Credit Card Competition Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Marshall, Roger [R-KS]
Introduced
Summary
Boost competition in credit-card transaction routing by stopping card issuers or networks from forcing the use of a single payment network. The bill would direct the Federal Reserve Board to write rules on network choice, periodic market-share checks, routing limits, and a public national-security list.
Show full summary
- Large card issuers would be defined as firms with more than $100.0 billion in assets and would be barred from mandating single-network processing. Cards issued in a three-party payment model are exempt.
- Payment card networks would no longer be able to require exclusive routing or use technology barriers and penalties to block other networks. The Board must recheck which two networks dominate at least every 3 years.
- The Federal Reserve, working with the Treasury, would publish a public list of networks owned, operated, or sponsored by foreign state entities or that pose national-security risks, with updates at least every 2 years.
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Stops issuer and network routing limits
If enacted, the Board would have to issue rules within 1 year that bar covered card issuers and payment card networks from forcing a card's electronic credit transaction to use only one network, with narrow exceptions. The rules would also bar routing limits, exclusive security technology requirements that not all networks can use, and penalties for merchants that choose eligible networks. The rules would not apply to cards in a three‑party payment model. Final rules would take effect 180 days after the Board issues them, and the Board would reassess the two largest networks at least every 3 years.
Public list of risky card networks
If enacted, the Board and the Treasury would publish a public list of payment card networks whose processing the Board finds poses a U.S. national security risk or that are owned, operated, or sponsored by a foreign state entity. The Board would have to publish the list within 1 year after enactment. The Board would update the list at least once every 2 years after establishing it.
New definitions for issuers and cards
If enacted, the bill would add definitions that decide which firms and transactions the new rules cover. Key definitions would: label a "covered card issuer" as any issuer (with affiliates) holding more than $100,000,000,000 in assets; treat online and app purchases as "electronic credit transactions"; define licensed members broadly; and define three-party cards as those issued by the network or under common ownership. These definitions would take effect upon enactment and would shape who must follow later Board rules.
Limits Consumer Bureau enforcement
If enacted, the bill would say the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would not have authority to enforce this section or any Board regulations issued under it. The change would take effect upon enactment and would shift enforcement away from the Bureau.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Marshall, Roger [R-KS]
KS • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 1/13/2026
Peter Welch
VT • D
Sponsored 1/13/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov