US payments firms notch venture round record

First-quarter data from research firm CB Insights showed U.S. payments startups saw a 61% spike in funding rounds from the previous quarter, but a 23% drop in total funding.

By Caitlin Mullen • April 29, 2022

Fidelity debuts 401(k) bitcoin option

Fidelity Investments said it is seeing growing interest in digital assets from plan sponsors. The offering will be widely available to employers mid-year.

By Kate Tornone • April 28, 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

PayPal cuts back growth plans, again

The digital payments pioneer reduced its revenue growth targets for the second time this year when it reported first-quarter earnings Wednesday. CEO Dan Schulman took responsibility for not delivering, blaming macroeconomic factors affecting the company. 

By Lynne Marek • April 28, 2022

Clover revenue growth boosts Fiserv earnings

During a Wednesday presentation on first quarter earnings, Brookfield, Wisconsin-based payments company Fiserv said global revenue for its Clover operating system for small and medium-sized businesses grew 39%.

By Caitlin Mullen • April 28, 2022

Checkout startup Bolt sued by fashion brand group

Checkout startup Bolt Financial is being sued by Authentic Brands Group, which owns the rights to a pack of brands from Forever 21 to Nautica to Spyder. ABG alleges Bolt's software services led to technology failures and lost sales, but Bolt denies the claims.

By Caitlin Mullen • April 27, 2022

US plays catch-up on real-time payments

Other countries, including China and India, are reaping much bigger rewards than the U.S. from their business and consumer adoption of real-time payment systems, according to a new study.

By Lynne Marek • April 26, 2022

Crypto bank Anchorage ordered to revamp AML program

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said the bank — the first crypto firm to receive a national trust bank charter in January 2021 — must overhaul its anti-money laundering program after failing to implement internal controls for customer due diligence and procedures for monitoring suspicious activity. 

By Anna Hrushka • April 25, 2022

PayPal CEO's compensation surges

The pay package for Dan Schulman jumped last year to $32 million even as the digital payment company delivered disappointing results for the fourth quarter and cut its revenue growth outlook for this year. 

By Lynne Marek • April 22, 2022

Palm pay hits more Whole Foods stores

The grocery chain added Amazon One technology, which lets users pay with their palm prints, to a newly opened store in Austin, Texas, this week and plans to bring it to six other area locations in the coming weeks.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • April 21, 2022

Payment players seek to expand credit pool

Driven by the financial inclusion movement and a desire to grow the pool of consumers eligible for credit products, well-established credit reporting bureaus and new fintechs are addressing the issue of access to credit and allowing more consumers to become creditworthy.

By Caitlin Mullen • April 21, 2022

Mastercard picks new startup program members

The initiative aims to support fintech startups during and after their time with Mastercard by introducing the small business owners to other entrepreneurs and potential partners in the payments realm.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • April 21, 2022

2022's restaurant payment tech push includes QR codes, kiosks

From QR codes to advanced mobile apps and robots, restaurants are planning to adopt more technology within their operations — including payments — in the year ahead.

By Julie Littman • April 20, 2022

NovoPayment lands $19M, spearheads US growth

Miami-based NovoPayment, the banking-as-a-service provider of digital payments and other services, is collecting capital for an expansion move in the U.S., just as its key business territory in Latin America is heating up as a destination for international fintech expansion. 

By Lynne Marek • April 20, 2022

Robinhood's acquisition of crypto firm puts UK, Europe in its sights

The purchase of Ziglu, which is in the good graces of the Financial Conduct Authority, marks the second attempt by the stock-trading app to broach the U.K. market. Terms of the deal were not disclosed Tuesday.

By Dan Ennis • April 19, 2022

Retail has a checkout problem...and speed alone won't solve it

The speed of one-click checkout isn't the answer to every cart abandonment problem, says one payments tech executive. There are other factors for retailers to consider when determining whether the checkout experience is convenient for the customer.

By Yvan Boisjoli • April 19, 2022

Mastercard, Interos partner on risk management tools

Mastercard's new partnership with the software provider is the latest in a string of added ties to fintechs aimed at expanding its payments and risk assessment tool offering.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • April 14, 2022

Payments players caught in venture capital squeeze

The flow of venture capital to startups ebbed in the first quarter for the biggest quarterly decline since 2012. Payments players, which have been big beneficiaries of such investments, are beginning to feel the pinch.

By Lynne Marek • April 12, 2022

SEC issues guidance on crypto-asset accounting, disclosure

As theft of crypto-assets rises, the Securities and Exchange Commission is pushing companies to publicly report on the potential costs of such crimes and efforts to curb hacking risks.

By Jim Tyson • April 12, 2022

Stripe sees growth slowing this year after pandemic e-commerce boon

Despite opportunities to sell to the creator economy and meet demand for embedded tools, the company said it won't grow as much this year as last year, citing "one-time behavioral adjustments" in 2021. The super-unicorn still expects to expand based on "explosive growth in fintech."

By Jonathan Berr • April 12, 2022

Amex takes on banks in bid for new generation of clients

With the launch of its new checking service, American Express aims to expand its relationship with cardmembers — and not miss out on attracting consumers drawn to debit cards. 

By Caitlin Mullen • April 11, 2022

CBDC will take years to develop, Yellen says

Despite new technologies, payments often take too long, the treasury secretary said in her first remarks on digital assets since a March executive order on the topic. Regardless of where assets are stored, regulation should be "tech neutral," she said.

By Dan Ennis • April 8, 2022

FDIC: Banks should alert agency of their crypto-related pursuits

The regulator said it supports safe and sound innovations, but is concerned that the risks associated with crypto assets and crypto-related activities are not well understood.

By Anna Hrushka • April 8, 2022

Bolt buys Wyre to get crypto in its wallet

With the $1.5 billion acquisition of cryptocurrency payments firm Wyre, Bolt aims to bring crypto front and center within its online checkout capabilities and digital wallet. Crypto "will be a major part of Bolt’s strategy going forward," said CEO Maju Kuruvilla.

By Caitlin Mullen • April 8, 2022

Amazon expands cashierless supermarket chain

The tech juggernaut opened its first full-size checkout free Fresh store on the East Coast last week in suburban Washington, D.C., bringing the chain total to 27 nationwide. That latest opening in Fairfax, Virginia, is the first of four in that suburban area that Amazon plans to open.

By Sam Silverstein • April 8, 2022

Crypto buyers see long-term investment value

As cryptocurrency adoption grows worldwide, many Americans are increasingly interested in it, according to several new surveys. However, many consumers acknowledge they still don’t fully understand cryptocurrencies.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • April 6, 2022