智通财经网·2025-11-10 02:06Core Viewpoint - Visa and Mastercard are reportedly nearing a new agreement to resolve a two-decade-long legal dispute with merchants, which includes a 10 basis point reduction in interchange fees over several years [1][2]. Group 1: Agreement Details - The new agreement will adjust interchange fees, lowering them by an average of 10 basis points, which is an improvement from the previous year's proposed reduction of 7 basis points [1]. - The agreement will also relax previous regulations that required merchants accepting any card from a card organization to accept all cards under that organization [1]. Group 2: Historical Context - The legal dispute regarding credit card processing fees dates back to at least 2005, when Visa and Mastercard had not yet separated from their parent banks to become publicly traded companies [2]. - Retailers have been striving to reduce the costs associated with accepting credit card payments, known as interchange fees, which are largely passed on to issuing banks like JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup [1]. Group 3: Financial Implications - Interchange fees exceed $100 billion annually and are a crucial source of funding for rewards offered by high-end credit cards [2]. - Last year, a proposed agreement that could have saved merchants approximately $30 billion over five years was rejected by a federal judge, who believed that the financial institutions could make further concessions [1].