Payments

What started as Mezu and went through 18 difficult months competing as a payments offering has now rebranded as Alviere, with a broader range of digital banking services.

In the pandemic age, banks are getting creative in a bid to keep affluent customers.

Walgreens is collaborating with Synchrony to roll out a cobranded credit card with an eye on the convergence of digital tools for spending and health care.

Cross-border payment processors are stitching together Latin America’s patchwork of local payment methods to facilitate the growth of international e-commerce marketplaces and digital content providers in the region.

Synchrony wasn’t unscathed by the pandemic — consumer spending slowed during the first half of the year — but its mix of private-label and cobranded cards for everyday items suffered far less than other issuers' cards that emphasized luxury and travel.

Michael Moeser, senior analyst at PaymentsSource, talks to Matt Oppenheimer, co-founder and CEO of Remitly, about how the remittance market has handled the coronavirus pandemic, and what will happen going forward.

The fees banks charge to merchants have skyrocketed because people are making more purchases using their credit cards during the pandemic. Lawmakers can cap these fees before they further eat into retailers' profits.

Careful due diligence is required when picking technology to expedite accounts payable automation, says Kofax's Michelle Trapani.

Trade war bans on payment apps are pressuring large companies and providing opportunities for regional specialists, says Nets' Sirpa Nordlund.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 saw some businesses become big winners — such as Zoom, Home Depot and payments companies like PayPal — while other businesses suffered heavily, most notably the travel and hospitality industries. Credit card issuers also suffered, as demand lagged heavily for new cards and their overall spending dropped considerably during the year.