The information you need to start your day, from PaymentsSource and around the Web:
Green light
PayPal's $2.3 billion deal to acquire iZettle has passed muster with the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority.
The
Car Key
Amazon is extending its
The service will be available in 50 U.S. metropolitan areas, and will cover Amazon Prime Members who own 2017 or newer Ford of 2018 or newer Lincoln models, reports
Amazon is using Key and other services, such as
Brick remit
Fresh off entering a partnership with
Remitly is addressing a lingering need for cash-based remittances that can be picked up at a brick and mortar location, a more traditional model as remittances become more digital.
There's a particular need in both urban areas and rural regions in emerging markets, Remittly said in a release.
Bit refunds
Tax technology company Refundo and BitPay are partnering to make state and federal tax refunds available in bitcoin through BitPay's Payouts feature.
Taxpayers use Refundo to create an account and receive a routing and account number to input on tax returns, as well as KYC information and a bitcoin wallet address. BitPay process the IRS refunds and makes the deposit into the user's cryptocurrency wallet.
Cryptocurrency has made some progress in taxation, with some states considering support for cryptocurrency
Opening up
Instagram has been ramping up its ability to sell products directly, entering a partnership with
It's now extending its shopping tags to more parties, including public figures, athletes, creators, publishers and artists, reports
Instagram won't take a cut of payments but will require creators to use its checkout product, which is still in beta.
From the Web
Roll Call | Tue Apr 30, 2019 - More than half of the 80 firms that reported lobbying on fintech in the first quarter listed blockchain and cryptocurrencies, including tax elements of the latter, among their biggest concerns. Combined, more than 80 firms lobbying on fintech reported spending more than $42 million in the first quarter of 2019.
ZDNet | Tue Apr 30, 2019 - The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) announced on Wednesday that it is extending the deployment of Apple Pay to holders of business cards. "We are extending Apple Pay to business customers because they asked for it, and it's part of our commitment to listen to our customers, put their needs first, and take action to become a simpler, better bank," CBA executive general manager of business customer solutions Clive van Horen said.
CCN | Tue Apr 30, 2019 - Saudi British Bank (SABB) announced the launch of its Instant Cross-Border Transfer Service, a payments infrastructure based on the Ripple blockchain network that utilizes crypto asset XRP for liquidity. With nearly $50 billion in assets, SABB initially joined the Ripple network in January 2018 with the support of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) to use emerging technology in the blockchain to process payments.
More from PaymentsSource
Much like Visa's CEO, Mastercard's top executive is viewing the recent mergers in the payments industry as a chance to build partnerships rather than a competitive threat.
The lumbering pace of product development is one of the typical drags on large bank technology firms, while nimble startups can seemingly launch new offerings overnight.
The venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates has led a $200 million funding round in Divvy, a business payments and expense management platform provider.
