Payments

In global news this week, cash is on the rebound in the U.K., a Swiss nonprofit calls for digital business IDs, CIBC adds support for open banking, and more.

Business-to-business payments have long been stuck in the past, with a heavy emphasis on paper checks. The need for modernization has attracted a flurry of technology developers.

The prepaid card issuer's senior vice president of partner services and delivery, one of this year's Most Influential Women in Payments Next honorees, has had to address the impact of multiple global crises on the underbanked.

In markets such as India, China, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil, more consumers and merchants are testing or deploying facial recognition as a way to authenticate transactions.

An outage with the issuer's bill payment site unleashed a torrent of complaints on social media and to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — even after the company said it had resolved the issue.

Legal marijuana dispensaries typically can't accept regular payment cards. But after the pandemic drove broader adoption of online and in-app payments, consumers may finally be more willing to stop using cash when buying weed.

Early Warning Services brought back its Authentify moniker for a new digital ID service. It's not being marketed as a way to stop P2P fraud, but it should appeal to banks wanting to improve security for online transactions.

The very upstarts that gave the prepaid card issuer a run for its money in recent years are seeing their valuations fall and their belts tighten. At the same time, Green Dot CEO Dan Henry expects that it can help consumers manage their cash flow amid economic stress.

The Credit Card Competition Act of 2022 could threaten revenue credit unions need to manage card payments and provide security, according to trade groups.

In global news this week, regulators in EU worry about staffing, American Express expands B2B cross-border payments, ATMs in New Zealand get an upgrade, and more.