Community Banking Association Challenges Coinbase’s Trust Bank Approval
The digital assets industry has achieved milestones at breakneck speed in its rise to mainstream prominence over the past few years. While the recent approval of Coinbase’s trust bank application may appear to be just another milestone, it has drawn pushback from the traditional banking sector. The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) went so […]
How Stablecoins Emerged as a Key Element of Cross-Border Payments
Since their advent in the early 2000s, cryptocurrency supporters have sought viable real-world use cases. While the volatility of digital assets made them as attractive as investments, it hindered their adoption in mainstream financial activity. The development of stablecoins over a decade ago changed that. By maintaining a relatively consistent value and transcending currency exchange […]
SoFi Continues to Meld Crypto with Traditional Banking
SoFi is positioning itself as a bridge between traditional banking and cryptocurrency with the launch of a business banking platform designed to let customers manage cash and digital assets within a single system. The new service, SoFi Big Business Banking, allows firms to hold U.S. dollars in an online SoFi account and convert them into […]
Credit Cards in Russia: Comrade, Watch Your Rubles
We follow the Russian credit card market, particularly after G-7 sanctions were imposed in 2022. Russia’s reactions were notable and effective. Once Mastercard and Visa moved away from the market, Russia dusted off its Mir credit card and shifted to its alternative process. Russia’s domestic payment system worked, but mostly within the country. It had little acceptance outside […]
How the U.S. Built Its Faster Payments Ecosystem
Ten years ago, the Federal Reserve sketched out a future for U.S. payments—one where money could move in real time, not days. What began as a roadmap has since reshaped the payments landscape, bringing that vision closer to reality. The Federal Reserve’s “Strategies for Improving the U.S. Payment System,” helped set the industry on a […]
Cash App Users Can Now Pay Over Time on P2P Transfers
Are people ready to borrow from their friends—and pay them back in installments? Cash App is betting they are. The popular payment app launched a feature that lets users split peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers into short-term installment plans, turning everyday money exchanges into mini loans. While buy now, pay later options have surged in retail, Cash […]
Visa Streamlines Credit Card Disputes with New Tools
After processing more than 106 million disputes last year, Visa is rolling out new AI tools to tackle a growing—and often understood—problem. Many of these disputes arise from unrecognized, but often legitimate, charges on consumers’ increasingly complex statements. This surge represents roughly a 35% increase over the past six years. To address this pain point, […]
TikTok Aspires to Fintech Status with Payments, Credit Bids in Brazil
Sales on TikTok Shop soared last year, moving the platform beyond its creator-driven roots and attracting interest from big-name brands like Pepsi and Ulta Beauty. This e-commerce success can be attributed to the enduring popularity of the short-form video platform, but TikTok has continued to push beyond the boundaries of social media. Its parent company, […]
The EU Seeks to Break Its Dependence on Visa, Mastercard Rails
The European Central Bank (ECB) has reaffirmed its ambition to reduce reliance on non-European payment systems—most notably the networks operated by Visa and Mastercard—in a new position paper outlining a roadmap for the future of retail payments in the EU. U.S.-based rails still process more than 60% of card transactions in Europe, with 13 of […]
U.S. Bank Scores with Amazon Small Biz Card
Amazon approaches U.S. card issuance with a Chase-branded consumer card (this one is in constant use in my household), a PLCC card (issued by Synchrony), and small-business credit cards. The strategy is to link your Prime account to the card and generate reward points. A Shift in Partners U.S. Bank announced it had won the […]