Merchant

The technology arms race among payment fintechs is converging on the market for credit and loans, with Square rolling out an installment payment option for consumers that complements its merchant capital option for sellers.

There is an expectation that customers should change and adapt their particular payment habits to match what the retailer has on offer, according to Matthijs Pronk, CCO of Intrapay.

Square Inc. is offering loans to customers to pay for goods and services from merchants that use its payments platform, another move by the company to push deeper into financial services.

Financial-crime risks, properly mitigated, are business opportunities. Fintechs that recognize this can gain a competitive advantage, according to Julie Myers Wood of Guidepost Solutions and Gemma Rogers of Fintrial LTD.

Visa is working with the on-demand delivery network Postmates to deliver real time payments through Stripe’s Instant Payouts feature, running on its push payment platform, Visa Direct.

Gift card, reward points and payment information will continue to be exposed and available to whoever wants to purchase it. But it’s up to companies to implement security barriers that devalue this information, writes Don Duncan, security engineer for NuData Security.

Consumers who own multiple cards often use them as budgeting tools — a credit card for entertainment, a prepaid card for groceries, etc. — but that method typically can't be applied to any purchases that are paid in installments.

The economy could “positively slow down in mid-2019” and consumer debt levels are a huge concern, but technology and lessons learned from the crisis could still create opportunity for small banks, says Beneficial’s Gerry Cuddy ahead of a big speech on current conditions.

JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon downplayed "too big to fail," warned against the risk of cyberattacks and lectured high-tech giants about their privacy shortcomings during an appearance in Washington.

Banks’ tab to fight hackers rose 9% from last year by one measure. Investors want them to rein in tech investments, but security experts say the crooks are getting smarter and smarter.