Merchants Eye — Payments & Ecommerce News

Episode Six and Decisionly Partner to Launch AI-Powered Dispute Automation for Card Issuers

By Lauren Towner · 8 July 2026

Press Release: Episode Six and Decisionly Partner to Launch AI-Powered Dispute Automation for Card Issuers | Featured Image by FF News

Quick Summary

Episode Six and Decisionly have partnered to provide card issuers with an integrated solution for AI-powered dispute automation and card infrastructure. This collaboration enables banks and fintechs to replace manual legacy processes with API-first technology, reducing operational costs and improving the cardholder experience through automated chargeback management.

How Does This Partnership Solve Dispute Management Challenges?

AI-powered dispute automation is the primary vehicle for modernizing the historically manual and fragmented chargeback process. By integrating Decisionly’s specialized platform with Episode Six’s global issuing infrastructure, issuers can now manage the entire dispute lifecycle within a single, cohesive ecosystem. This eliminates the need for disjointed legacy tools that struggle with the complexity of multi-currency and multi-region card programs.

  • 95% automation rates achieved from the first day of implementation.
  • 80% reduction in manual dispute workloads for operational teams.
  • API-first architecture ensures seamless data transfer between issuing and dispute layers.

This approach transforms dispute management from a cost-heavy operational burden into a streamlined digital service that enhances cardholder trust and retention.

What Results Can Card Issuers Expect from This Integration?

Modern card programs require infrastructure that can scale without a linear increase in headcount. The partnership between Episode Six and Decisionly allows issuers to scale dispute operations efficiently by leveraging AI that understands complex regulatory requirements and network rules. This is particularly critical for fintechs and banks operating in the US, Canada, and Europe, where compliance and network guidelines are stringent.

"We built Episode Six to give issuers the infrastructure they need to run modern card programs, and that means addressing every layer of the stack," said John Mitchell, CEO and Co-Founder at Episode Six. "The shift towards purpose-built solutions is accelerating across payments, and disputes is one of the clearest examples of an operational function ready for transformation. By partnering with Decisionly, we can now offer those clients the solutions they need.”

Why Is Dispute Modernization the Next Fintech Frontier?

As the payments industry moves toward real-time processing and global interoperability, the back-office functions like disputes have become a significant bottleneck. This partnership addresses the operational friction that often plagues high-growth card programs. By automating investigation, filing, and resolution, issuers can focus on product innovation rather than administrative overhead.

"Partnering with Episode Six was a natural fit," said Pallavi Kuppa-Apte, CEO and Co-Founder at Decisonly. "We share the same fundamental belief that modern card programs deserve modern technology at every layer, including disputes. Episode Six gives us a direct path to a strong and growing base of banks and fintechs already running on modern infrastructure, exactly the kind of issuers who are ready to unlock the full value of purpose-built dispute automation."

FF NEWS TAKE:

This partnership definitely moves the needle for the issuing sector. While card issuing has seen massive innovation, the "unsexy" back-office world of disputes has remained trapped in legacy hell. By embedding AI-powered dispute automation directly into the issuing stack, Episode Six and Decisionly are removing one of the last major hurdles to truly autonomous card program management. It’s a smart, high-utility play for global scale.

Companies in this story: Decisionly, Episode Six

People in this story: Pallavi Kuppa-Apte, John Mitchell

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