payabl. Partners with Visa to Automate Dispute Resolution and Combat Chargeback Fraud

European fintech provider payabl. has expanded its relationship with Visa to integrate real-time dispute management tools for merchants across the UK and EU. This move addresses the rising operational burden of post-purchase fraud, allowing fintech professionals to automate refund decisions and maintain lower dispute ratios within strict card scheme thresholds.

What was announced

The collaboration centers on the integration of Visa’s Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) services into the payabl.one platform. This technical alignment allows merchants to resolve disputes automatically at the pre-dispute stage, effectively intercepting potential chargebacks before they are formally filed. By automating these decisions in real time, the system enables merchants to issue refunds virtually, improving the customer experience while protecting the merchant’s standing with card networks.

The service is designed for merchants operating across the United Kingdom and the European Union who manage high transaction volumes or face significant pressure from first-party misuse. By embedding these post-purchase capabilities directly into the payabl.one dashboard, businesses can oversee RDR activity alongside their existing multi-currency business accounts, payouts, and online or in-person payment processing.

The necessity for such automation is underscored by recent data. A payabl. Fraud report indicated that 31% of UK-based merchants have been targeted by friendly fraud, and 71% believe current chargeback rules are skewed in favor of the consumer. Furthermore, Visa’s 2026 Global Ecommerce Payments & Fraud Report highlights that 64% of merchants saw an increase in first-party misuse over the last year, with the average cost to resolve a single such dispute now exceeding $80.

"In payments, every second counts. Our collaboration with Visa brings merchants faster resolution, fewer chargebacks, and a better experience for their customers. By embedding pre-dispute automation into payabl.one, we’re reducing friction where it matters most: after the sale. Alongside our fraud monitoring capabilities, this helps merchants reduce dispute ratios. It’s another step in our mission to make money flow, giving businesses clarity and control across every transaction."

Oleg Stefanets, Chief Risk Officer at payabl.

The companies involved

payabl. is a European financial technology provider focused on creating an intuitive control layer for merchant payments. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services through its payabl.one platform, including acquiring, multi-currency accounts, and local payment methods. The company positions itself as a partner for businesses seeking transparency and reliability throughout the entire payment lifecycle, from checkout to post-sale dispute management.

Visa is a global leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Visa Europe, the division involved in this specific collaboration, works directly with regional partners to implement localized payment solutions and security standards. Dan Parsons serves as the Head of Acceptance Sales at Visa Europe, overseeing the deployment of merchant-facing technologies like Rapid Dispute Resolution to help businesses mitigate the impact of evolving fraud trends and maintain trust in the digital economy.

What this means

This announcement highlights a critical shift in the payments industry: the battle against fraud has moved beyond the checkout page. As "friendly fraud" or first-party misuse becomes a dominant threat, the traditional reactive model of handling chargebacks is becoming unsustainable for high-growth merchants. By automating the pre-dispute phase, payabl. and Visa are placing significant pressure on legacy processors who still rely on manual, time-consuming dispute resolution workflows.

The move raises a vital question for the sector: as automation makes it easier for merchants to concede disputes early to save on operational costs, will this inadvertently encourage more first-party misuse by consumers who realize that automated systems are more likely to trigger instant refunds? For now, the priority for the industry is clearly operational efficiency and staying within the risk thresholds mandated by global card schemes.