Payments

The card brand participated in a $72 million funding round in Thunes, expanding both an existing collaboration and a larger initiative to support mobile money networks.

Amazon expands "palm payment" at Whole Foods, Toast reverses 99-cent restaurant-order fee, Plaid expands open-banking reach and more in the weekly banking news roundup.

The company says young consumers, steady credit quality and a robust travel recovery will offset a weaker economy for small businesses.

Discover Financial Services' stock tumbled after revealing a new FDIC consent order regarding consumer compliance. Separately, the financial institution also copped to misclassifying certain credit card accounts into its highest merchant-pricing tier beginning in 2007.

The launch of FedNow, the Federal Reserve's instant-settlement system, raises many questions for banks, card networks and fintechs regarding costs, routing and other concerns.

Officials at the central bank have been discussing a real-time payment system for a decade. Work on FedNow began in 2019.

Fintechs are expanding the definition of BNPL financing to include many longer-term, higher-interest loans that fall into a legal gray area, according to new research.

The Financial Conduct Authority is developing new rules that tighten how financial firms can use social media, Swift and a group of banks have successfully piloted instant payments between different countries and currencies, and more.

U.S. financial services firms should be paying close attention to the innovative Pix Credit system that is displacing consumer credit cards in Brazil.