The Death of Traditional Co-Branding: Why Your Wallet is Getting a Makeover

Before we dive into the massive legislative shifts coming out of Washington, we need to talk about something happening right in your pocket. Dwayne Gefferie recently dropped some truth bombs on LinkedIn about the slow demise of the traditional co-branded credit card. You know the ones: the airline card that gives you miles you never use, or the department store card that offers 10% off a pair of jeans once a year.

The reality? These legacy models are losing their edge, and the reasons are uniquely 2026.

The EV Revolution is Killing the Petrol Card

For decades, fuel rewards were the bread and butter of co-branding. You'd tap your card at the pump and watch the points roll in. But as Electric Vehicles (EVs) take over the suburban landscape, that hook is vanishing. If you’re charging your car at home or using a generic fast-charger network, a Shell or BP branded card suddenly feels like a relic of the internal combustion era.

E-commerce and the Death of "Physical" Loyalty

The second nail in the coffin is the shift in where we spend. With the rise of massive platforms and a focus on seamless checkout experiences, the friction of a store-specific card is becoming a dealbreaker. We’re seeing a pivot toward payment gateway innovations that prioritising flexibility over single-brand loyalty.

As Dwayne pointed out, giants like Adyen are focusing on markets like Brazil and India where mobile-first, flexible loyalty is the norm, not the exception. The "Expert" take? Fintechs that can bridge the gap between digital wallets and cross-brand rewards are going to eat the lunch of the old-school issuers.

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The Big Beautiful Bill: What Trump’s OBBBA Means for the 2026 Economy

It’s March 2026, and the dust has finally settled on the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA). Whether you call it the crowning achievement of the second Trump term or a fiscal firestorm, one thing is certain: the American economic landscape has been fundamentally rewired.

At Kian Jackson, we’ve been tracking the fintech implications of this bill since it was first whispered about in the halls of Mar-a-Lago. Now that it’s officially in effect, the ripple effects are hitting everything from venture capital flows to the way your local barista gets paid.

The Tax Revolution: Permanent Certainty (and a SALT Surprise)

The headline act of the OBBBA is the permanency of the 2017 tax cuts. For years, businesses lived in fear of the "tax cliff" where rates would revert. That’s gone. Individual rates are locked in between 10% and 37%, providing a level of predictability that the leadership teams at most startups are already using to plan their five-year runways.

But the real shocker for the coast-dwellers was the SALT (State and Local Tax) deduction cap. Previously stuck at a measly $10,000, the OBBBA has bumped this to $40,000 for married filers.

• The Impact: We’re seeing a sudden stabilisation in high-end real estate markets in places like New York and California.

• The Fintech Angle: Wealth management platforms and tax-optimisation apps are seeing a massive surge in users needing to recalibrate their portfolios to account for this new deduction room.

"Trump Accounts" and the Future of Neobanking

Perhaps the most "fintech-forward" part of the bill is the introduction of "Trump Accounts" for children. These are essentially government-incentivised savings vehicles designed to build generational wealth from birth.

For the fintech consulting world, this is a goldmine. We are seeing a race to build the best "Trump Account" UI, with features like automated round-ups and crypto-exposure options. If you aren't thinking about how to integrate these accounts into your platform, you’re already behind.

The Gig Economy’s New Best Friend

In a move that caught many by surprise, the OBBBA officially eliminated taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits. For the gig economy and the payments industry, this is a seismic shift.

With overtime and tips becoming "tax-free" zones, the incentive for workers to pick up extra shifts via platforms like Uber or TaskRabbit has skyrocketed. We expect to see a massive increase in transaction volumes across point of sale systems as disposable income for service workers increases. However, it also places a burden on payroll fintechs to ensure they can accurately categorise "tax-free overtime" versus "taxable base pay" in real-time.

The Healthcare Pivot: A Doubled-Edged Sword

It’s not all tax cuts and stock market rallies. The OBBBA has taken a heavy hand to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), slashing subsidies that many lower-to-middle-income Americans relied on. In some states, health insurance premiums are expected to double by the end of 2026.

This creates a massive "affordability gap." From an expert perspective, this is where stablecoin and blockchain-based insurance alternatives might finally find their footing. If traditional insurance becomes too expensive, the market will demand decentralised, lower-overhead alternatives.

Furthermore, the significant cuts to Medicaid and SNAP ($187 billion removed from food assistance) are creating a social safety net crisis. We’re keeping a close eye on how open banking can be used to help affected populations manage their tighter budgets through better data transparency and micro-lending.

The $2.8 Trillion Elephant in the Room

We can't talk about the OBBBA without talking about the deficit. The bill has contributed to a $2.8 trillion deficit spike. While the stock market has responded with a massive rally: fuelled by deregulation and corporate tax certainty: the long-term inflationary pressure is a concern.

For fintechs, this means one thing: Volatility is back on the menu.

• Investment: Expect more interest in crypto and gold as hedges against a potential currency devaluation.

• Lending: Interest rates are likely to remain "higher for longer" as the government competes for capital to fund the deficit. This will put pressure on buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) models and traditional lending startups.

The Death of Clean Energy Incentives

The OBBBA hasn't just changed taxes; it has completely gutted the clean energy credits from the previous administration. The Clean Vehicle Credit is gone. For the EV industry, this is a gut-punch.

In the world of vending and automated retail, we’re seeing a shift away from "green-certified" kiosks back toward maximum-efficiency, low-cost hardware. The "vibe" has shifted from ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) to pure ROI (Return on Investment).

The Kian Jackson Expert Take: How to Navigate 2026

The OBBBA is a classic "high-beta" piece of legislation. It offers massive upside for those positioned to take advantage of tax-free income streams and new savings vehicles, but it creates significant headwinds for those in the healthcare and green energy sectors.

Our advice for Fintech Founders:

1. Pivot to the "Trump Account" ecosystem: There is a huge land grab happening for these new custodial accounts.

2. Optimise for the Gig Economy: Update your payroll and tokenisation protocols to handle the new tax-free statuses for tips and overtime.

3. Watch the Deficit: Keep your treasury management tight. The volatility caused by a $2.8 trillion deficit means you need to be ready for sudden shifts in liquidity.

The 2026 economy is fast, loud, and incredibly complex. Whether it's the death of the co-branded card or the birth of the OBBBA era, the winners will be the ones who can move at the speed of the news cycle.

Ready to future-proof your fintech strategy in the OBBBA era?

At Kian Jackson, we specialise in navigating these macroeconomic shifts so you can focus on building. Whether you're looking to integrate new open data solutions or rethink your payment orchestration, we’re here to help.

Contact us today at www.rivatechconsulting.com or reach out directly to start the conversation. Let’s make sure your business isn’t just surviving the "Big Beautiful Bill"( it’s thriving because of it.)