Over 110 fintechs, banks flood into FedNow real-time payments pilot

The test case, a precursor to an expected 2023 debut, is "the Fed's effort to get into the instant payments space," said Anne Sharkey, senior vice president of operations at First Internet Bank.

By Anna Hrushka • April 7, 2021

Buy now, pay later moves into professional services

The rise in popularity of BNPL isn't just a fad, but will stick around even after the pandemic subsides, Brandon Rembe, chief product officer at Envestnet-Yodlee, said. 

By Vaidik Trivedi • April 6, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Payments industry seeks to keep pace with fraudsters

As losses from fraud in payments have climbed, companies are seeking new tools to combat illicit schemes.

By Payments Dive staff

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. 

By Vaidik Trivedi • April 5, 2021

Mastercard partners with fintech companies to fend off tech upstarts

Established payments companies are increasingly turning to technology partners to offer services that help them compete.

By Lynne Marek • March 31, 2021

Visa expands payments network via Earthport acquisition

The company known for its credit and debit cards is building up its network to let payments happen without touching a card.

By Lynne Marek • March 30, 2021

Visa rolls out stablecoin pilot program with partner Crypto.com

Visa is diving into digital assets with a new credit card program that will settle partly with a stablecoin using the cryptocurrency Ethereum. 

By Lynne Marek • March 29, 2021

Illinois digital asset charter bill falls short in spring session, persists for next round

The bill creating a special charter for digital asset trusts passed the House before adjournment last month, but still requires approval from the full Senate to become law. 

By Lynne Marek • Updated June 7, 2021

MicroStrategy CEO: Treasurers should buy Bitcoin as cash alternative to hedge inflation

Record stimulus is likely to stoke inflation, making Bitcoin an attractive backstop for corporate treasurers, according to Michael Saylor, who leads the business intelligence software company.

By Jim Tyson • March 24, 2021

No need to rush in creating a federal digital dollar, Fed chair says

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell insists on Congress's approval before proceeding with a central bank digital currency. Meanwhile, the Senate's new banking panel chair is calling for faster action.

By Dan Ennis • March 24, 2021

Mastercard, Liberty Tax team up to expedite stimulus payments

"Prepaid cards help to bring more people into the digital economy and offer an added level of convenience, with funds available faster and eliminating the need to cash a check," a Mastercard spokesperson said.

By Vaidik Trivedi • March 19, 2021

Mastercard, Visa to postpone some fee increases next month

Bowing to pressure from the White House and Congressional Democrats, the credit card companies won't increase expenses for merchants and consumers who are still coping with the  pandemic.

By Lynne Marek • March 16, 2021

Fintechs Chime, Current beat legacy banks with stimulus check distributions

Meanwhile, customers criticized Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase over the weekend for slow distribution.

By Dan Ennis • March 15, 2021

Stripe's new $95B valuation makes it the most valuable Silicon Valley startup

The payments processing company's new valuation is based on raising $600 million in new capital that it plans to use for further expansion in Europe.

By Lynne Marek • March 15, 2021

Goldman Sachs bows to clients, embraces 'digital money,' bank president says

"There's no question in our mind, there's going to be more digital commerce, a lot more, an explosion in digital commerce," said Goldman President John Waldron.

By Lynne Marek • March 11, 2021

Why Cardlytics acquired fintech Dosh for $275M

With Dosh, Cardlytics gets access to a younger user base, a roster of fintech clients and a toolset to launch new cash back reward offerings in weeks instead of months.

By Suman Bhattacharyya • March 10, 2021

Credit card debt cut by $83B in 2020, study finds

Consumer frugality dropped the country's overall credit card tab under $1 trillion, but spending picked up again in Q4 and Americans are likely to be back to their old habits soon, data firm WalletHub found.

By Lynne Marek • March 9, 2021

Plaid payroll product streamlines income verification

Plaid Income is the second product the company has launched since the termination of a proposed $5.3 billion tie-up with Visa, signaling the scrapped deal is not slowing the expansion of the fintech's suite.

By Anna Hrushka • March 8, 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.

By Anna Hrushka • March 8, 2021

Square launches long-awaited industrial bank

The FDIC gave the fintech conditional approval for an ILC charter nearly a year ago. Now the company can originate small-business loans rather than doing so through its previous partner, Celtic Bank.

By Dan Ennis • March 2, 2021

Inside Marqeta's plans to grow its 'card-as-a-service' offering

The card issuer and processor is differentiating through a flexible, API-based platform that helps clients launch card offerings in months instead of years.

By Suman Bhattacharyya • March 2, 2021

Gemini Exchange moves into credit cards, yield-bearing programs

Crypto exchange’s push is the latest in the growing list of blockchain players adding banking-like benefits. 

By Ted Jackson • March 1, 2021

BNY Mellon commits to holding, transferring and issuing crypto

The New York-based bank said Thursday it is developing a client-facing prototype for a multi-asset digital custody and administration platform set to roll out this year.

By Dan Ennis • Feb. 11, 2021

Sam's Club teams up with Synchrony, Mastercard for rewards program

The club retailer, like others in the retail space, is also simplifying the application process as consumers continue to struggle financially.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Feb. 8, 2021

Aggregator MX to expand reach of 'money experiences' as it angles toward IPO

The company has quadrupled its value in the past year in a field that, amid the Visa-Plaid deal's disintegration, has room for "co-opetition," one analyst said, as some banks use multiple data aggregators.

By Suman Bhattacharyya • Jan. 20, 2021

Plaid sees 'opportunity' after $5.3B Visa deal ends

The data aggregator's biggest priority now is getting 75% of its traffic dedicated to application programming interfaces by the end of 2021 — a prospect John Pitts, Plaid's head of policy, calls an "immense challenge."

By Anna Hrushka • Jan. 19, 2021