State interchange fee laws progress

Legislatures in Colorado and Delaware advanced bills that would curtail interchange fees last week, as a federal appellate court mulls the issue.

EWS pairs with Citi to offer Paze

The collaboration marks the first time the financial technology company has worked with a non-owner bank on the digital wallet.

Mastercard to buy BVNK for $1.8B

“Adding on-chain rails to our network will support speed and programmability for virtually every type of transaction,” a Mastercard executive said.

Fintechs push 36% state rate caps

While there is a 36% interest rate standard for lending in the U.S., it’s not codified for all consumers. Now, the effort to set one has moved to the states.

Robinhood takes on premium card issuers

The fintech’s new $695 credit card aims to lure young, wealthy people uninterested in hoarding points or using a card for airport lounge access.

Payments firms diverge on checks

Payment companies offered different ways to move past paper checks in comments to the Federal Reserve regarding plans to shift to digital alternatives.

FDIC to make stablecoin move

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. plans to propose that pass-through insurance not be available for stablecoin deposits.

CFPB again told it must request funds from Fed

In the second court ruling rejecting the bureau’s position on requesting Fed funds, a judge in California called agency Acting Director Russ Vought’s plan a “transparent display of partisanship.”

Scam prevention requires ‘upstream’ focus: panel

“We need to bring in these social media companies at the point where [scammers are] first contacting consumers, to look at shared liability,” an AARP executive said at a Payments Dive event Wednesday.

CCCA seeks new path to passage

Sens. Dick Durbin and Roger Marshall had been angling to attach their credit card interchange fee legislation to a major housing bill before Congress. The Senate passed the housing bill without it.

Updated March 13, 2026

AI drives global fraud surge

Losses to fraud and scams climbed 9.2% in 2025, with much of the increase attributed to bad actors leveraging artificial intelligence, said a report from Nasdaq's Verafin financial crime-fighting software unit.

Fraud battle calls for cross-sector effort

As criminals adopt AI-enabled tactics, financial institutions need to consider data-sharing with other industries, fraud-fighting professionals contend.

Social media blasted over fraud

The Consumer Federation of America estimates the annual cost of online scams at $119 billion, pointing to social media as a big part of the problem.

Visa, Mastercard face U.K. challenge

“In seeking to reduce its reliance on Visa and Mastercard, the United Kingdom banking sector is justified, given the perceived risk that the two main schemes have too much control over the market,” a European executive says.

Engine aims to fix SMB cards

Engine, a business-travel startup, says its smaller-business customers aren’t served by current travel and entertainment card players in the market.

Cash-strapped homeowners tap BNPL

Researchers at the JPMorgan Chase Institute found that homeowners are most likely to use buy now, pay later tools when their bank accounts are low or their credit cards are maxed out.

PayPal pivots for 2026

The digital payment player aims to keep scaling its collection of integrated businesses, the company’s chief financial and operating officer said.

Shift4 promotes Global Blue execs

The payments processor promoted three executives to leadership roles, naming Pier Francesco Nervini as head of its international division.

Meta revamps ad payment policy

The social media company is mandating that some of its advertisers make their monthly payments via invoice or debit starting next month.

Par Tech faces investor pressure

One of the point-of-sale software company’s largest shareholders began urging it to consider “strategic alternatives,” such as a sale, last week.

AWS leaps into agentic payments

Amazon Web Services, the tech giant’s cloud computing network, is gearing up for armies of AI-powered agents and transactions.

Clarity Act stokes debate on crypto

The bill aims to identify which agencies should regulate digital currencies.

Affirm pursues affluent consumers

Shoppers with more purchasing power spend more, and are more likely to use the company’s products again, an executive said.

Boston Fed touts FedNow

The Federal Reserve has been updating its instant payments service, FedNow, to attract more banks and ultimately reach more consumers.

Why EWA services matter

“We’re already seeing high-growth from restaurant and hospitality companies that now view instant payments, including digital tips, as a competitive advantage,” writes one earned wage access CEO.