Australia to Keep Interchange Control

Interchange in Australia will remain under the close supervision of financial authorities, according to a ruling announced Wednesday.

The Reserve Bank of Australia said that stepping back from regulating interchange rates likely would not result in lower costs for card transactions because the payments industry has yet to introduce sufficient innovation that could increase competition.

Increased competition could come from improvements to Australia's point of sale and online payments systems, including better standardization and quicker funds transfers, the central bank said.

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