The Latest
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Deep Dive
Digital wallet use outpaces regulators
Consumers are increasingly turning to these mobile tools for convenience and new features, and regulators are trying to catch up.
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BNPL spending storms on
The buy now, pay later industry has posted record spending levels so far during the holiday shopping season, even as it faces heightened regulatory scrutiny.
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Cash App spam settlement approved
A federal judge issued final approval Tuesday of a $12.5 million class action agreement resolving consumer complaints over Cash App marketing messages in Washington state.
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BNPL drives over $1B in online spend on Cyber Monday
Overall spending on the digital shopping day topped $14 billion in the U.S., per Adobe Analytics. Shopify also touted record sales despite technical difficulties.
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AGs demand BNPL loan info
State attorneys general asked for information from buy now, pay later firms, including Klarna and Affirm, regarding loans and user disputes.
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PayRange buys rival KioSoft
The two payments companies in the unattended retail arena ended a four-year legal battle last year, and now one is falling into the other’s arms.
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United, Southwest turn to debit
The airlines’ loyalty programs are responding to the millions of Americans who prefer to use a debit card for purchases in lieu of credit.
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Amazon, Visa team on agentic tools
The retail juggernaut is locking arms with the largest U.S. card network to provide software developers with tools and contacts for creating agentic commerce experiences.
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Holiday data sends mixed signals
Data from Mastercard, Morgan Stanley and others show consumers wary of holiday spending, but also gunning ahead with outlays.
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Opinion
Will Trump be good for payments innovation?
The positives and negatives of the administration’s policies for the industry have stacked up in the months since he took office.
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Worldpay floats agentic protocol
The artificial intelligence tool now available to software developers is meant to help companies accept bot payments on behalf of consumers.
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Executive Shuffle: DailyPay, Adyen, Lightspeed
Payments companies and industry organizations alike tapped new executives to cultivate new relationships in their ecosystems.
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Green Dot inks deals splitting bank, fintech business
The company, which had been exploring “strategic alternatives” since March, will sell its fintech business to a private equity firm and its bank to a $840 million-asset lender.
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Consumers seek text connections
RCS messaging is gaining momentum in helping financial service providers collect payments and boost consumer engagement, a survey said.
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MoneyLion to pay $1.75M to settle CFPB lawsuit
The bureau in 2022 alleged the fintech illegally charged an interest rate that exceeds the 36% cap on loans to service members.
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Deep Dive
Regulatory patchwork vexes BNPL
In the absence of federal regulation, the pay later industry is falling under the purview of state laws that were not intended for buy now, pay later transactions.
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Klarna embraces crypto
The BNPL company said it’s testing a new stablecoin, and plans to launch it publicly next year.
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How the open banking rule skidded
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau faces a budget crunch or closure in early 2026, clouding the fate of its open banking rule revision.
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Stripe faces bank charter pushback
The National Community Reinvestment Coalition says the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency charter would let Stripe sidestep regulations, and offer the fintech legitimacy it does not deserve.
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Card networks flag fraud
Visa and Mastercard issued reports this month that warn consumers and merchants of upgraded fraudster techniques ahead of the year-end holidays.
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Opinion
Stablecoin risks loom: Op-ed
The Genius Act, a law enacted this year to provide stablecoin regulations, doesn’t adequately protect consumers, one think tank lawyer writes.
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Senators back open banking rule
Democrats urged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to pursue an open banking rule that lets consumers freely shift personal financial data.
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Dems dig into BNPL
A group of Democrats queried seven buy now, pay later companies for information about who uses their services and how often.
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How consumers see card threats
Many card users say their card issuers haven’t prompted them to take security precautions recently, a J.D. Power survey showed.
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Block eyes services for preteens
The company aims to make savings and card services available on its Cash App digital wallet for preteens, according to a Wednesday presentation. The tools would presumably be managed by parents.