Payments

Card networks are poised to connect to nonfungible tokens, issuers are revamping rewards, and regulators are taking greater interest in installment loans. These developments and more bear watching in the year ahead.

There are more than 20,000 Holocaust survivors in the New York City area, and roughly a third of them are said to live in poverty. New York-chartered financial institutions should voluntarily waive transfer and processing charges on payments to reparations recipients, the state’s financial services regulator says.

Consumers are pushing card networks and issuers to develop programs that reward them for spending on sustainable products and other initiatives to mitigate climate change.

The pandemic-era shift to digital payments gave prepaid cards a jolt worldwide. In Canada, the government's likely adoption of the cards for disbursing benefits and other payments could drive further growth as it did in the U.S.

Alloy Labs Alliance, a consortium of community banks, is working with the fintech Payrailz on a project called "Chuck" that would route peer-to-peer payments over different networks, based on which is least expensive for each transaction.

The charity has added digital and contactless options to its traditional cash collections.

The social network, now called Meta Platforms, is buying the South Dakota bank's name for $60 million.

The tax preparation company, which is building out its own financial services business, says Square's new brand "would improperly capitalize on the goodwill and consumer trust cultivated by [H&R] Block since 1955."

Experts discuss P2P payments, changing consumer needs and key industry trends in this Arizent Leaders forum interview.

The issuer will help Skipify develop technology that recognizes returning customers at e-commerce sites, pre-fill payment details and provide access to loyalty programs.

Its new widget allows consumers to initiate a payment from their phone's home screen instead of opening an app to potentially reveal their full banking details to prying eyes.

At their peak over Cyber Weekend, payments were 50% higher than the average day in 2021. Cyber Weekend refers to the four-day period beginning on Black Friday, the unofficial kickoff of the U.S. holiday shopping season.

Now that JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Capital One and others offer the alternative credit option, the startups that created this market are adding products to cement their hold on consumers and merchants.

Citigroup and Macy’s renewed their longtime credit card partnership after the two spent months renegotiating the terms of the agreement.

The United States is threatening to curtail transactions into and out of Russia to discourage it from invading Ukraine. The standoff heightens existing friction between U.S. payments companies and Moscow, which could impose new restrictions on them in response to sanctions.

Bank of America is turning to private jets and exotic cars to compete with American Express and JPMorgan Chase and lure big spenders to its credit cards.

Purchases by adults between the ages of 25 and 40 have risen 50% over 2019, and the same group accounts for 75% of sign-ups for American Express’s pricier new cards.

Immigrants from Brazil, Nigeria and Kenya will be able to get scores based on their home country credit histories under a partnership between American Express and Nova Credit.

Research shows the number of fraudulent transactions and dollar amounts involved are soaring as merchants increasingly go digital. Credit card and other companies are expected to more than double what they invest in AI and other tech to fortify their systems.

By acquiring First Sound Bank in Seattle, the fintech would control the strategic direction of the combined company and won't have to share revenue, CEO Luvleen Sidhu says.