Payments

This week in global news, Coinbase gets licensed in Italy, but Binance and Starling Bank face setbacks elsewhere in Europe.

A partnership with the business payment technology firm Melio supports card payments even when one party is stuck in the world of paper checks and cash.

Investors have grown concerned that 40-year highs in inflation may take a bite out of consumers and lead to credit troubles, but Synchrony executives say consumers are continuing to manage “incredibly well.”

Apple was accused by Affinity Credit Union of using its market power in the mobile device industry to fend off competition from other payment card issuers and charging them fees to boost its bottom line.

The comments from the agency's under secretary for domestic finance came as it issued a request for feedback on the risks and opportunities of digital assets.

By accumulating a network of specialized fintechs, the card brand can connect those vendors to banks and merchants that want to build new payment services.

The bank’s Business Essentials platform offers digital accounting management to smaller commercial clients. It comes at a time when banks are hunting for sources of fee income.

The operators of a Texas payments firm with ties to the U.K. pleaded guilty in the U.S. to money laundering failures after their business facilitated the shipping of $160 million to Nigeria over about three years.

Public transit is recovering slowly from the pandemic, but ridership could increase if cities cater to a strong demand for contactless ticketing and digitized fare discounts, according to Visa.

Issuers that offer cash rewards can benefit from consumer anxiety over rising prices for gas and groceries, but have to find ways to make sure their own costs don't rise in tandem.

The boss of the U.K. digital bank Monzo Bank said he’s targeting growth rather than immediate profit during a turbulent time for the fintech industry, after nearly doubling annual revenue while widening losses.

Consumers are feeling less confident about their economic prospects, and investors worry their loan repayments will slow. Those fears have led to large drops in stock prices for consumer finance companies, particularly for those who lend to borrowers with lower credit scores.

In global news this week, buy now/pay later companies Zip and Sezzle call off their merger, BBVA sets a higher target for women in management, ABN Amro debuts a digital wallet for gig workers, and more.

The mobile-focused challenger bank is adding payments hardware, expanding its services for consumers and businesses.

By acquiring the Latvian data-sharing specialist, the London-based payment company hopes to beat fintech rivals in the race to power account-to-account transactions.

Some banks in Europe, Latin America and Asia are issuing contactless cards that use fingerprints instead of PINs to authenticate users, but observers think the technology's U.S. prospects are limited.

Klarna Bank, which advertises itself as a way to spread the cost of the latest brands and smartphones, is shelling out loans for milk and gas with cash-strapped customers looking for ways to cover basic necessities.

Fears of a recession abound, but payment and other financial technology companies that can address pressing business challenges will draw funding, according to venture capital investors.

Rogers Communications is experiencing a widespread network failure in its wireless and internet services, causing payment systems and automated teller machines at banks to go down.

In a speech at the Bank of England, the vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board gave her strongest endorsement to date for the benefits of a central bank digital currency.