Synchrony wasn’t unscathed by the pandemic — consumer spending slowed during the first half of the year — but its mix of private-label and cobranded cards for everyday items suffered far less than other issuers' cards that emphasized luxury and travel.

Japanese card issuer and acquirer JCB International has worked with real-time payments software provider ACI Worldwide to launch a web API-based payment service.

FrontStream Payments has integrated its disbursement services with the Salseforce.org Philanthropy Cloud in a move it says should help corporations drive employee engagement in giving through an easier process for making donations.

The credit reporting firm has been building out its identity and fraud protection business for existing customers, which include many of the world’s largest banks and telecommunications companies.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 saw some businesses become big winners — such as Zoom, Home Depot and payments companies like PayPal — while other businesses suffered heavily, most notably the travel and hospitality industries. Credit card issuers also suffered, as demand lagged heavily for new cards and their overall spending dropped considerably during the year.

American Express is reportedly under investigation by a top federal agency exploring allegations of unethical sales tactics by the company’s small-business credit card sales representatives.

In launching its new challenger bank brand, GO2bank, to take on Chime and others, Green Dot has taken the opportunity to lower the barrier to obtaining a secured card for the underserved.

American Express will once again add perks to its popular Platinum cards to avoid losing customers as the pandemic continues to curtail spending on the firm’s cards.

Divvy, the financial-technology company that offers corporate cards and expense-management software to small businesses, said it’s now valued at $1.6 billion after raising money from investors including PayPal Holdings Inc.

Nearly 70% of consumers surveyed said they were confident in their ability to pay their full monthly statement in December, up 5 percentage points from November, according to monthly data from the online lending marketplace LendingTree.