Payment processing

Over the past year, buy now, pay later schemes have risen to become the trendiest method of retail payments in the U.K.

The processes and standards in place to ensure our payment cards are robust, secure and work in harmony with the rest of the ecosystem are given little spotlight, but they’re invaluable to the payments world’s smooth operation, says Fingerprints' Lina Andolf-Orup.

Payments technology provider Fiserv is acquiring independent software vendor Bypass Mobile to boost its multi-channel capabilities for sports, entertainment and restaurant verticals.

Heritage financial institutions that don’t support emerging embedded payments and banking risk further erosion of younger cohorts and losing material franchise value to fintechs, challenger or neo-banks equipped to originate and service accounts at the edge of partner networks, say payment consultants Richard Crone and Heidi Liebenguth.

RTP Global and HV Holtzbrinck Ventures led an €18.5 million ($20.3) Series B round in Penta, a Berlin-based small business bank.

In a scenario where employees regularly and accurately track and report their business expenses, this continuously updated data helps businesses make intelligent decisions quickly, says Fyle's Yash Madhusudan.

The Australian firm agreed to pay around $1 million in connection with allegations that it broke the law by operating without a license in the nation's largest state.

Governments are directly advancing real-time digital payments — a welcome move for Ripple, which is applying its relationship with MoneyGram and a growing base of eager partners to expand its network.

Hungary’s domestic debit network GIRO has launched instant payments through Nets’ RealTime24/7 platform after months of testing.

A managed services approach can help payment firms and fintechs pick the best open source projects, says Asset Control's Mark Hermeling.