The Global Rise of Metal Cards: From Luxury to Loyalty
WEBINAR The Global Rise of Metal Cards: From Luxury to Loyalty February 4, 2026 1:00 pm EST [contact-form-7] How are metal cards turning premium design into measurable loyalty? What began as a symbol of exclusivity has evolved into a global emblem of sophistication, trust, and connection between brands and their most discerning customers. While the […]
Holiday Mobile Shopping Sets Records, Fueled by BNPL and AI
In another record-breaking holiday shopping season, consumers increasingly turned to their mobile phones. The majority of online transactions occurred via smartphone, surpassing a quarter of a trillion dollars for the first time. According to the 2025 Holiday Shopping Trends report from Adobe, two trends continued to drive mobile purchases: buy now, pay later and agentic […]
Clover to Add Wink’s Biometric Tech for Retail Payments
Biometric payments are moving from futuristic concept to everyday reality. Point-of-sale provider Clover is adding face and palm scanning technology to its platform, bringing faster and more secure checkout experiences to small- and medium-sized businesses. The integration comes through a deal with Wink, aiming to bring biometric authentication to ra range of retail settings. “This […]
PhotonPay Raises Tens of Millions in Series B to Pioneer Stablecoin-Centric Financial Infrastructure
PhotonPay, a leading stablecoin-centric global digital financial infrastructure, today announced the successful completion of its tens of millions of USD Series B funding round. This round was led by IDG Capital, with participation from Hillhouse Investment, Enlight Capital, Lightspeed Faction, and Shoplazza. Blacksheep Technology acted as the exclusive financial advisor for this round. The funds will […]
JPMorgan Chase Brings a Fresh Approach to Apple’s Credit Card Model
After much discussion and speculation, JPMorgan Chase has agreed to assume Apple’s $20 billion credit portfolio from Goldman Sachs. The deal offers benefits for all parties involved. For Goldman Sachs, it represents the end of a rocky foray into consumer lending and a return to its core business. For JPMorgan Chase, the bank will acquire […]
Wyoming’s Stablecoin Debuts for the General Public
After introducing it as a product for business transactions last August, Wyoming is making its stablecoin available to the general public this week. The next question for the Frontier Stable Token (FRNT) is whether a broader market will emerge for the asset. The token is available for purchase via Kraken on the Solana blockchain and […]
The $7 Trillion Bottleneck: Why Banks Are Paralyzed by Payments Innovation
Every day, financial institutions process trillions of dollars across dozens of payment rails. Yet when asked about innovation, most admit they’re stuck. It’s not a technology problem. The tools exist. Cloud-native platforms. Real-time rails. AI-powered fraud detection. The issue is strategic paralysis. “Banks are having to connect and deal with so much new technology right […]
Barclays Takes Stake in U.S. Stablecoin Settlement Platform Ubyx
As more financial institutions expand into digital assets, UK banking giant Barclays has invested in newly launched Ubyx, a platform that facilitates the transfer of stablecoins and tokenized deposits. Although the size of the investment was not disclosed, Barclays said it marked the bank’s first investment in a stablecoin company. However, it was not the […]
Retailers Fight Back Against Amazon’s AI Shopping Program
Online retailers are pushing back after Amazon’s Shop Direct agentic AI program trained its bots on their websites without permission. In addition to not being asked to participate, some retailers claim that Shop Direct directs customers to products they don’t even stock. Businesses have been posting about the issue on social media, fueling a wider […]
CFPB: U.S. Credit Cards are Prosperous and Strong
The CFPB remains in flux, but it met its requirement to report on the credit card industry. Although the report is typically produced mid-year for the prior year, the requirement was met when it was published on December 30, 2025. The report is full of relevant industry metrics that indicate the business is operating effectively. […]