Mastercard Gives Financial Firms In-App Wallet Tools
As mobile wallets have become increasingly mainstream, they have largely been dominated by technology giants like Google and Apple. Mastercard is looking to broaden that landscape with new tools that allow banks and fintechs to build their own digital wallets directly into their existing apps. Mastercard’s Wallet Services platform enables companies to develop digital wallets […]
Beyond Pix: The Cross-Border Layer Latin America Is Building Next
Scan a QR code. Money moves in 0.3 seconds. Zero fees. No forms. No friction. This is the daily reality of Pix, Brazil’s government-backed instant payment network. Since its launch in 2020, it has grown into one of the world’s most widely adopted payment systems. In a single year, it processed more than 64 billion […]
USAA Finds Consumers Use Credit Card Rewards for Everyday Expenses
Credit card rewards were once a ticket to premium travel, luxury experiences, and aspirational purchases. Increasingly, however, consumers are using those same rewards to offset everyday costs like groceries and gas, signaling a shift in how households are managing their finances. That’s according to new research from USAA, which found that consumers are not only […]
Stripe Makes $53 Billion Play for PayPal
Stripe and private equity firm Advent have reportedly made a $53 billion bid to acquire PayPal, a deal that would combine one of fintech’s fastest-growing companies with one of digital payments’ largest consumer networks. The acquisition, which has been rumored for months, would rank among the largest fintech deals on record. According to Reuters, Stripe […]
Can the Digital Euro Be the Difference Maker the EU Needs?
The U.S. dollar has long anchored the global financial system, while Visa and Mastercard have powered much of the world’s card-based commerce. But the rise of stablecoins and growing concerns over reliance on U.S.-based financial infrastructure are prompting governments around the world to seek greater control over the future of money. In Europe, that effort […]
Visa Bets Cardholders Will Turn to AI for Financial Advice
Credit cards have long helped consumers pay for purchases. Now Visa wants them to help consumers decide how to spend their money. During the Visa Payments Forum, the company unveiled AI Financial Assistant, a tool that lets cardholders chat with an AI assistant within their banking app about topics such as spending habits, budgeting recommendations, […]
Tap-to-Pay Gives Small Merchants a Big Advantage
A decade ago, accepting card payments at a farmers market, food truck, or pop-up shop often meant investing in bulky hardware, worrying about battery life, and paying for ongoing technical support. Today, a small business owner can accept secure, contactless payments with nothing more than a smartphone. Tap-to-pay is doing more than speeding up checkout […]
Apple Stores Will Soon Take Payments With Just an iPhone
The bulky card reader that has defined retail payments for decades may soon become less necessary. Apple is betting that its iPhone can take on many of the functions of a traditional point-of-sale terminal with its expanding Tap to Share system, which allows merchants to accept contactless payments without separate POS hardware. The technology depends […]
Mastercard Could Divest Stake in UK Payments Provider Vocalink
Mastercard acquired a majority stake in the UK’s Vocalink nearly a decade ago to expand beyond its card-centric model. Now, the payments giant may be preparing to reverse course. Vocalink provides the technology that supports nearly all UK payroll and government benefit payments, as well as more than 70% household bill payments. While the acquisition […]
Modern Cyber Risk Is Breaking Longstanding Security Assumptions
Modern geopolitical tensions now extend well beyond traditional statecraft. They increasingly manifest through wiper malware attacks, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against critical organizations, and coordinated disinformation and influence operations designed to shape public perception in real time. Even as active flashpoints evolve and direct confrontation fluctuates, organizations are left operating in a sustained environment of […]