Amazon Acquires Axio, Expanding Its Financial Services Scope in India
After receiving approval from the Reserve Bank of India in June, Amazon has completed its acquisition of fintech Axio in a deal some have valued at $200 million. Axio had previously facilitated buy now, pay later services in India for Amazon Pay. The fintech will now be a fully owned subsidiary of the world’s largest […]
NFL Affiliation: A Touchdown for Amex
Credit cards and sports are a great connection. When you look at it as a consumer, the price of a nice set of seats is nothing like it was when Mickey Mantle (my boyhood hero, long ago) played for the New York Yankees. Back in 1958, a bleacher ticket in the Bronx was all of […]
Gen Z: The Generation That Chooses—And Chooses the Extra
Gen Z is the consumer cohort every B2C company is fixated on today. But what sets them apart isn’t just their digital fluency—it’s their insistence on choice. From the syrup in their morning coffee to how they consume entertainment—whether binge-watching, scrolling through short-form clips, or tuning into live-streamed gaming—this generation refuses to settle for a […]
PayPal and Venmo Users Can Access Perplexity’s Anticipated AI Browser
Perplexity’s newly launched artificial intelligence web browser, Comet, was previously available only with a $200-per-month subscription or a special invitation, but now PayPal and Venmo users will gain early access. Much like ChatGPT, Perplexity created a chatbot platform that users can query to receive detailed answers along with source links. Comet incorporates this functionality into […]
Stripe Leads Pushback Against JPMorgan’s Data Access Fees
Fintechs are pushing back against JPMorgan Chase’s data access fees, which could reach $300 million a year for some of the largest users. These charges would apply when fintechs access consumer account data via APIs or aggregators, for use in digital wallets and other open-banking services. The charges would start to apply this month. The […]
Big Banks Will Soon Rely Heavily on Developer Communities
Why have startup fintechs been able to make up so much ground on 150-year-old banks in recent times? To a great extent, it’s because they have built up developer portals. With open banking on the way, legacy banks face an imperative to build up and work with these developer communities. In a new report from […]
Regulator Voices Concerns That Tokenized Stocks Could Cause Investor Confusion
Along with stablecoins, tokenization has become a central focus regarding digital assets by the financial services industry. However, a European regulator has raised concerns that the technology could cause misunderstandings for retail stock investors. According to Reuters, Natasha Cazenave, Executive Director of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), spotlighted the many fintech companies that […]
Klarna’s Debit Card Is Headed to Europe
After a successful trial run in the United States, Klarna is bringing its debit card to Europe. The move comes amid reports that the buy-now, pay-later giant is also refocusing on the initial public offering it postponed earlier this year. Since the Klarna Card launched in July, Klarna says 685,000 U.S. customers have signed up […]
Uncovering the Buyer Industry Opportunities for Virtual Cards
When a traveler books a hotel through an online travel agency (OTA) like Expedia, the OTA pays the hotel some or all of the value of the booking, but the OTA may or may not have been paid the full value of the booking by the traveler. The amount the traveler is willing to pay […]
Nearly 100 Crypto ETFs Are Waiting for SEC Approval
The 92 cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds awaiting approval from the SEC will test the depth of investor appetite for more specialized digital assets. Following the success of bitcoin and ether ETFs launched last year, crypto firms are betting that investors will show similar interest in lesser-known entities such as Avalanche and Litecoin. Whether the demand materializes […]