Emma Carter
Financial Editor at Blackcat
Covers personal finance, digital payments, and financial products across the EU and UK. Turns complex financial topics into clear, practical articles for everyday users, freelancers, and creators.
About the author
Emma is part of the Blackcat content team and covers topics related to personal finance, digital payments and financial products in the EU and UK. She works on research, structure and editorial quality to ensure articles are clear, accurate and useful. She works closely with product and compliance teams to turn complex financial topics into clear, structured articles for everyday users, freelancers and businesses.
Blackcat at Money20/20 Europe 2026: Fixing Correspondent SEPA Access for Financial Institutions
At Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, one question kept coming up at our stand: how does a regulated financial institution actually connect to the euro rails it depends on? It sounds simple. In practice, it is one of the hardest problems a new payments or crypto firm faces in Europe.
Cashback Card Guide: What to Check Before Choosing One
You buy groceries, fill up the car, pay for a subscription, grab lunch — and a small percentage of what you spent quietly lands back in your account. No coupons. No stamps. No loyalty card to forget at home. That is card cashback in practice: a percentage of your everyday card purchases, returned to you in real money.
Car Rental Deposit Explained: Why Cards Matter for Rentals
You’ve booked the flight, mapped the route, and reserved the car. Then you arrive at the counter and the agent asks for a card. Not just any card — a card that can handle a deposit hold of €500, €800, or sometimes more than €1,000. You hand over your card. It gets declined. The trip plan starts unravelling before you’ve even left the airport.
Card Security Code Explained: CVV, CVC and Safe Online Payments
You're about to hit "Pay Now" on an online checkout, and the form asks for your "CVV." Or maybe it says "CVC." Or "Security Code." You flip your card over, find a three-digit number near the signature strip, type it in, and move on with your life. But what is that number actually doing?
Contactless Payments in Europe: How They Work and What Limits to Know
You tap your card, the terminal beeps, and you walk away with your coffee. The whole thing takes about two seconds — and yet behind that casual gesture sits a surprisingly sophisticated system that has reshaped how an entire continent pays for things.
What Is a Payment Card and How Is It Different from a Credit Card?
A payment card is probably the most-used financial tool you own — and the one you've thought about the least. You tap it at the checkout, type its number into online forms, and occasionally panic when you can't find it. But what actually is a payment card? How many types exist? Who issues them? And where does a credit card fit in?
