GBAMFS Criticizes Mastercard & Visa's Response to Activist Demands; Urges Swift Passage of Fair Act

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - EntSun -- GBAMFS Criticizes Mastercard and Visa's Response to Activist Pressure; Urges Swift Passage of Fair Access to Banking Act

Proclaiming that payment processor neutrality is essential to consumer choice and confidence, the organization rejects third-party interventions into market selection

[West Palm Beach, FL] — The Gaming Brethren Advocates Mutual-aid Federation & Society (GBAMFS) expresses measured disapproval regarding reports that Mastercard and Visa have bowed to pressure from third parties in restricting access to certain lawful adult-rated content on digital platforms such as Steam.

As reported by the International Business Times¹, payment processors have faced coordinated campaigns urging the exclusion of a variety of legally purchasable material, based on subjective criteria advanced by activist groups. While the companies claim to be safeguarding their reputations, the categorical scope of the restrictions demonstrates a pattern of exclusion. These measures circumvent public regulatory processes and inhibit lawful commerce.

We identify ¹ one core concern in this trend: when financial platforms filter access based on ideological influence rather than objective risk or legal mandate, they abandon neutrality and assume a quasi-regulatory role without accountability.

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GBAMFS firmly opposes the use of financial denial as a tool of content moderation and urges a return to impartiality in lawful transactions.

To this end, we endorse the Fair Access to Banking Act—H.R.987 and S.401—which would prohibit large financial institutions from discriminating against lawful businesses based on non-financial or reputational judgments. The legislation restores accountability and demands that institutions offering public-facing services do so based on transparent, risk-based criteria—not activist agendas.

Financial entities should not serve as gatekeepers to lawful expression absent clear statutory guidance. We call on Congress to advance this bill and on Mastercard and Visa to reaffirm their neutrality and commitment to equal access for lawful commerce.

¹https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mastercard-visa-under-fire-petition-payment-giants-not-police-legal-content-blows-1739406

Contact:
gbamfs@gmail.com
www.gbamfs.org
Twitter/𝕏: @gbamfs