Why do refunds sometimes expose more system complexity than payments?

Overview

Taking a payment can look straightforward from the user's perspective. But refunds introduce a different set of questions. What happens if the customer receives a partial refund? What if the payment has already been settled? What if the refund succeeds at the provider but your internal system never receives the confirmation? And what happens to the platform fee, seller payout, or accounting records? I'm curious how FinTech teams approach refund workflows. Do you design refunds alongside

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