John Adams

Square has added fuel to its growing Cash transfer service by agreeing to buy Verse, a Spanish P2P app.

Given American Express was reporting a 95% hit to one of its core businesses less than two months ago, announcing access to the world’s largest digital payments market has to be a major sigh of relief — even if there’s still entrenched competitors, an international virus and a cold war to navigate.

For Starbucks, the pandemic’s emergency workarounds are also a proving ground for a retail concept that could change the way people visit quick-serve restaurants.

The push for a public option to digitize government payments has gotten stronger, and the discussion has moved on from whether it should happen to how it should happen.

The coronavirus dealt a double blow to procurement, cutting off both goods and money. Banks and e-commerce firms are relying on partnerships to tweak payment tools to rescue the market.

Paytm loosens point of sale credit; U.K. regulators offer an open banking app store; and other information you need to start your day, from PaymentsSource and around the web.

Alfie’s Beer Bus found a niche as an offbeat character at events in the U.K. — like an ice cream truck, only with alcohol. Then the coronavirus came.

The race to provide coronavirus relief for small businesses is opening new routes to fund payments, including underused credit lines.

Walt Disney Co. has at least temporarily cut several reservation and incentive features tied to its closed loop payment system, revealing the complexities of mixing health guidance with tourism.

Many of the payment innovations of the past decade got an early start in Canada, building a base of users and habits the nation hopes will make the pivot to post-coronavirus commerce easier than other markets.