeatedly said a deal with Iran is within reach and even with the latest flare up, he’s signaled he wants to contain hostilities and avoid a return to full-on war. Pressure is mounting on him to end a conflict that’s killed thousands of people across the Middle East and sent energy prices soaring, including in the US. Oil prices were little chance on Wednesday, with Brent down 0.1% to $91.37 a barrel. That stability suggests markets are broadly confident Tehran and Washington will reach an agreement even if skirmishes continue in the meantime. Prices, while still up significantly since the start...
Eiji Ueda, Partner & Head of Asia Pacific, Apollo told Bloomberg’s Erik Schatzker that the region’s aging population will create demand for retirement products. He was speaking at Bloomberg Invest 2026 in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)
Eiji Ueda, Partner & Head of Asia Pacific, Apollo told Bloomberg’s Erik Schatzker that the region’s aging population will create demand for retirement products. He was speaking at Bloomberg Invest 2026 in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)
Morning, I’m Louise Moon from Bloomberg UK’s breaking news team, bringing you up to speed on today’s top business stories. Britain’s plans to boost defence spending have already been slowed by a lack of cash. Now, with the government’s 10-year plan days away from publication, ministers are still wrangling over the details. The latest battleground is timing. The Treasury is locked in late-stage tal...
Morning, I’m Louise Moon from Bloomberg UK’s breaking news team, bringing you up to speed on today’s top business stories. Britain’s plans to boost defence spending have already been slowed by a lack of cash. Now, with the government’s 10-year plan days away from publication, ministers are still wrangling over the details. The latest battleground is timing. The Treasury is locked in late-stage talks about whether to commit to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 or stick with the current 2034 target. Military chiefs and defence secretary John Healey are pushing for the earlier deadline, while the Treasury continues to resist accelerating the increase. The delays have already created uncertainty around major defence contracts. They have also drawn criticism from a former NATO secretary general and, as my colleagues report, damaged trust between government and industry — further undermining confidence to invest in Britain. What’s your take? Ping me on X , LinkedIn or drop me an email at lmoon13@bloomberg.net. Oh, and do subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to trusted business journalism on the UK, and beyond. What We’re Watching The woes continue for WH Smith. The now travel-focused retailer warned on profits for the year amid uncertainty from the Middle East war and a weaker US unit, and launched a capital raise to compensate. That follows a rough period, as my colleague Sam details below. Shares slumped, having already lost more than 50% during the past year. For all the fears of taxes squeezing pubs , Fuller Smith & Turner seems to be doing alright, with full year numbers higher, as expected. Advance bookings for the World Cup are “strong” - a boon for the industry - and it noted more demand for staycations. Workspace , the London landlord of flexible offices, reported a loss that was driven by falling rents and rising vacancies that hit valuations in its portfolio. The firm, which is being targeted by activist investor Saba Capital, said it’s in the mi...
Zachary White, Product Manager, ASKB, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Bloomberg, shares insights from Bloomberg's technology leadership team at Bloomberg Invest 2026 in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)
Zachary White, Product Manager, ASKB, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Bloomberg, shares insights from Bloomberg's technology leadership team at Bloomberg Invest 2026 in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)
Chris Gradel, CEO & Co-Founder, PAG discusses private capital, liquidity and Asia investment opportunities with Bloomberg’s David Ingles at Bloomberg Invest 2026 in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)
Chris Gradel, CEO & Co-Founder, PAG discusses private capital, liquidity and Asia investment opportunities with Bloomberg’s David Ingles at Bloomberg Invest 2026 in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)