John Adams

The card brand is working with 70 cryptocurrency companies to meet consumer demand for paying in bitcoin and other digital currencies at the point of sale. It had little choice given that most retailers don't accept crypto directly and are in no rush to do so.

Novus, a startup whose app helps consumers make environmentally conscious purchases, is using application programming interfaces provided by the two companies to expand quickly. The effort shows how open banking can extend the reach of small companies and create new business lines for larger ones.

The bank is piloting fingerprint-reading cards that work with existing payment terminals. Its goals are to strengthen security for large transactions and to inform future deployments in other markets.

The national debit network Interac is working with Payments Canada, which oversees the country's payment system, on an instant payment rail while demand from local shoppers and a need for faster supply chain finance grow more pronounced.

Shoppers surveyed in the U.S., U.K. and Australia cited concerns about debt and fees, along with a general lack of knowledge about how installment loans work, as reasons for their skepticism.

The hospitality chain and its fintech partner Bakkt are trying to tap into the crypto craze by asking guests if they would prefer the valuable (yet volatile) cryptocurrency over free stays or room upgrades.

The payment company is blending technology from its Swedish subsidiary with other features, such as invoicing, to provide a more robust offering to U.S. merchants.

The timepieces are meant to appeal to consumers who are comfortable with wearable payments but prefer something simpler than a high-end smartwatch.

An initiative among EU nations called Project Jura focuses on financial institutions as the users of central bank digital currencies, removing variables that could slow testing and deployment.