Visa Europe will cap the transaction fees it charges, the European Commission said on
Visa Europe will cap the transaction fees it charges
Wednesday, curbing an important money earner for banks behind the payment scheme. Europe’s antitrust regulator accepted on Wednesday Visa Europe’s offer to cap its inter-bank credit card fees
The move ends one in a series of long-running antitrust probes by the European Commission that was triggered by retailers’ gripes about the world’s biggest card payments company by the volume of transactions – reports Reuters.
It represents a victory for those retailers and the Commission, which had pushed for reduced fees on credit and debit cards, saying the annual cost to businesses across Europe was €10 billion (£8.2 billion).
The settlement to end the dispute means Visa Europe’s inter-bank credit card fees, a cost which consumer groups say ultimately falls on the card user, will be capped at 0.3% – the same level as rival MasterCard.
It is a setback for Visa Europe, the European licensee of Visa Inc, owned and operated by more than 3,000 European financial institutions. It had offered to take this step last year after the EU competition authority began its investigation.
“The cap on inter-bank fees for Visa Europe’s credit cards and the commitments ensuring cross-border competition are excellent news for European consumers, since the fees paid by retailers end up on their bills,” said EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia.
“Visa Europe will continue to focus on developing and providing payment solutions for the benefit of consumers, rather than pursuing lengthy legal cases,” Visa Europe CEO Nicolas Huss said.
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