Nacha payments value jumped to $72.6 trillion last year

Electronic payments racing through the Nacha network increased for the seventh consecutive year in 2021, with the value of the payments jumping 17.4% and the volume rising 8.7% over 2020, the organization said.

By Lynne Marek • Feb. 4, 2022

Boston Fed, MIT publish first phase of CBDC research

Researchers released the code for the project on GitHub to allow outside developers to help enhance it. Phase 2 may explore cybersecurity concerns such as the balance between user privacy and transparency.

By Dan Ennis • Feb. 4, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Cross-border payments targeted for upgrades

When it comes to cross-border payments, businesses, non-profits and governments alike are determined to increase the speed of transactions and cut the cost.

By Payments Dive staff

Fintech Amount buys Linear for $175M

Chicago-based banking technology provider Amount announced Tuesday that it has acquired Reston, Virginia-based Linear Financial Technologies, a small and mid-size business loan and account origination platform.

By Caitlin Mullen • Feb. 2, 2022

Fintechs won't replace traditional banking

"The biggest battle traditional banks face is customer satisfaction," says Galileo Financial Technologies Chief Revenue Officer Seth McGuire. "Digital-only and standalone digital options have sky-high satisfaction scores."

By Seth McGuire • Jan. 28, 2022

Walmart buys into 'super app' services

The retailer's fintech startup said it will buy earned wage access facilitator Even and digital financial services company One Finance to help Walmart sell consumers a financial services "super app."

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 27, 2022

JPMorgan buys 49% stake in Greek payments company

As the largest U.S. bank keeps up an acquisition spree begun last year, it agreed Tuesday to acquire a 49% stake in the Greek fintech Viva Wallets.

By Dan Ennis • Jan. 25, 2022

CEOs Sound Off: Fintechs press for open banking mandates

In 2022, CEOs whose companies touch payments are eager for regulators to move toward increased open banking in the U.S., to allow a framework for more sharing of consumer data. They believe it will drive innovation and enhanced financial services.

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 24, 2022

Discover spends big to attract new cardholders

The card company’s marketing spend in the fourth quarter was up 70% over the same period last year, as it campaigned to attract new account holders.

By Caitlin Mullen • Jan. 20, 2022

Fed's long-awaited CBDC report arrives

"While the existing U.S. payment system is generally effective and efficient, certain challenges remain," the Fed paper says. "A significant number of Americans currently lack access to digital banking and payment services."

By Jonathan Berr • Jan. 20, 2022

Payments pros demand top dollar in talent war

It’s become a “candidates’ market” with companies desperate to hire or retain payments executives and offering up to 30% premiums to lure professionals in short supply.

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 20, 2022

Mastercard links with Instacart on new card

Mastercard has lined up two new partnerships this week, bringing its card benefits to the grocery store aisle as well as the NFT marketplace.

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 19, 2022

Settlement in Amazon-Visa dispute may be near

Amazon backed off a threat to stop taking Visa credit cards in the U.K. this week, as the two companies issued statements suggesting they'll avoid a pitched battle over "swipe" fees.

By Jonathan Berr • Jan. 18, 2022

Powell says Fed paper on CBDC is weeks away

The oft-delayed digital currency white paper is coming "within weeks," Powell said Tuesday, but is "an exercise in asking questions and seeking input ... rather than taking a lot of positions."

By Dan Ennis • Jan. 13, 2022

Merchant group prods Fed on debit routing proposal

The Merchants Payments Coalition took Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's appearance before Congress this week as an opportunity to call out the central bank's slow-moving review of a debit routing proposal.

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 12, 2022

Is there an expiration date on Visa's main growth engine?

One analyst thinks so. Mizuho Securities Analyst Dan Dolev, who has been covering Visa for about three years, downgraded his rating on the largest U.S. card network company because he expects time is running out on consumers converting from cash to cards.

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 11, 2022

Card reward programs are the rising tide to lift all boats

The chairman of the Electronic Payments Coalition argues "Americans— regardless of income—love their credit card rewards programs." And the programs benefit consumers and merchants alike, he contends.

By Jeff Tassey • Jan. 11, 2022

Crypto, privacy lead legislative priorities for payment trade group

The Electronic Transactions Association said legislative moves related to those issues will be among the most important it's tracking this year at the state and federal government levels.

By Jonathan Berr • Jan. 7, 2022

ATMs headed the way of the payphone

As cash use declines, ATMs are disappearing. The U.S. count for such automated tellers peaked in 2019 and is headed down, according to data from the research firm Euromonitor International.

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 7, 2022

The potential payments peril of punishing Russia

The international community is weighing kicking Russia out of the Swift global payments network as a sanction for the country's aggression in Ukraine, but it could backfire.

By Jonathan Berr • Jan. 6, 2022

Payments deals pile up in 2021

More than $50 billion in acquisitions were announced last year by companies in the payments arena. That wasn't a record, but it still ranked among one of the industry's busiest years for deal-making.

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 5, 2022

Payments are becoming invisible. Here's why that's a good thing.

"The next great evolution will see payments fully disappear into simplified, holistic commerce platforms," according to a U.S. Bank payments executive. That new era "will be here faster than you think."

By Shailesh Kotwal • Jan. 4, 2022

7 payments trends for 2022 as innovation climbs

From cross-border services to BNPL to cybersecurity tools, there will be no shortage of innovation and competition in the payments industry as businesses and their regulators shape new digital tools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Jonathan Berr , Caitlin Mullen , Lynne Marek • Jan. 4, 2022

Payments firms raised record sums in 2021

It was a banner year for payments startups in 2021, as they raked in nearly $32 billion in investments, according to research firm CB Insights. This year could be even hotter.

By Caitlin Mullen • Dec. 28, 2021

Community banks group launches lower-cost P2P option

Unlike other platforms, the new alternative to Zelle lets consumers send money over the platform of their choice.

By Jonathan Berr • Dec. 22, 2021

Community banks form payments network to compete with Zelle: report

Community bank innovation consortium Alloy Labs Alliance will manage the network in partnership with Payrailz, a digital payments company, Forbes reported. 

By Anna Hrushka • Dec. 20, 2021