Payments

In global news this week, Grab gets approval to offer digital banking in Malaysia; Italy's post office invests $27 million in a a buy now/pay later lender; Apple struggles to appease Dutch regulators; and more.

Representatives of the retailer community will face off against payment card network and bank executives over credit and debit card interchange during a Wednesday hearing to be chaired by Sen. Dick Durbin.

"Apple may have restricted competition, to the benefit of its own solution Apple Pay," Margrethe Vestagar of the European Commission said. It's an accusation Apple's fought many times across the globe.

About two dozen banks in the U.S. and Europe, including ABN Amro and Bank of America, are working with The Clearing House and EBA Clearing, using technology from SWIFT, to make instant international transactions ubiquitous for business and e-commerce sales.

10 things to know in April: Apple teams with Visa, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau examines payday lenders, and more.

The global microchip shortage is being exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine and the COVID lockdowns in China. Experts are warning of an impending strain on the manufacture of cards and point-of-sale hardware.

The recovery for airline and related spending has been robust — and thus far immune to geopolitical and inflationary pressures — according to the card network, following similar reports from Visa and American Express.

Fewer new customers signed up during the first quarter as e-commerce sales momentum slowed and inflation rose, forcing the company to reduce its overall growth expectations for the year.

In global news this week, scammers target Revolut's program for Ukrainian refugees; Commerzbank applies for a crypto license in Germany; Nium merging with Socash; MyPinPad merging with SmartPesa; and more.

The country was a large part of the card brand's cross-border digital business, though expansion in other markets and new services will help offset the negative impact, according to CEO Alfred Kelly.