Payments

As the presidential voting count waged deep into the night on Tuesday, the fate of fintech, financial services and payments regulation hung in the balance.

It is a frustrating reality during a time of national crisis that emergency payment options for vulnerable populations remain such a complex and inefficient landscape, says Flourish Ventures' Sarah Morgenstern.

São Paulo, Brazil-based payments fintech Conductor Technology has raised $150 million in a private equity round led by Viking Global Investors.

Changing regulations mix and uncertain access to international talent are among the potential challenges, but both sides favor fintech--in their own way, says QED Investors' Nigel Morris.

States have led the way on fintech rules, but a Democratic-led government would take a stronger role, says DailyPay's Matthew Kopko.

In a major break from the Payment Card Industry security standards playbook, merchants and service providers using newer technologies would have the opportunity to rewrite network operation and testing procedures when achieving compliance.

Reflecting the rapid transition to digital payments, PayPal has reported its strongest growth in total payment volume and revenue in its history, coupled with strong growth for Venmo, its P2P app.

Payment rates for auto lenders and credit card issuers have remained strong despite a spike in unemployment. Whether these trends continue into 2021 will depend largely on the actions of Congress and the pace of medical advances.

Refinitiv, a global risk intelligence firm, has agreed to buy Giact, a company founded by a brother-and-sister team in Allen, Texas, in 2004 to enhance payment fraud protection and identity verification for banks and corporations.

The person-to-person network is being used more often for purchasing, with consumer payments to small businesses up sharply.