Retail

Buy now-pay later demand hit U.S. high during holiday season

Consumer use of the new installment financing tool in the U.S. climbed to an all-time high in December, although heady growth rates are slowing, an analyst report said. In any case, overall market penetration remains low.

By Jonathan Berr • Jan. 14, 2022

Small businesses count on digital payments to drive growth

Most micro and small businesses surveyed by Visa said they expect new digital payment methods to help their enterprises grow this year, with almost a quarter saying they plan to accept digital currencies like Bitcoin this year.

By Caitlin Mullen • Jan. 13, 2022

Save-now, buy-later startup raises $25M

Amid the buy now-pay later buzz, fintech Accrue Savings is going a different route. CEO Michael Hershfield said Accrue is on a mission to encourage consumers to save.

By Caitlin Mullen • 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

Payments firms see slam dunk opportunity with sports venues

Digital payments players are charging into the sports and events space, bringing new technologies to arenas they say can improve the fan experience and unlock a trove of data.

By Caitlin Mullen • Jan. 10, 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

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

BNPL growth prompts change from credit bureaus

Paying in installments has become wildly popular, but many of these plans aren't reflected on consumers' credit reports. Credit agencies say adaptations are coming.

By Caitlin Mullen • Dec. 20, 2021

Klarna extends BNPL to all online retailers

After acquiring the Dutch marketing software company Piggy, the Swedish buy now-pay later company is folding automatic couponing and price drop notifications into its offering and expanding the reach of its services.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 15, 2021

Gen Zers relied on buy now-pay later for holiday shopping. It's time to pay up.

Look up #Klarna, #Afterpay or #Affirm on the social media site TikTok. Beneath some of those BNPL provider hashtags are videos of teens dancing and lip syncing to viral sounds, with the balances they owe in the background.

By Maria Monteros • Dec. 15, 2021

Card industry faces $400B in fraud losses over next decade, Nilson says

Fraud-fighting efforts kept card industry losses at bay last year, according to Nilson Report, but the research firm says don’t expect the same when this year wraps up. "The decline in the dollar amount of fraud losses in 2020 will not be repeated in 2021," the report said.

By Caitlin Mullen • Dec. 14, 2021

Three payments "resolutions" that no company can afford to skip

Learn the three payments "resolutions" that every company must make to ensure their customers never face a moment of friction at the check-out screen.

Dec. 13, 2021

Microsoft shoppers get another BNPL option

Microsoft tapped Citizens Bank to offer its customers more options for spreading out their purchases as the buy now-pay later space becomes crowded.

By Caitlin Mullen • Dec. 10, 2021

Discover mulls more BNPL services

Discover Financial is brainstorming how to extend its buy now-pay later services beyond a partnership with Sezzle, CEO Roger Hochschild said at an investors' conference this week.

By Lynne Marek • Dec. 9, 2021

Facebook Messenger tests split payments

Meta's Facebook is testing a split payments feature in its messaging app for U.S. users, though it's not clear when there will be a broader release.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 7, 2021

Buy now-pay later orders rise 34% in holiday season, Afterpay says

The company also said user spending online rose 30%, with more Gen Z shoppers using the service between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 6, 2021

Will Stax acquisition of CardX mean more surcharging?

With the Stax acquisition of CardX last week, the combined company plans to scale its mission of bringing surcharging tools to more merchants.  

By Lynne Marek • Dec. 6, 2021

Diem co-creator Marcus to leave Facebook parent Meta

David Marcus, who has spent the past three years working on the social media giant’s stalled cryptocurrency project, Diem, said he is leaving the company at the end of the year to pursue other projects.

By Anna Hrushka • Dec. 2, 2021

Square takes a new moniker: Block

No sooner does Jack Dorsey arrive full-time at Square than the company decides it needs a new name. The corporate parent will become Block, but keep the Square brand for its digital payments business.

By Lynne Marek • Dec. 1, 2021

PayPal offers Wix merchants BNPL options

PayPal began offering Wix merchants in the U.S. its buy now-pay later and credit services last month for the first time. Wix merchants in the United Kingdom and France will also have access to the services in "coming months," the companies said.

By Lynne Marek • Dec. 1, 2021

Enterprises prepare for ransomware threats during Thanksgiving

Retail, transportation and other sectors are bracing for heightened cyber risks during the holiday, placing renewed pressure on security operations. 

By David Jones • Nov. 24, 2021