Mastercard courts community banks

The card network has initiated a new partnership with the Independent Community Bankers of America that will extend its services to that group’s financial institution members.

Payments players landed less capital in 2024: S&P report

Venture capitalists invested 47% fewer dollars, compared to 2023, despite most of the startups posting increased revenue last year.

Discover cards now accepted at Airwallex merchants

A partnership gives the card network a wider reach at a time when its proposed merger with Capital One still awaits regulatory approvals.

Fiserv acquires Dutch payment company CCV

The processor will use CCV to expand the presence of its Clover point-of-sale system across Europe, the company said. The price paid was about $220 million, according to a regulatory disclosure.

Corpay CAO steps up as CFO exits for nonprofit

Alissa Vickery is taking over as interim CFO as Tom Panther has left the company to become CFO of the National Christian Foundation.

Klarna seeks to flex advertising muscle

Buy now, pay later provider Klarna has become an advertising juggernaut, and the new tie to Walmart will give it access to troves of additional customer data.

Fiserv, PayPal and FIS change up board members

Payments companies are adding board members, and bidding farewell to others, as the industry sees increased merger and acquisition activity.

Affirm executive joins crypto firm Gemini as CFO

Dan Chen was formerly the vice president of capital markets and bank partnerships for the buy now, pay later company.

Trump Organization lawsuit raises questions about Capital One-Discover deal

Capital One needs three U.S. approvals to proceed with its $35 billion purchase of Discover. Could a Trump Organization lawsuit against the bank spell trouble?

States may be called on to pick up payments regulatory slack

As the Trump administration dismantles the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, state lawmakers and regulators have more opportunity to shape payments tool oversight, or risk repercussions.

Brex strives for predictability after operational overhaul

After the company laid off 20% of its employees last January and changed the way it puts out products, Brex COO Camilla Matias has high hopes for what’s coming.

Northern Trust exec: Crypto rule changes may ease tokenization

Biden-era anti-crypto regulations didn’t just affect volatile digital assets. They also affected firms offering traditional assets, like bonds, on the blockchain.

Klarna whittled workforce via AI ahead of IPO

The Swedish buy now, pay later juggernaut cut its headcount in each of the past two years, and expects to keep shrinking it.

Klarna to displace Affirm as Walmart BNPL provider

The Swedish buy now, pay later business partnered with a Walmart-backed fintech to offer loans at the retail giant via a digital payments app.

Block takes on payday lenders with Cash App

The company says new consumer loans to be made by its Square bank through the digital wallet are a less expensive alternative to predatory short-term financing.

Retail, crypto groups converge to back stablecoin legislation

The Merchants Payments Coalition and the Payment Choice Coalition locked arms to advance stablecoins as the Senate Banking Committee passed a stablecoin bill.

Payments firm ‘for sale’ signs pop up as buying interest swells

Payments players, including Green Dot and Flywire, have potentially put their businesses up for sale and larger companies have shown their appetite for acquisitions as an uncertain economy increases financial pressures.

Digital payments to exceed $33.5 trillion by 2030: report

Consumers are predicted to rely less on debit and credit cards and turn more to mobile wallets in the coming years, a Worldpay report predicts.

Discover Financial alum takes Wells Fargo IT role

A former executive for the card company, Heather Blair, joined the bank’s IT team Monday. She’ll take the CIO post for its branch and ATM division.

Gen Zers expect more of B2B payments

“For Gen Z, payments go beyond speed — they reflect values, transparency, and purpose,” writes one accounts receivable software CEO.

Stablecoin company Mesh raises $82M

Some of the funding was settled using PayPal’s stablecoin and will be used to build a global platform to transfer stablecoins, the company said.

Citi pursues partnerships to elevate its pay-over-time tool

The bank doesn’t need partnerships for its credit card customers to access the financing service, but tie-ups offer customer convenience and visibility, said Citi’s Jeff Chwast.

Pathward CEO: Regulatory scrutiny of BaaS ‘just getting started’

Regulators will keep BaaS under the microscope, continuing to put pressure on the fintech play, said Brett Pharr, the bank’s CEO.

How PayPal is bolstering its branded business

The payments pioneer is counting on merchant tech upgrades, its buy now, pay later offering and Venmo to re-energize its flagship business, a top executive said this week.

Fiserv CEO transition took only 10 days, CFO says

CEO Frank Bisignano quickly deemed his successor, Mike Lyons, ready to lead the payment processor, but don’t expect any strategy shifts, Fiserv’s CFO said.