European Union antitrust regulators have intensified their scrutiny of payment processing giants Visa Inc. $V and Mastercard Incorporated $MA. Following ongoing concerns, the European Commission has reached out to retailers and payment service providers with new questionnaires aimed at determining whether a standardized, consolidated disclosure of fees could resolve market inefficiencies and enhance tariff transparency. This development marks an expansion of the preliminary investigation, reflecting regulatory priorities on transparency and fairness in payment fees across the EU.

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. $UNH experienced a significant drop, plummeting by 18% following reports that the major insurer faces criminal charges related to suspected fraud involving the Medicare program. This event not only shocked investors but also exacerbated an already tumultuous week for the company.

A Canadian privacy authority has launched an investigation into the social network X, owned by billionaire and technology magnate Elon Musk, over concerns related to the use of Canadian personal data for training artificial intelligence models. The probe aims to verify whether the platform’s practices comply with federal privacy laws.