Australia

The decision comes after a decade in which several U.S.-based institutions elected to drop the words "credit union" from their branding.

Openpay, the latest firm to enter the U.S.’s booming buy now, pay later instant-credit market, has hired a team clearly braced for heavier competition and regulation ahead.

Two large deals happened this week in Australia to build scale against international financial services encroachment from card schemes and cross-border financial services — a concern that's cropping up in several nations.

Afterpay has entered into an agreement with NBQ Corporate SLU to acquire Pagantis SAU and PMT Technology SLU for €50 million (about $59 million) to expand into France, Italy and Spain — a direct challenge to Klarna, one of the dominant European buy now, pay later (BNPL) providers.

Brisbane, Australia-based EML has partnered with the New Zealand buy now, pay later fintech Laybuy to leverage digital cards for in-store and online retail purchases.

Afterpay has launched a version of its online installment payment method for in-store use in the U.S. by leveraging Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Commonwealth of Australia (CBA) reports digital wallet users spent a AUS$1 billion (about $630 million) in March 2020, a high for the bank that's part of an acceleration to digital wallets and contactless cards during the coronavirus crisis.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced Irish fintech Prepaid Financial Services Limited (PFS) to drop its sale price by $117 million to close its deal with EML payments Limited.

Australia’s Airwallex group is seeking about $200 million in a series D equity funding round to bankroll its cross-border payments business globally, according to people familiar with the matter.

Afterpay, whose online installment loans are seeing strong growth in the U.S. apparel sector, has partnered with Oakland, Calif.-based processor Marqeta to develop additional payment products and services.

Afterpay has found an opening in the U.S. by targeting the millennials who don't have a credit card to use at the point of sale.

From power outages to branch closures and even homeless kangaroos, rampant wildfires have presented credit unions in Australia with challenges they've rarely seen before.

EML has agreed to pay £226 million (US$290 million) to acquire Prepaid Financial Services, one of Europe’s largest e-money issuers.

Fintechs providing installment loans are attracting significant funding from investors who see opportunities in developed economies for consumer financing products, which are already well established in emerging markets.

Brexit seems more likely than ever, as the U.K.'s new prime minister, Boris Johnson, has committed to meeting the October 31 deadline for a deal to leave the EU. But despite the lingering uncertainty over how that will happen, Mastercard is not abandoning its bullish stance on Europe.

Transit systems are attracting contactless payment technology, but there are other options on the horizon that could make boarding easier than tapping a card or smartphone — provided riders are comfortable with an experience like something out of Minority Report.

The Australian API payments and rewards platform provider Verrency has closed on a $7 million (AU$10 million) Series A funding round, bringing the total funds raised to-date to $14 million (AU$20 million).

National Australia Bank is utilizing the end-to-end transaction tracking system through Swift's Global Payments Innovation system, making it the first bank in Australia to allow business customers to track international payments through one click on an account platform.

The speed of technological change is forcing Britain’s retail payments authority Pay.UK to redesign its core infrastructure.

Despite some significant advancements in the past two years, rifts are already developing in the U.S. move to faster payments.