Zip eyes Sezzle purchase as BNPL players consolidate

Australian-based BNPL company Zip has been on an acquisition tear and its latest target is Minneapolis-based Sezzle. As the biggest BNPL players in the world seek to grow, they're on the hunt for smaller rivals.

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 26, 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

Explore the Trendline➔

Embedded payment tools make inroads

Business customers demanding integrated tools is likely to keep driving a trend toward more embedded payments tools.

By Payments Dive staff

San Francisco startups vie for checkout dominance

In the crowded checkout technology space, startups Bolt and Fast are competing to become the company known for making the process smoother and speedier.

By Caitlin Mullen • Jan. 25, 2022

American Express lays out new growth plan

Revenues last year were well above original expectations, Amex CFO Jeff Campbell said during a call with analysts, and that's "part of what emboldens us to launch our new growth plan."

By Caitlin Mullen • Jan. 25, 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

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

Walmart signals crypto, NFT plans with trademark applications

While plenty of companies are eyeing digital asset technology, a potentially large push from the big-box retailer could go a long way in spurring mainstream consumer adoption.

By Peter Adams • Jan. 18, 2022

Grocery co-op to pilot frictionless shopping tech

Retail cooperative Wakefern Food is conducting the test at a New Jersey location in conjunction with Israeli computer vision startup Trigo, which is making its U.S. debut with the partnership.

By Sam Silverstein • Jan. 18, 2022

NMI purchases IRIS to expand merchant services

With extensive venture capital infusions from three investment firms, NMI is making acquisitions to expand its payments reach.

By Lynne Marek • Jan. 18, 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

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