Payment Expert’s Fintech Unwrapped delivers the latest developing news that has shaped the sector over the course of the last week
This week, SumUp became Newcastle United’s Official Training Kit Partner in a multi-year deal that The Athletic reported is worth about £15m.
Also this week, payabl. added Visa’s Rapid Dispute Resolution service for UK and EU merchants, OpenPayd integrated with Circle Payments Network to settle cross-border fiat payments through stablecoins, Paysafe launched a Merchant of Record solution with FastSpring, and Edenred Payment Solutions powered a gift card launch for Toolstation.
SumUp named Newcastle United training kit partner
SumUp became Newcastle United‘s Official Training Kit Partner on 21 August in a multi-year agreement. SumUp branding will feature on training kit worn by the men’s, women’s and academy teams, and during pre-match warm-ups and training sessions. SumUp joins the club’s group of primary partners.
SumUp also becomes ‘Presenting Partner’ of the Newcastle United Business Club, a commercial networking group in the North East, where the company already provides payment services to thousands of businesses. SumUp and Newcastle United will launch a co-branded card offering supporters discounts and rewards at official club outlets and participating UK businesses.
The Athletic reported the deal is worth £5m per season and around £15m over an initial three years, taking the club’s annual income from training-ground-related sponsorship to about £11m alongside a naming-rights deal with KNOX Hydration. Newcastle United did not disclose the financial terms.
Luke Griffiths, Chief Commercial Officer and UK CEO at SumUp, said the partnership “gives us a strong platform to bring our merchant and local communities closer to the club, while creating new opportunities for businesses and fans across the region”.
payabl. adds Visa Rapid Dispute Resolution
payabl. expanded its Visa relationship on 25 August to offer merchants across the UK and EU Visa’s Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) service. RDR auto-decisions disputes at the pre-dispute stage to stop chargebacks before they occur and lets merchants issue refunds virtually. payabl. is integrating the service into its payabl.one platform, where merchants also manage payments, multi-currency accounts and payouts.
payabl.’s January 2026 fraud report found 31% of surveyed UK merchants had been targeted by friendly fraud, and 71% said current chargeback rules favour customers. Visa’s 2026 Global ecommerce Payments & Fraud Report found 64% of merchants reported an increase in first-party misuse over the past year, with one in four citing increases of 25% or more, and put the average cost to resolve a single dispute above $80.
Oleg Stefanets, Chief Risk Officer at payabl., said: “By embedding pre-dispute automation into payabl.one, we’re reducing friction where it matters most: after the sale.”
OpenPayd integrates with Circle Payments Network
OpenPayd integrated with Circle Payments Network (CPN) on 25 August, letting business customers make near-instant cross-border fiat payments through a single API. Businesses send and receive traditional currencies while CPN settles in the background using regulated stablecoins, including USDC and EURC, without clients building or managing blockchain infrastructure.
Circle Technology Services, an affiliate of Circle Internet Group, operates CPN. Payments from euros to Brazilian reais and from British pounds to Mexican pesos settle in seconds on live corridors, OpenPayd said. Circle reported on 5 August that CPN reached an annualised transaction volume of $14.7bn based on the final 30 days of the second quarter, up 76% sequentially.
Paysafe launches Merchant of Record solution with FastSpring
Paysafe launched a Merchant of Record (MoR) solution on 26 August through a partnership with FastSpring. The co-branded offering runs on FastSpring’s MoR infrastructure and targets software, gaming and digital goods businesses selling across borders.
Under the MoR model, the provider acts as the legal seller of record for a merchant’s transactions. The solution handles tax collection, calculation and remittance, payment localisation, regional compliance and chargeback management. FastSpring processes payments in more than 240 countries and territories.
Edenred Payment Solutions powers Toolstation gift card launch
Edenred Payment Solutions launched a closed-loop gift card programme for Toolstation on 27 August, built in eight weeks. Customers can buy and redeem the cards in-store across more than 590 UK branches, online and through the Toolstation app.
The API-based platform gives Toolstation real-time top-ups, balance enquiries and redemptions built into its checkout with no third-party redirects, alongside analytics dashboards tracking activity, breakage and campaign performance.
Rehana Mitha, Managing Director of Edenred Payment Solutions, said Toolstation “wanted to create a brand new programme with zero friction” across stores, web and app, and set a target of integration, card manufacture and launch in eight weeks.
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