How PayPal’s New Tax Service Fits Into Its Overall Strategy
PayPal is introducing free federal and state tax filing for its debit card holders, allowing refunds to be deposited directly into user accounts. The move expands PayPal’s existing lineup and is intended to encourage broader engagement across the platform. The service is a collaboration with april, a provider of white-label tax filing tools. Its AI-driven […]
UK Regulators Voice Concerns About AI’s Role in Financial Services
As more financial institutions deploy artificial intelligence for key functions such as credit assessments, a group of UK lawmakers has raised concerns that the industry may be unprepared to withstand a major AI-related incident. The lawmakers recently advised the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England to implement AI‑focused stress tests that could help […]
PhotonPay Expands UK Local Payment Rails via New Collaboration with ClearBank
ClearBank, the enabler of real-time clearing and embedded banking, has announced a collaboration with PhotonPay, an AI-powered global digital financial infrastructure provider offering payment solutions to businesses worldwide. Through this collaboration, PhotonPay’s business customers will gain access to a wider range of financial services, including virtual accounts, GBP collections, payouts, and Confirmation of Payee (CoP) functionality. […]
Visa Brings Cross-Border Apple Pay Transactions to China
Mobile payments are thriving in China, and now Visa cardholders will be able to add their cards to Apple Pay to make purchases at overseas merchants, both in-store and online. Initially, this feature will be available only to consumers holding cards issued by some of China’s largest banks, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of […]
Top 5 Gift Card Purchase Categories
Gift cards have become a go-to choice for consumers who want something flexible, convenient, and easy to personalize. But where people choose to spend those cards says a lot about what they value and how they shop. From everyday essentials to entertainment and experiences, certain categories consistently rise to the top because they fit real […]
Coinbase Delays Vote on Clarity Act
Objections from Coinbase helped scuttle the Senate’s consideration of the Clarity Act, a landmark crypto infrastructure bill. After Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the bill would amount to a “de facto ban” on tokenized equity offerings, the Senate canceled its markup session, which is now expected to be rescheduled in the coming months. The bill, […]
To Forecast Agentic Commerce Adoption, Look to Biometrics and Digital IDs
There has been considerable fanfare surrounding the emergence of agentic commerce, followed by a race to build the supporting infrastructure. While there has been less hoopla accompanying biometric authentication and digital identification cards, there are lessons from the evolution of these technologies that can be applied to agentic commerce initiatives. As Christopher Miller, Lead Emerging […]
Visa Eases Stablecoin Payment Settlement for Merchants
Visa is bringing stablecoins into the mainstream of global payments, launching a program that lets merchants settle international transactions without ever touching a digital asset. Under the partnership between Visa and stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK, businesses in certain markets will be able to pre-fund payments using digital assets and send payouts directly to recipients’ digital […]
The Best Time for Consumers to Spend Holiday Gift Cards? Now
As National Use Your Gift Card Day approaches, many retailers are developing strategies to encourage consumers to spend the unredeemed gift cards they received over the holidays. The spending power significant: U.S. consumers are estimated to be holding roughly $23 billion in unused prepaid cards. This latest demand, combined with traditionally slower January sales, led […]
Where Financial Institutions Fit in the AR/AP Value Chain
A single purchase request now triggers a web of approvals, data exchanges, and funding decisions that stretch far beyond traditional accounts payable and receivable processes. As AR/AP workflows grow more complex, banks and networks face a critical question: where do they truly fit in a value chain full of opportunity, but short on clarity? To […]