E-Commerce

Accrue Savings is introducing a savings account that is tied to specific retailers, allowing customers to gradually accumulate the amount they need to buy an item and earn cash rewards for making progress toward their goals.

A partisan split at a congressional hearing offered a preview of coming regulatory debates over the nascent sector. One key question is whether the consumer bureau will impose ability-to-repay requirements on installment lenders.

The European Union has updated value-added-tax regulations that predate digital payments, hoping to reduce compliance burdens for foreign online sellers and simplify consumer billing.

Brian Doubles, who became the card issuer’s chief executive in April, also expressed optimism that pent-up consumer demand will spur renewed spending this year.

The next step for retailers is to bring consumers the benefits and experience of being in store, from the comfort of their home, says FIS' Dan Brames.

As contactless payments skyrocket, the chance for fraud gets larger, says ClearSales's Rafael Lourenco.

Five payments of $20 seems less detrimental to a wallet than a one-time $100 fee, says Four's Chaim Lever.

Magecart attacks, which target e-commerce websites in order to steal personal data during the checkout process, are picking up steam with cyber attackers, says PermeterX's Ameet Naik.

This Apple/Epic battle is likely to encourage more companies to play the field, find the right payments solution for them, and avoid higher costs, says Credorax's Igal Rotem.

Merchant service providers need dynamic cybersecurity assessment tools to identify the key areas of risk in their portfolio in near real-time, says ZeroRisk's Neira Jones.

The growth in e-commerce has opened new avenues for crooks, with better tech, compliance and educated consumers needed, says Ecommpay's Paul Marcantonio.

Both consumers and merchants are realizing the permanent benefits, says Azoya USA's Franklin Chu.

Online ordering, outdoor pickup and digital shopping features are more than emergency workarounds, and merchants need to make them a regular part of their strategies, says Signifyd's Mike Cassidy.

The pandemic changed consumer priorities quickly--and payment companies need to keep up since the trend is likely permanent, says Signifyd's Indy Guha.

Rakuten Inc. plans to raise 242 billion yen ($2.2 billion) by selling shares to investors including Tencent Holdings Ltd., Walmart Inc. and Japan Post Holdings Co., bankrolling expansions into AI, finance and mobile.

With so many personally and financially impacted by COVID-19, consumers have made it clear that the way customers pay for goods or services can no longer follow a one-size-fits-all approach, says eBay's Alyssa Cutright.

Jumia Technologies is expanding in online food delivery as the pioneering Africa e-commerce business looks to grow beyond its main market of trading phones and electronics.

Financial services firms, from traditional banks to fintech payment processors to data companies, need to beef up their compliance teams, raise standards and improve education to ensure teams are ready to tackle the latest types of financial fraud, says ACAMS' Rick McDonell.

The shift from cash has boosted digital and called attention to the importance of standards, says EMVCo's Brian Byrne.

Best Buy is expanding its test of a new store format that reduces the space for customers to browse by nearly half to focus more on getting digital orders out the door, according to people familiar with the move.