FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

NZ Commerce Commission Proposes Caps on Interchange Fees for Commercial Credit Cards

By

The Commerce Commission of New Zealand released its draft decision to introduce caps on interchange fees for Mastercard and Visa commercial credit cards in a bid to have a more "fair and efficient" payments system, the competition, consumer, and regulatory agency said on Thursday.

New Zealand businesses currently pay roughly NZ$125 million in interchange fees annually to accept Mastercard and Visa commercial credit cards, and the proposed caps are expected to reduce these costs by NZ$40 million per year.

The final decision will be made later in the year, according to Commissioner Bryan Chapple.

Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) shares fell marginally in morning trade in New Zealand, while ANZ Group (ASX:ANZ, NZE:ANZ) shares were down nearly 1%.

Related Articles

Asia

AcroMeta's Subscription Deal Collapses as Investor Fails Payment; Shares Up 6%

AcroMeta's (SGX:43F) deal to raise SG$1 million through the subscription of 16.7 million shares with a subscriber named Elisabet, collapsed after the investor failed to make the payment by the deadline, according to a Tuesday bourse filing.Shares of the engineering services company were up nearly 6% in Wednesday trading.The subscriber was expected to remit the amount by May 31. The company is now seeking legal advice over the matter following the breach of the agreement.

SGX:43F
Asia

GrainCorp's Through-The-Cycle Earnings Power Under Doubt Even as Fiscal 2027 EBITDA Estimate Unchanged, Jarden Says

GrainCorp's (ASX:GNC) fiscal 2027 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) estimate was almost unchanged at around AU$217 million, but there is more skepticism than consensus on the firm's through-the-cycle earnings power, with the fiscal 2028 EBITDA estimate 16% and net profit after tax estimate 39% below consensus, Jarden said in a note on Tuesday.The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences' (ABARES) first fiscal 2027 crop estimate east coast winter crop of 23.8 million metric tons is in line with expectations and consistent with an average crop size. If the El Niño phenomenon develops over June and July, creating soft levels of rainfall, then for fiscal 2027 there are downside risks to ABARES' forecast.The canola crop forecast is relevant for GrainCorp's nutrition and energy segment, with Jarden estimating it to account for 48% of the fiscal 2027 EBITDA estimate. ABARES' fiscal 2027 east coast canola crop estimate of 2.2 million metric tons is well below the fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2026 period but is impacted by a weak New South Wales forecast.The investment firm retained its neutral rating and AU$5.40 price target on GrainCorp.GrainCorp's shares gained about 2% in recent Wednesday trade.

ASX:GNC
Asia

Sichuan Road & Bridge Exits Private Equity Fund with Early Lump-Sum Payout

Sichuan Road & Bridge (SHA:600039) subsidiary Road & Bridge Group exited a 111.2-million-yuan private equity fund investment tied to a highway project in Guangxi, China.The fund shares were transferred to Guangxi Jiaosheng, with proceeds collected early as a lump sum of 98.3 million yuan, according to a Tuesday filing with the Shanghai bourse.Shares of the construction company were down 3% in recent trade.

SHA:600039