The Payments Fundamentals (101 Series)
A
What is a Payment? (The Anatomy of a Transaction)
The Players in the Payments Ecosystem (Issuer, Acquirer, Scheme, Processor, Gateway)
How Card Payments Work – Step by Step
Authorisation, Clearing & Settlement Explained
Understanding Interchange Fees
How Card Networks (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Diners) Operate
The Difference Between Issuing and Acquiring
Understanding Payment Schemes and Membership Types (Principal, Affiliate, BIN Sponsor)
What is a BIN and Why it Matters
The Role of Processors and Why They’re the Engine Room
The Difference Between Prepaid, Debit, Credit and Charge Cards
What is a Virtual Card?
What is Tokenisation and How Does It Work?
EMV and the Evolution of Smart Cards
What Happens When a Payment Fails? Declines, Chargebacks & Reversals
The Role of 3D Secure in Online Payments
Real-Time Payments vs Batch Payments
Understanding Merchant Category Codes (MCCs)
What is a Card Scheme Licence?
How FX and Multi-Currency Transactions Work
Card Issuing & BIN Sponsorship
B
What is BIN Sponsorship and Why Do Fintechs Need It?
The Card Issuing Lifecycle (Design, Manufacture, Personalisation, Distribution)
Physical vs Virtual Cards: Use Cases and Risk Profiles
Card Controls and Dynamic Spending Rules
The Economics of Card Issuing – Who Gets Paid?
Key Compliance Requirements for Issuers (FCA, PSD2, EMoney, PCI DSS)
Understanding BIN Ranges and Routing Logic
Card Bureau Services Explained (Fulfilment & Personalisation)
Program Management: From Application to Go-Live
How Fintechs Partner with BIN Sponsors to Scale Globally
Acquiring, Processing & Merchant Services
C
Complementary Side of the Payments Value Chain
What is Acquiring and How Does it Work?
Merchant Accounts and Settlement Flows
Understanding Merchant Aggregators and PSPs
How Payment Gateways Route Transactions
Card Present vs Card Not Present Transactions
POS Systems, Contactless, and NFC
Risk and Fraud in Acquiring
Cross-Border Acquiring & Localisation
Settlement Timelines and Reconciliation
How Acquiring Integrates with Issuing (Dual Model Explained)
Compliance, Risk & Regulation
D
What is KYC / AML and Why it Matters
KYB (Know Your Business) Explained
Screening for PEPs and Sanctions
PSD2, Open Banking, and SCA (Strong Customer Authentication)
GDPR and Data Protection in Payments
PCI DSS Compliance – The Basics
How Fraud Prevention Works in Card Payments
Transaction Monitoring and Velocity Checks
Chargebacks and Dispute Management
Digital & Embedded Finance
E
What is Embedded Finance?
The Rise of Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS)
API-First Architecture Explained
What is a Virtual IBAN?
Multi-Currency Accounts 101
Real-Time Funding and Authorisation
Data Insights in Payments – What You Can Learn from the Flow
The Future of Digital Wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay)
Open APIs and Interoperability
Payment Infrastructure as a Service (PIaaS)
Web3, Stablecoins & The Future of Money
F
What is Web3 and How is it Different from Web2?
What are Stablecoins and How Do They Work?
How On-Chain Settlement Differs from Traditional Settlement
Bridging Fiat and Crypto – On/Off Ramps Explained
How Card-Linked Stablecoin Spending Works
Smart Contracts in Payments
Tokenisation vs Cryptography
Regulatory Outlook: MiCA (EU) vs GENIUS Act (US)
Stablecoin Settlement for B2B Payments
What’s Next: Programmable Money and Real-Time Global Settlement
Vertical Deep-Dives
G
Travel Payments 101: From OTA to Airline Settlement
Fleet & Fuel Payments: Control, Security, and Efficiency
Insurance Payments: Claims, Premiums, and Payouts
Media Buying Payments: Managing Spend Across Markets
Procurement & Corporate Cards: Simplifying Spend Management
Hospitality & Gaming Payments: Security and Compliance Challenges
Fintech Program Design: From Idea to Issuance
Web3 Card Use Cases for Crypto-Native Businesses
Marketplace Payments: Split Settlements and Escrow Models
Cross-Border B2B Payments: Challenges and Innovations
Monavate Masterclass
H
What is MonavateOne. and How It Works
How Monavate Enables Fintechs to Scale Faster
The Role of BIN Sponsorship in Global Payment Innovation
Why Compliance is the True Accelerator of Innovation
Building Trust Through Infrastructure, Not Just Interfaces
The Shift Toward Web3-Enabled Payment Systems
From Cards to Code: The Rise of API-First Financial Infrastructure
How Stablecoin Settlement Will Change Global Commerce
Lessons from Industry Leaders (Case Studies: Zilch, Baanx, HyperJar)
The Future of Payments: Where Monavate Fits in the Global Stack
Foundational Glossary & Reference
I
Common Acronyms (BIN, KYC, AML, PEP, IBAN, API, etc.)
Scheme & Regulator Directory
Global Payments Timeline (History of Card Networks)
Compliance & Regulation Map (UK, EU, US Overview)
Key Industry Frameworks (PCI DSS, ISO 8583, PSD2, MiCA)
Visual Explainers: “How a Payment Works” Diagrams
Case Studies: Real-World Programs Enabled by Monavate
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Monavate Masterclass

From Cards to Code: The Rise of API-First Financial Infrastructure

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API-first infrastructure is transforming how financial products are built. Rather than relying on manual integrations or siloed vendors, businesses now use APIs to assemble card, payment, and account functions into cohesive, programmable ecosystems.

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Monavate’s API-first design enables rapid configuration, real-time data access, and modular scalability. Whether issuing cards, managing funds, or processing payments, clients can build what they need — directly into their platforms.

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This shift from “cards” to “code” is redefining financial services. Monavate empowers businesses to own their technology stack, innovate faster, and deliver financial experiences that evolve with user needs.

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