Wagestream jumps into US on-demand pay fray

With $175 million in recently raised capital, the British new entrant in the U.S. earned wage access arena is setting lofty goals for expansion.

By Lynne Marek • June 28, 2022

BNPL faces tough economic challenges

Evidence suggests that BNPL borrowers are increasingly having trouble paying off their loans, based on a report from one analyst who follows the U.S. buy now-pay later provider Affirm.

By Jonathan Berr • June 27, 2022

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Payments industry seeks to keep pace with fraudsters

As losses from fraud in payments have climbed, companies are seeking new tools to combat illicit schemes.

By Payments Dive staff

CFPB takes aim at card late fees

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau seems to think credit card late fees are out of control. Now, it plans to do something about it.

By Lynne Marek • June 23, 2022

Card fees: the price hike nobody is talking about

"The Visa-Mastercard duopoly controls about 80% of the market share, allowing them to raise fees indiscriminately and with no formidable opposition," contends Doug Kantor, general counsel for the National Association of Convenience Stores.

By Doug Kantor • June 17, 2022

CFPB urges standardization in BNPL credit reporting

The agency isn’t pleased about the three big credit reporting bureaus taking different approaches to tracking consumer data for buy now-pay later financing.

By Lynne Marek • Updated June 17, 2022

Affirm takes on BNPL skeptics

Apple's entry into the buy now-pay later market isn't a concern for Affirm, the company's Chief Financial Officer Michael Linford asserted Tuesday.

By Jonathan Berr • June 15, 2022

Block shareholders nix super-voting stock proposal

A shareholder had proposed that Square parent Block eliminate super-voting shares. The proposal didn’t win enough votes at Block’s annual meeting this week.

By Caitlin Mullen • Updated June 14, 2022

Don't count crypto out just yet

Cryptocurrency skeptics were undoubtedly delighted by TerraUSD’s collapse last month, but there are plenty of signs already this month that the crypto era is far from over. Maybe it’s just beginning.

By Lynne Marek • June 10, 2022

Green Dot pays Republic Bank $13M to settle suit over failed acquisition

The payout comes atop a $5 million termination fee Republic received in January after Green Dot pulled out of a proposed $165 million purchase of the bank's tax refund processing unit.

By Dan Ennis • June 8, 2022

Apple joins BNPL boom

Apple Pay Later will let users split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments over a six-week period, with no interest or fees. It will be available via the Mastercard network.

By Jonathan Berr • June 7, 2022

Foundation opines on crypto bill

The Stellar Development Foundation provided its take on this week’s bipartisan Senate bill to create a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies.

By Robin Bradley • June 7, 2022

Lawsuits over Zelle pile up

Bank of America and Wells Fargo have both been sued recently by consumers who allege they were defrauded by scam artists using Zelle payments.

By Lynne Marek • June 6, 2022

Economic pressures stress payment fintechs

PayPal, Klarna and Bolt have chopped their workforces in the face of mushrooming macro-economic pressures, suggesting a potential fintech shakeout in the offing.

By Lynne Marek • June 2, 2022

Visa's CEO braces for legislation

Visa CEO Al Kelly said Sen. Dick Durbin is contemplating new legislation that would impose more pricing restrictions on the card industry. Kelly didn't elaborate and Durbin has been mum.

By Lynne Marek • May 31, 2022

CBDC, stablecoins, commercial bank money can coexist, Brainard says

The Federal Reserve vice chair, at a House Financial Services Committee hearing Thursday, also called for stricter regulation in the stablecoin space.

By Robin Bradley • May 27, 2022

Mastercard touts ESG strategy

Pursuing environmental, social and governance goals offers advantages in forging customer relationships and luring talent amid a tight labor market, a Mastercard executive said. 

By Caitlin Mullen • May 27, 2022

CFPB recasts innovation office to emphasize competition

The bureau walked back its no-action letter and sandbox policies in favor of "incubation events" meant to troubleshoot barriers to innovation and help customers switch providers more easily.

By Dan Ennis • May 26, 2022

CFPB carves out new competition angle for oversight

A former CFPB enforcement director told an audience of payments professionals this week that they'd best be prepared for the agency to expand its oversight by way of its markets authority.

By Lynne Marek • May 18, 2022

SEC enforcement attorney predicts 'a lot more fraud' in crypto markets

The SEC will turn to litigation if needed to achieve “clarity” as it fights abuses in cryptocurrency markets, according to an attorney in the agency’s Enforcement Division.

By Jim Tyson • May 17, 2022

Three US cash trends persist, Fed report says

The COVID-19 pandemic led U.S. consumers to change up their payment habits, but three long-term cash trends have mainly persisted, according to a Federal Reserve Bank report issued this month.

By Lynne Marek • May 16, 2022

Fed delivers mixed credit card data

While first-quarter consumer credit card debt rose relative to the same period last year, it dropped compared to the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, consumers' outlook on the availability of credit deteriorated.

By Jonathan Berr • May 12, 2022

World Bank forecast for cross-border payments rises

The international bank expects remittances to climb 3.7% to $802 billion this year. That's more than was previously expected and the increase is partly due to the upheaval in Ukraine, the World Bank said.

By Jonathan Berr • May 11, 2022

Yellen urges stricter stablecoin regulation amid TerraUSD crash

The coin, which relies on an algorithm rather than being backed by dollar reserves, plummeted to 23 cents Wednesday, according to CoinDesk.

By Robin Bradley • May 11, 2022

Mastercard CEO lands hefty raise

Compensation for Michael Miebach, who was the card company's chief product officer and president before he became CEO last year, climbed 75% to $16.1 million for 2021 after he took Mastercard's top post.

By Jonathan Berr • May 10, 2022

Cannabis payments companies focus on compliance, creativity

In the cannabis business, federal illegality has kept many banks and payments companies on the sidelines. That's opened the door for young companies that are using the ACH network to facilitate cannabis payments in states where it’s been legalized.

By Caitlin Mullen • May 6, 2022