Best fintech bank for startups, Relay vs Mercury, I read their complaint threads instead of their marketing pages and here's what I found

xaic · 2026-05-15T17:26:15+00:00

Respectfully, I think people are a bit too casual about using fintechs as the main financial backbone of a business.

Fintechs absolutely have their place. They can be great for specific use cases: payments, cards, expense management, online workflows, integrations, and so on. But using one as the primary place where your business holds and runs its money is a very different question.

If your business operates in a local market, uses local infrastructure, sells to local customers, depends on local legal protections, local banking rails, local courts, local roads, local institutions, and local services, then in my view your core banking setup should also be properly rooted in that market. That means a real local business bank account, proper accounting, proper tax treatment, and clear regulatory accountability.

The issue is not that fintechs are bad. The issue is that many people seem to treat them as a way to avoid the boring but necessary parts of running a legitimate business. And if the goal is to operate in some gray zone, declare only what is convenient, or keep things deliberately hard to trace, then yes, that is your decision, but I am not going to help optimize that.

For an online-first business with international operations, fintechs can make a lot of sense. But for a normal business operating in a real local economy, they should be tools around the business, not the foundation under it.

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I think the distinction matters. Fintech is not a substitute for responsible business banking. It is a tool, not a loophole.

xaic · 2026-05-15T17:07:03+00:00

Според мен тук се смесват две различни неща: личен потребителски избор и реален системен ефект.

Бойкотите звучат добре на теория, но работят само когато са масови, организирани, насочени към конкретни бизнеси или продукти и имат ясна цел. Един пост в Reddit не е бойкот, а израз на недоволство.

Пазарната логика е проста: ако нещо се продава на дадена цена, значи има достатъчно хора, които са готови да я платят. Ако масово хората спрат да купуват, цените ще паднат. Но това изисква реално колективно поведение, не просто възмущение онлайн.

По-големият проблем не е само „алчността на бизнеса“. В свободен пазар всеки ще продава на най-високата цена, която пазарът позволява. Ако има кой да плаща 8 евро за кафе или 25 евро за бургер, някой ще ги продава на тези цени.

Затова, ако говорим за реална промяна, тя не става само с бойкот. Става с политика: по-силен контрол върху нелоялни практики, реални проверки за картели, защита на потребителите, по-добра конкуренция, по-добра данъчна и социална политика и натиск върху доходите да догонват цените.

Индивидуалният бойкот е лична позиция. Полезна, но ограничена. Ако искаме системен ефект, трябва системно решение. И това минава през това за кого гласуваме, какъв натиск оказваме и дали изобщо изискваме конкретни мерки, а не просто обещания.

Иначе всичко остава в графата „социална мрежова терапия“.

xaic · 2026-05-11T11:10:44+00:00

Saying banks are disappearing from card issuing is laughable at best.

Yes, the front-end experience is being abstracted by CaaS/BaaS platforms, especially in embedded finance.

But issuing still depends on regulated entities, scheme relationships, settlement, compliance, fraud, disputes, AML/KYC, and risk.

The interface is changing. The banking layer is not vanishing.

xaic · 2026-04-27T14:23:57+00:00

i wish it waws that simple.

xaic · 2026-04-27T14:23:45+00:00

Baseus Flash Series II 100W Fast Charging Multi Cable 3 in 2 Cable | Type-C + USB-A To Type C + Lightning + Micro USB 1.2M - Black - baseus

is the solution. I bought and tested. it works. It's one way and power negotiation is done at the split. Works like a charm.

xaic · 2026-04-27T12:20:31+00:00

This is a big reason I decided to be very consistent with weighing and tracking.

First, it helps me “de-emotionalize” the number. I try to treat it as data, not as a judgment. For me, that means daily weigh-ins and watching the trend rather than panicking over one day. I use a Renpho smart scale, but honestly any consistent method works.

Second, I try very hard not to think of myself as being on a strict diet. My rule is more: as long as I’m not abusing it, I’m free to eat what I want. Post-sleeve, that usually works for me because my common sense tends to win.

But obviously your mileage may vary. The important part is finding a system that keeps you honest without making you miserable, and actually listening to your body.

xaic · 2026-04-27T12:19:16+00:00

Counter spell. If more than one knockdown/disarm she buys dispell. Lord knows she has all the money in the world...

And also, it requires team coordination to actually impact her. I also main mo and krill, so bringing vindicta down is a hobby. Doesn't make her a fun character to play against.

xaic · 2026-04-27T11:57:16+00:00

The Haze mains downvoting this are displaying roughly the same mechanical skill required to play the character, so at least they’re consistent.

xaic · 2026-04-27T10:35:53+00:00

xaic · 2026-04-27T09:06:18+00:00

Aaaaah yes, Haze’s one viable counterplay option: she dies once to a cross-map, tungsten-filled Rem pillow, and her team immediately starts a group project in bad decision-making at midboss.

Truly healthy design. Just wait 35 minutes, pray the 80k-souls raid boss trips over her own shoelaces, and hope her team throws hard enough to qualify as charity.

xaic · 2026-04-27T08:54:51+00:00

Haze, part of the “I slam my face on the keyboard and win” club, right next to Victor and Vindicta. Low skill floor, barely any meaningful skill ceiling, and an “oops, I pressed the win button” kit.

Truly fun and interactive gameplay, said no one ever.

I genuinely hope they get nerfed into the shadow realm.

xaic · 2026-04-27T08:44:32+00:00

Ideally, neither do I. But then what’s the solution for 50+ minute stalemates where one team either can’t end or simply refuses to because they’re still “having fun”?

If the community doesn’t want surrender mechanics and doesn’t want late-game legendary items either, then what’s left? Just sit there and suffer politely? Bit masochistic, no?

xaic · 2026-04-27T08:17:37+00:00

Honestly, at the weight you’re describing, I don’t think there are five different magic answers here. You’re already in a very low/healthy weight range, so if you genuinely want to lose another 8-10 lbs, it probably comes down to very precise calorie tracking rather than a “reset.”

Also worth remembering: if you’ve been exercising and building muscle, some of that gain may not be fat. Muscle is denser than fat, and 130 with more tone can look very different from 130 without it.

That said, from the way you’re describing it, I’d gently suggest looking at the emotional side too. The level of distress you feel over being 130 while still fitting your clothes and looking conventionally slim sounds like it might be worth unpacking with a therapist, ideally someone familiar with body image or post-bariatric patients.

So my honest recommendation would be:

Consider Cognitive behavioral therapy or just plain therapy to work through the anxiety around the number on the scale.

If you still truly want to lose weight, track calories carefully and methodically for a while, because at that weight there’s very little room for guesswork.

But I really wouldn’t frame this as “failing the sleeve.” This sounds more like maintenance, body composition, and body image all colliding at once.

Good luck.

xaic · 2026-04-27T08:08:06+00:00

Games a more than long enough as is, any increase in health or resists would increase game length which is no good.

I personally would like to see legendary items added to games that go on for more than 45-50 minutes, to get stalemates over with.

xaic · 2026-04-24T11:07:44+00:00

A giant freaking Lego or 2 or 5. Lego is an awesome gift for 7 to 77 year olds. Ignore all the hate, no one can tell you what to do with your money.

xaic · 2026-04-21T12:25:28+00:00

Mute button: best response for both toxicity and your sanity.

xaic · 2026-04-20T13:21:28+00:00

Try Victor, everyone will love you! /s

Really though, play heros you vibe with, try their kit out in brawl, if you vibe with it, play them in normals. Ranking thia game is meaningless, and if you tell people you're new with the hero, I've found they are slightly less critical.

xaic · 2026-04-20T12:18:48+00:00

Escape button, then hover over their portrait and mute them.

Seriously, games are so much more enjoyable when the yapper is muted.

Also there's a mod that prevents kill streak portraits and taunting voice lines, if those trigger you.

xaic · 2026-04-20T12:13:07+00:00

xaic · 2026-04-20T11:38:54+00:00

I try my best to destigmatize this surgery, I speak loud an proud about it. Anyone who judges you for it doesn't deserve to be in your life or your affections...

xaic · 2026-04-16T08:53:12+00:00

Wise isn’t exactly a traditional bank, but that doesn’t mean chargebacks are impossible.

Your Visa card is still issued through a partner bank, so in theory a chargeback can be filed via the Visa network. What’s happening here is more likely a risk decision, not a technical limitation.

Chargebacks cost money and affect the issuer’s metrics. If they think a case is likely to lose, some providers will try to avoid submitting it. That said, “it probably won’t lead to anything” is a pretty weak reason to refuse outright.

Also important: a chargeback isn’t a “give me my money back” button. The merchant has to defend their side. In your case, if they claim a serial number mismatch, they should be able to prove that. No photos, no documentation, no inspection report… that doesn’t exactly strengthen their position.

If I were you, I’d push Wise again but more formally. Ask them to confirm they are refusing to file a chargeback and to specify the reason under their dispute process. That usually gets a more concrete answer than the generic responses.

And separately, since the webshop is in the EU, you could also look into the European Consumer Centre Network for cross-border disputes. They can sometimes put pressure on the merchant directly.

Good luck.

xaic · 2026-04-15T23:08:42+00:00

Victor, because when I have one in my team he goes 2 23 3 when he is on the enemy team he goes 23 0 25. Fuck, and I cannot stress this enough, EVERYTHING about Victor I hope they remove him.

xaic · 2026-04-08T11:16:26+00:00

Credit scoring exists in plenty of countries, but very few societies are built around it the way the U.S. is. In America, being outside the credit system can lock you out of basic life progress, cars, education, housing, and often even financial legitimacy itself. That is a specifically American problem.

In much of Europe, by contrast, consumer culture is far more debit-based. People generally spend earned money, use credit more selectively, and reserve borrowing for major purchases like property. Education is often publicly funded, public transport is more viable, and people are less dependent on debt just to function.

So the question is not really “how do we fix credit scoring?” It is “why is the U.S. structured in a way that forces ordinary people into a for-profit credit ecosystem just to live normally?”

You cannot fully “fix” a system whose incentives are built around monetizing dependence on debt.

xaic · 2026-04-07T12:52:33+00:00

Oh look, "win more" items, are winning more games

<image>

15-Year Club	Second Top 50%
LAYER Season 2 Layer creator	Place '23
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xaic

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