Business & Technology
Gamma targets small firms with PCI payment security
Gamma has outlined a sales push for PCI payment security tools aimed at small and medium-sized businesses that take card payments by phone, arguing the market extends far beyond large insurers and financial groups.
In a podcast discussion, Gamma executives made the case for tighter controls around telephone payments. They argued that smaller firms are often exposed to fraud, chargebacks and compliance risks without fully recognising the issue as PCI-related.
Andy Herring, Commercial and Strategy Product Manager at Gamma, and Ed Savory, Channel Head for the South East at Gamma, focused much of the discussion on the impact on small businesses rather than the large corporates that have traditionally dominated compliance conversations.
Savory cited UK card fraud losses of more than GBP £572 million and said the direct effect on smaller merchants can be severe when disputed transactions lead to chargebacks.
“Chargebacks happen when a transaction is questioned by the cardholder, whether because of suspected fraud or because they believe they were charged the wrong amount,” Savory said. “That starts a process that usually ends with the customer seeking a refund. For a small business, a few chargebacks a month can have a significant impact. The average cost is between sixty pounds and sixty-five pounds per chargeback, and that is before you add the time spent dealing with queries, complaints, banks and providers. It quickly becomes a major issue for small businesses.”
Herring said customer discussions often need to move away from fear of fines and towards the immediate commercial effects of taking card details incorrectly over the phone. He added that one of the sharpest risks for a small firm is the possibility of losing access to merchant services if it fails to comply.
According to the executives, any business that accepts credit card payments by phone could fall within scope, regardless of size. They pointed to sectors including retail, hospitality, automotive services, florists, takeaways, garages, dentists and skip hire firms as examples of businesses that may still rely on informal payment handling.
Broad market
Savory said many firms still ask customers to read card numbers aloud, repeat them back or trust staff not to write them down. He argued that such habits remain common across the high street and in service businesses despite the risks.
He added that the impact of chargebacks and related costs can be greater for a small florist with two or three staff than for a large corporation.
That point underpins Gamma’s pitch to channel partners. Rather than treating PCI as a specialist issue limited to heavily regulated sectors, the company wants resellers to see it as a broader cross-sell opportunity within their existing unified communications customer base.
Herring said businesses that already buy communications services may be easier to approach on payment security because the supplier relationship is already in place. Savory added that this can help partners present themselves as trusted advisers rather than focusing only on price or contract renewal.
Product detail
The pair also described how Gamma’s iPECS-based PCI offer is structured. Herring said the company uses a per-user monthly pricing model, in contrast to rival offers that can include setup charges running into four figures as well as transaction fees.
He also described a LinkPay option for customers that prefer to send a payment link by SMS, email or WhatsApp instead of taking card details verbally during a call. The option is aimed at businesses such as builders’ merchants and garages, where payment may be made after a booking or service call.
For live telephone payments, Herring said the system uses a dedicated PCI trunk and a four-digit code to start a secure transaction. Keypad tones are stripped from the call data so they do not appear in recordings, while the agent sees only limited masked card information through a portal.
That matters for businesses that need to record calls for compliance or operational reasons. Herring said the system also injects silence into the call while card numbers are entered, preventing spoken digits from being captured if a customer reads them out from habit.
Savory said the system works with major payment service providers in the UK. Herring put the current total at thirteen or fourteen and said additional providers can be added where needed.
The two men repeatedly returned to the economics for smaller firms, framing the offer as a fixed monthly cost against the unpredictable cost of disputed payments and internal admin time. Savory said businesses across the high street, from florists and hairdressers to dentists, need services like this. He described it as a form of insurance that helps protect against chargebacks and fraud, supports compliance and reduces risk for a manageable fixed fee.
TS Travels Group, which began operating in 2015, describes itself as a “leading coach and minibus hire company”.
It provided “reliable and affordable transport solutions across the UK and Europe”.
UK travel company enters liquidation with no new trips
Now, after 11 years, TS Travels Group, based in West Yorkshire, is set to close.
The company’s website has been taken offline, and new bookings are no longer possible.
Laura Anne Walshe of Keywood Group Limited was appointed as liquidator on July 29, according to The Gazette.
On LinkedIn, the company said: “With years of industry experience, we have built a reputation for delivering exceptional service, catering to both private and corporate clients.
“Our diverse fleet ranges from small minibuses to large coaches, some of which are bespoke-built to our specifications to ensure maximum comfort.
“Through our trusted network of partner operators, we offer seamless nationwide coverage, making transport planning effortless for our clients.
“At TS Travels Group, no journey is too big or small.
“Whether it’s private hire, corporate travel, school transport, or airport transfers, we are committed to providing a flexible and stress-free travel experience.”
It comes just days after fellow UK travel company Ski Yodl Ltd entered liquidation, resulting in the cancellation of all holiday packages.
The company offered ski holiday packages to destinations including the French Alps.
Other UK travel companies that have closed in 2026
Several UK travel companies have also ceased trading or entered administration in 2026:
Several UK travel companies have also ceased trading or entered administration in 2026:
Four UK airlines have also fallen into administration or liquidation this year:
- Ascend Airways (liquidation)
- EcoJet Airlines (liquidation)
- Zenith Aviation Limited (administration)
- European Cargo (administration)
Have you booked any trips with TS Travels Group? Let us know in the comments.
The modern fintech industry continues is an exciting place to work in: new problems being solved, new technologies underpinning products and new companies emerging and taking on incumbents. It keeps you on your toes.
It remains, at its heart, a people business. There is tremendous diversity and inclusivity in terms of people, interests and skillsets, creating a melting pot for problem-solving and innovation. And women are at the heart of fintech success stories across the globe.
One of the advantages of building something new is that you’re often less focused on tradition and more focused on finding the right people to solve the problem in front of you. That’s one of the reasons why women play a key role at fintech.
The industry grew during a period when many more women had already established careers in financial services. They brought deep expertise in areas such as payments, operations, compliance, and customer experience, all of which became incredibly valuable as fintech evolved.
Every executive builds a network of people they trust. I’ve done the same thing throughout my career. In more established industries, those networks may have been built over decades. In fintech, many of those networks were still being formed, creating opportunities for talented people to move into senior roles based on what they could contribute.
Newer companies also have the advantage of building their cultures and teams from the ground up without decades of established practices. That creates an opportunity to think differently about hiring, career development and the experiences that prepare people for senior roles.
Identifying what it takes to succeed
The fintech industry isn’t for everyone. In my experience, if you have certain inherent qualities and interests, it is more likely that you will thrive and succeed.
If I had to narrow it down, I’d start with curiosity. Financial services, technology, and regulation are constantly evolving, so the people who succeed are the ones who never stop learning. They ask questions, challenge assumptions, and stay open to different perspectives.
The second is the ability to simplify complexity. Fintech sits at the intersection of technology, regulation and business, and it’s easy to get lost in the details. The people who make the greatest impact are the ones who can simplify complex issues, create clarity, and help others understand where they’re headed and why.
Leadership qualities, particularly the ability to align people around a shared strategy and execute, are crucial too. Great ideas are everywhere, but success comes from building strong teams, bringing people together around a common purpose and turning strategy into action. That means building trust, breaking down silos, making decisions, and consistently delivering results.
And finally, integrity. Financial services is built on trust. Whether you’re developing technology, managing risk, or leading an organisation, your reputation is earned by making the right decisions, especially when they’re the difficult ones.
Recognising the need for career evolution
Not everyone will possess these qualities and interests from day one. Some are acquired over time, while others are instilled during your formative and educational years. The one certainty is that progression is never linear; you’ll need to pivot and make bold decisions that continuously challenge yourself.
I began my career as a rocket scientist in the U.S.A after earning a degree in mathematics and computer science. While I loved solving complex technical problems, I discovered I was even more passionate about explaining what technology could do and the business problems it could solve than writing the code itself.
That realisation led me into financial technology and to SWIFT, where I had the opportunity to live and work in Belgium. Supporting the world’s leading financial messaging network gave me a front-row seat to the complexity of global banking and the critical role technology plays in enabling secure, trusted financial transactions. It also introduced me to an industry that has challenged and inspired me throughout my career.
As my career evolved, I naturally gravitated toward roles where I could bridge technology and business. I enjoyed helping customers understand not just how technology worked, but why it mattered and how it could transform their organisations.
That eventually led me into executive leadership, where I’ve spent more than three decades helping companies define strategy, build high-performing teams and translate innovation into measurable business results. I’ve always believed successful innovation begins with understanding the business problem rather than the technology itself.
Today, I focus on aligning strategy, people and operations to drive growth, strengthen customer outcomes and prepare my company for its next stage of evolution. I’m also helping shape how we use artificial intelligence across our products and our own business to accelerate execution while enabling our people to do their best work.
The best is yet to come
While the fintech industry remains in relative infancy, the leaps in progress over the last 25 years is a strong indicator that the pace of transformation will accelerate rapidly in the coming decades. Technology will continue to evolve, and new products and sectors will emerge.
However, I believe the next few decades will be defined less by new technology and more by how organisations choose to apply it. Those that succeed won’t simply be the first to adopt AI, for example. They’ll be the ones that build cultures capable of learning, adapting and executing faster than their competitors.
Continued fairness in hiring practices is central to the future success of fintech. The strongest organisations hire for capability, potential, and character. They recognise that people with different backgrounds and experiences challenge assumptions, bring new ideas, and help organisations make better decisions.
Ultimately, success isn’t measured by the software we deliver. It’s measured by the confidence our customers have in the decisions they make and the trust they place in the people they work with. Strong leadership, great people, culture of continuous learning, and a clear strategy will always be the differentiators.
Duke Property Ltd, which runs the Duke of Cambridge bar on Little Clarendon Street, entered Creditors Voluntary Liquidation on July 28.
This is a a liquidation procedure that enables a company to be wound up by resolution of the members of the company instead of by a court order.
READ MORE: Over 500 jobs at risk as leading UK charity shutting 190 sites
A statement said: “Notice is given that at a General Meeting of the Company, duly convened and held at the place and on the date given above, a special resolution was passed that the company be wound up voluntarily; and an ordinary resolution was passed appointing the Liquidator for the purposes of the winding-up.”
The liquidators appointed were from Fortis Insolvency, with Daniel Taylor of the firm stating that the economic climate over the last few years has provided “major challenges”.
He said: “It is always difficult when an individual or company faces insolvency, as one failure often impacts on others around them either directly or indirectly. From suppliers to employees to finance providers to HMRC, there is always a wider consequence.
“The economic climate over the last few years has provided several major challenges to businesses, and the fall-out continues to be encountered.
“We know that this business is not alone in what it has faced over recent trading periods, and suspect that there are more economic consequences yet to be felt.”
The Duke of Cambridge has also been approached for comment.
The company’s latest accounts, to May 31, 2025, show creditors falling within a year worth over £58,000 and an average of three employees, less than half the number from the year before.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire construction firm being wound up with £75K debts
On its website, the Duke of Cambridge describes itself as “Oxford’s leading cocktail bar” and says its has been open since 1981.
It adds: “Located in the bohemian district of Jericho, the bar is always bursting with atmosphere at the weekends with a more chilled vibe during the week.
“Fresh ingredients, cool interiors and friendly staff give The Duke genuine character and style.”
In addition it said that it is “currently closed for a refurbishment following a break in”, with Google also reporting the cocktail bar as closed.
It added that it would be “reopening soon”.
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoHSBC UK & Visa test AI shopping with live payments
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoMouser warns against viral hacks to cool overheating phones
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoValarian lands USD $50 million backing for sovereign AI
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoNew romantasy bookshop attracts queues of customers
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoKane tops England influencer rankings after Mexico win
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoSNP & Palantir launch AI tools for SAP transformations
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoDWP now checking bank accounts for Universal Credit and Pension Credit
-
Oxford Events4 weeks agoHenley Festival 2026 highlights: Five nights of unforgettable performances and festival moments