B-to-B payments

A cash management offering by Mastercard and Strands is the latest example of new answers to commercial clients' demands for better digital services.

The funding round comes on the heels of what BitPay cited as a record year in 2017 in processing more than $1 billion in bitcoin payments.

The investment continues a trend of banks focusing on commercial payments technology.

In a move to support its business-to-business payments platform, Visa has agreed to acquire software provider Fraedom.

The banks behind the Zelle network had more in mind than P-to-P payments between consumers, and BNY Mellon is beginning the network's evolution by targeting the business payments market.

Some firms are investing in technology to help insurance clients shift to paperless payment processing.

American Express will become the exclusive issuer of Hilton Honors cobranded credit cards in January, taking over the entire portfolio it previously shared with Citigroup.

Since Zelle's earliest days as the clearXchange network, the banks behind the P-to-P platform have promised that it could have a role in the business world. U.S. Bank has begun the next chapter by offering Disbursements via Zelle.

Following an antitrust review that lasted almost a year, the approval would appear to cement The Clearing House's status as the front-runner in a race to modernize the U.S. payments system.

If you've ever walked past a film shoot, it's easy to see how much more there is to the movies and TV than just the star and director. There's often dozens or even hundreds of other people involved in the production — bit players, stunt performers, musicians and more — and they all have to be paid, at times irregularly and under different rules.