Methodology

PaymentBrief publishes operator-grade payments intelligence — market payment guides, PSP analysis, payment method breakdowns, regulatory summaries, and payment operations playbooks. This page documents how content is sourced, what confidence levels mean, and how guides are refreshed over time.

What we cover

Payment market guides cover payment rails, regulatory licensing, merchant discount rates, PSP coverage, and market-entry considerations. PSP and payment method guides focus on integration economics and operator-relevant decision points. Articles analyse contracts, fee structures, compliance frameworks, and infrastructure changes relevant to payment operators.

Content is written from an operator perspective — for merchants, PSPs, fintech product teams, and platforms processing real payment volume. We do not publish vendor press releases, paid placements, or unsourced market predictions.

Source classification

Every factual claim in a market guide or article is classified by source type. The following eight types are used:

Regulator

Central banks, financial authorities, and government bodies — MAS, RBI, BCB, Bank Indonesia, FCA, and equivalent agencies. These are primary sources for licensing requirements, policy, and official statistics.

PSP

Direct from the payment service provider — Stripe documentation, Adyen Help Center, Checkout.com developer portal, and equivalent primary PSP sources.

Rulebook

Card network or payment rail rulebooks — Visa Core Rules, Mastercard Standards, Pix Rulebook, EPC SCT Inst Rulebook. These are authoritative on scheme fee structures and network participation rules.

Filing

SEC filings, annual reports, prospectuses, and audited financial statements. Used for volume, revenue, and market share data published by public companies.

Pricing

Published PSP pricing pages checked at a specific date. Pricing pages change without notice — the check date is always recorded.

Industry data

Third-party data providers — Statista, Chainalysis, Nilson Report, FXC Intelligence, McKinsey, CB Insights, and equivalent research. These are cited with source and date; where methodology is unclear, data is flagged as estimated.

Press

News articles and press releases — used sparingly, only for recent announcements without a primary regulatory or corporate filing source. The originating company's statement is preferred where available.

Operator estimate

Author's professional judgment based on direct market experience. Used when no published source captures the relevant data point — for example, observed MDR ranges from PSP contract negotiations. Always disclosed as an estimate.

Refresh cadence

Market guides are reviewed at minimum every six months. PSP pricing references are checked quarterly or when a pricing change is reported. Regulatory content is updated when material rule changes are published — we do not wait for scheduled review cycles for enforcement actions, licensing changes, or rail outages.

The Last verified date shown on each guide reflects the most recent review of the full guide content. A guide may be accurate beyond its last-verified date, but readers should verify time-sensitive data — particularly MDR ranges, regulatory requirements, and PSP pricing — before acting.

What this site is not

Content on PaymentBrief is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, not financial advice, and not tax advice. Payment regulations, licensing requirements, and MDR rates change frequently. Engage local legal and compliance counsel before making regulatory or commercial decisions in any market.

Reporting errors

Factual errors are corrected promptly. If you identify a claim that is wrong, outdated, or unsupported, contact us at contact@paymentbrief.com. Include the URL, the specific claim, and the source you believe is correct.

Editorial standards

For editorial mission, authorship, and commercial relationship disclosures, see the About page and Disclosure page.