LT v2.0 Sign in

LT (LT) · Module W8 · Derived Confidence: Probable

LT: Merchant Acquiring & Risk

← Full LT Dossier (14 modules) Open LT in Co-Pilot ↗ Request Bespoke Deeper Dive

#

Merchant acquiring sits within the PSD2 Annex I service catalogue (acquiring is a licensable PI/EMI service) and the EU Interchange Fee Regulation governs merchant service charge transparency, including individually-specified MSC components and prohibition of Honour-All-Cards distortions. Chargeback/dispute mechanics are scheme-driven (Visa/Mastercard rulebooks); high-risk merchant treatment and onboarding risk are embedded in AML/CDD obligations supervised by the Bank of Lithuania.

Standing sub-brief · as of 27 June 2026217 words · last cycle 2026-06-27

Merchant Acquiring & Risk

Merchant acquiring in Lithuania is governed by the transparency provisions of the Interchange Fee Regulation. Under Regulation (EU) 2015/751, each acquirer must offer and charge merchant service charges individually specified by card category and brand, unless the payee requests blended charges in writing, and must disclose in payee agreements the MSC, interchange and scheme fees per card category and brand. On the licensing side, a Lithuanian PI licence authorises the full PSD2 Annex I service catalogue, which includes merchant acquiring — meaning non-bank payment institutions can act as acquirers alongside banks under the same statutory service framework.

The combination of MSC transparency and PSD2 Annex I acquiring rights frames how Lithuania-licensed acquirers price and onboard merchants, including higher-risk merchant category codes. Card-not-present and friendly-fraud chargeback dynamics, noted from Tier-3 industry sources, form the operational-risk backdrop, though these are monitored rather than treated as a confirmed standing position.

Outlook

The W8 trajectory is stable, with the module currently rated at a monitored impact level. The IFR transparency regime and PSD2 Annex I acquiring rights are settled. The forward interest lies in how SCA, 3DS and PCI-DSS posture evolve and how chargeback and friendly-fraud dynamics interact with the incoming PSD3/PSR fraud-prevention duties. Scheme-specific Lithuanian interchange schedules remain lightly evidenced and are carried as a gap.

no periodic updates on record for this sub-brief

Sources and findings (3 unique sources · R-3/R-4)
  1. [W8-E1] T1 Derived: Confirmed in_forcehttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32015R0751 re-verified

    Under Regulation (EU) 2015/751 each acquirer must offer and charge merchant service charges individually specified for different card categories and brands unless the payee requests blended charges in writing, and must include in payee agreements specified information on the merchant service charges, interchange fees and scheme fees applicable to each card category and brand.

  2. [W8-E2] T3 Derived: Probable in_forcehttps://crassula.io/guides/licenses/lithuania-pi/ re-verified

    A Lithuanian PI licence authorises the full catalogue of PSD2 Annex I services under Directive (EU) 2015/2366, including merchant acquiring, money transfers, card and non-card payment-instrument issuing, PISP and AISP, and Lithuania has authorised large B2B acquirers and acquiring gateways since 2016.

  3. [W8-E3] T3 Derived: Probable in_forcehttps://www.adyen.com/knowledge-hub/interchange-fees-explained re-verified

    Online and card-not-present transactions carry higher interchange and chargeback risk, with 'friendly fraud' accounting for the bulk of chargebacks, driving higher merchant-service-charge components for higher-risk merchant categories.