Payments

The fintech community was both surprised and energized by recent news that Visa has agreed to acquire Plaid, one of the nation’s largest fintech platforms for financial data analytics.

Ebanx isn't new to the payments technology game in Latin America, having focused on cross-border e-commerce technology a few years ago to allow consumers in that region to make purchases from international merchants.

Small and midsize businesses often struggle to manage their cash, requiring new means to move funds, said Finsync's Eddie Davis.

Plaid may be a more problematic acquisition than Visa made it out to be. But without Visa, those problems were likely to get a lot worse.

The acquisition will vastly expand Visa's platform, giving it nearly Amazon-like influence.

Fearful of being the last one standing, banks and credit unions of all sizes will become more aggressive about real-time payments — or risk getting left in the past.

NatWest is partnering with prepaid card and business expense management provider Soldo to provide loans and working capital directly to Soldo's prepaid card users.

HSBC has launched its Treasury APIs to offer treasurers easier access to payment and account services, as well as to initiate the transfer of funds for B2B payments.

Financial institutions need to be aware of the platform model, strategic and reputational hazards that come with granting access to their networks.

Fintech bank and payment services provider LHV is now providing real-time payments in the U.K. through the country's Faster Payments scheme, allowing it to handle U.K. currency in addition to euro payments in the Single Euro Payment Area through SEPA Instant.