Deep Dive

Industry insights from our journalists

  • Booth and sign for Federal Reserve payments services at Nacha conference in May 2024.
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    Lynne Marek/Payments Dive
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    Real-time lessons for FedNow from Brazil, India

    The fledgling U.S. instant payments system can learn from real-time systems that have flourished in Brazil and India using QR codes and broad missions, say industry professionals.

    Christiana Sciaudone • May 21, 2024
  • A woman puts clothing into an RFID self-checkout kiosk
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    Thai Liang Lim via Getty Images
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    Why more tech in stores shouldn’t mean fewer workers

    Stores can automate more tasks than ever, including pricing, inventory management and checkout. But for theft prevention, customer service and brand engagement, they need humans.

    Daphne Howland • April 11, 2024
  • A customer pays using a Clover device
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    Permission granted by Fiserv
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    Fiserv has ambitious goals for Clover. Can it meet them?

    To achieve growth targets, Clover will need to fend off competition from rivals, especially Square, and make headway in new verticals and geographic regions, analysts and consultants said.

    Caitlin Mullen • April 1, 2024
  • A Klarna sign at a Charlotte Premium Outlets mall in Charlotte, N.C. on March 26, 2022.
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    Caitlin Mullen/Payments Dive, data courtesy of Industry Dive employee Caitlin Mullen
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    Will BNPL pass the test?

    The buy now, pay later trend faces a starkly different environment than the one in which it gained traction. Regulation looms, the economy has worsened and investors are demanding profits. It’s all a test of BNPL’s long-term footing.

    Caitlin Mullen • June 27, 2023
  • Fingers hover over a computer keyboard with numbers on a screen, against a shadowy backdrop.
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    jariyawat thinsandee via Getty Images
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    Payments fraud climbs as banks reach for joint response

    Financial institutions and payments players are seeking to coalesce around new efforts to battle skyrocketing payments fraud.

    Lynne Marek • May 25, 2023
  • Paze's logo is displayed on a smart phone.
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images; Paze

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    EWS readies Paze to help banks take on digital wallet market

    Even with the backing of the nation’s largest banks, the platform, set for a June launch, will have adoption and security hurdles to overcome to grab a slice of the digital wallet market, industry experts say.

    Anna Hrushka • April 3, 2023
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    Dan Kitwood / Staff via Getty Images
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    Crypto may yet upend payments

    Nearly 2,000 crypto workers have been laid off in 2023, but the value of Bitcoin climbed enough in January for Goldman Sachs to take note.

    Gabrielle Saulsbery • Jan. 30, 2023
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    shih-wei via Getty Images
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    6 payments trends to watch in 2023

    FedNow, embedded payments, deal-making, cybersecurity and more mature BNPL will be dominant themes, among others, in the industry this year.

    Lynne Marek and Caitlin Mullen • Jan. 10, 2023
  • Officials and employees celebrate the grand opening of Fiserv's Berkeley Heights, New Jersey office on Nov. 15.
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    Permission granted by Fiserv
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    Investors press FIS, Fiserv for divestitures

    The big processors mushroomed in 2019 acquisitions, with promises that scale would pay off, but shareholders now urge them to consider divestitures.

    Lynne Marek and Caitlin Mullen • Dec. 22, 2022
  • Person uses facial recognition on mobile device
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    Prostock-Studio via Getty Images
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    Will biometrics be the future of payments?

    The use of biometrics to authenticate payments is poised to bring more security and speed to transactions, but some say broad adoption on the part of consumers and merchants is still far from reach.

    Caitlin Mullen • Sept. 26, 2022
  • Key on keyboard that says "Pay Now."
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    abdoudz via Getty Images
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    FedNow chases real-time payments front-runners

    The Federal Reserve plans to unleash a U.S. real-time payments system next year in the form of FedNow, but it’s an open question as to whether, or how, consumers and businesses will adopt instant payments.

    Lynne Marek • July 14, 2022
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    Don Arnold via Getty Images
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    BNPL players’ losses grow as costs soar

    At buy now-pay later providers, expenses have been rising faster than revenue as consumer demand increases, so losses are mounting amid BNPL mania.

    Jonathan Berr • May 3, 2022
  • Miso Robotics' 2nd iteration of the Flippy robot.
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    Courtesy of Miso Robotics
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    2022's restaurant payment tech push includes QR codes, kiosks

    From QR codes to advanced mobile apps and robots, restaurants are planning to adopt more technology within their operations — including payments — in the year ahead.

    Julie Littman • April 20, 2022
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    roshinio via Getty Images
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    How does Gen Z feel about credit cards? It's complicated.

    Each generation has approached credit differently; Gen Z is no exception. As they turn toward credit cards, industry analysts say these consumers are likely to keep card companies on their toes.

    Caitlin Mullen • March 16, 2022
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    US banks brace for stricter sanctions against Russia

    The Russian banks the U.S. targeted Tuesday account for only 5% of the country's total bank assets. But penalties aimed at larger banks of greater systemic importance may be in the offing.

    Robin Bradley • Feb. 25, 2022
  • Woman hands cash to cashier at small shop.
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    RyanJLane via Getty Images
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    Payment Choice Act wins bipartisan backing

    New Jersey Democrat Rep. Payne is trying to preserve cash as a form of payment and collecting support across the aisle, even as the possibility of a U.S. digital dollar gains traction.

    Lynne Marek • Nov. 23, 2021
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    Dan Kitwood/Getty Images News via Getty Images
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    Crypto creeps into the checkout line

    Payments firms are betting on crypto's growth as an asset class to fuel crypto adoption at checkout.

    Suman Bhattacharyya • Nov. 10, 2021
  • A Latinx person works at Walmart
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    Courtesy of Walmart Press Kit
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    Early wage payments draw scrutiny

    Companies that offer earned wage access, aka on-demand pay, have proliferated in the U.S. Now, legislators and regulators are targeting the industry for more oversight.

    Lynne Marek • Updated Nov. 4, 2021
  • A fingerprint is scanned to prevent identity theft.
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    Ian Waldie via Getty Images
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    Anti-fraud niche in payments thrives as e-commerce climbs

    Major payments players and fledgling upstarts alike are developing new tools to fight increasing fraud threats to their businesses.

    Mercedes Cardona • Aug. 23, 2021
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    Retrieved from TheAndrasBarta, Pixabay on May 25, 2021
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    Fintechs attack cross-border business payments as banks and legacy players rush to innovate

    Nonbank fintechs are gaining ground, mainly with small company customers, but target larger ones for cross-border business, even as competition gives way to symbiotic 'coopetition' with larger bank incumbents.

    Suman Bhattacharyya • May 25, 2021
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    Alex Wong / Staff via Getty Images
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    Visa, Mastercard face biggest challenges in a decade

    Regulatory, legislative and court confrontations over the card network companies' fees are ratcheting up pressure again for reform of the behemoths' practices.

    Lynne Marek • April 22, 2021
  • Exterior of the Federal Reserve building in Washington, D.C.
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    Anna Hrushka/Payments Dive
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    US mulls CBDC options in international race to advance payment systems

    Bank Policy Institute's chief examines the benefits and drawbacks of various central bank digital currency models, and how they would affect payment systems.

    Anna Hrushka • April 20, 2021
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    Getty Images
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    6 Payments trends for 2021

    The pandemic accelerated emerging payments trends, as "both the merchant and customer side picked up pace to evolve with changing market conditions," Forrester analyst Lily Varon said. 

    Vaidik Trivedi • April 5, 2021

  • Can banks win in the booming buy-now-pay-later space?

    While BNPL represents a relatively small niche of the payments ecosystem, banks should take note of what the growth of that silo says about the next generation of consumers, one consultant said.

    Anna Hrushka • March 8, 2021
  • Image of Grabango QR code scanner with Grabango and GetGo logos
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    Courtesy of Grabango
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    Is cashierless tech ready for prime time?

    The pandemic has juiced demand for automated checkout systems, and retailers are having positive experiences with them, but the technology still has to prove itself over the long term.

    Sam Silverstein • Nov. 30, 2020