Payments

As risk rises and budgets tighten post-pandemic, training all employees about security risks and conducting quarterly penetration tests helps to offset threats and potential losses.

Square Inc., the digital-payment company run by Jack Dorsey, has held talks to acquire the music-streaming service Tidal as part of a push to diversify, according to a person familiar with the situation.

With one study showing consumers racking up additional credit card debt this season, some members may be eager to consolidate their balances in the year ahead.

As business flocks online, voice tech and social are just two of many innovations that will become stable stakes for merchants, says Hatch's Joris Kroese.

While there has been a general trend of paying people faster for work already performed, starting with gig workers, COVID-19 has created (or exposed) many issues that are fueling the shift toward on-demand pay, especially for hourly workers.

The simplest of mechanisms, having evolved over time, has now become a trending solution, a beacon of a brighter time and an essential service provider in an hour of need, says PPS' Tessa Unsworth.

Consumers avoiding stores because of COVID-19 have driven triple-digit sales growth of Blackhawk’s digital gift cards sold through retailers’ websites, with the final weeks of the year expected to push digital cards to a tipping point.

Data that mimics the original set is part of coronavirus vaccine trials, and also has ramifications for mapping financial services metrics, says Aite's Ginger Schmeltzer.

Safaricom Plc. is in negotiations with fund managers, investment banks and insurance companies to partner on a raft of mobile phone-based savings and wealth-management products, Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa said in an interview in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital.

Digital financial services provider Vacuumlabs is partnering with Global Processing Services to boost mobile app-based and e-wallet features for businesses of all sizes.

Many companies had to pivot sharply in just a month or two. Others were rewarded richly for their earlier investments in digital technology.

When Mastercard and Visa cut ties with Pornhub in December, it was abrupt but unsurprising. The banking and payments industries have had a long and conflicted history with adult content.

Moving into 2021, curbside will continue to be a significant element of the retail experience as customers grow to prefer the convenience. Getting a head start on streamlining checkout now will set your company up for success in the next digital decade, says Mobiquity's Brittany Mills.

Even with the pandemic's dramatic shift to online commerce, TIAA Bank's Claudia Tabacinic says there's still room to migrate consumers, and lingering reluctance to embrace new technology.

When Mastercard and Visa cut ties with Pornhub in December, it was abrupt but unsurprising. The banking and payments industries have had a long and conflicted history with adult content.

Launching a card is complex, and fintechs have the answer for a more dynamic future, says Railsbank's Dov Marmor.

The U.S. debit networks have always been strong supporters of open standards created through open, consensus building, says the Secure Remote Payment Council's Paul Tomasofsky.

Openpay, the latest firm to enter the U.S.’s booming buy now, pay later instant-credit market, has hired a team clearly braced for heavier competition and regulation ahead.