Grayscale Gains Approval for First Crypto Mutual Fund
The SEC has approved Grayscale’s multi-asset crypto exchange-traded product, Digital Large Cap Fund (GDLC)—the crypto world’s first equivalent of a mutual fund. Unlike earlier products that invested solely in bitcoin or ether, Grayscale’s fund offers a diversified basket of cryptocurrencies, including XRP, Solana, and Cardano. This approval comes after a long period in which numerous […]
Amex Refreshes Platinum Card Perks and Lifts Annual Fee
As more credit card companies compete for affluent customers, American Express is updating the benefits lineup on its premier card and raising the annual fee to $895. The new fee represents a substantial jump from the previous $695 mark, but Amex maintains that the hike is justified by the expanded perks and partnerships it has […]
Cuts to SNAP, Rising Cash-out Provisions Lead Prepaid Regulatory Concerns
For the prepaid industry, 2025 has been focused on federal legislation, particularly the impact of the omnibus so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” that was signed into law in July. On the state side, regulators have been mostly quiet, aside from a gift card cash-out proposal still working its way through the California legislature. In his […]
Google’s Agentic Commerce Protocol Gets an Array of Backers
Artificial intelligence agents’ ability to shop and purchase products on behalf of consumers is set to advance with the launch of Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2). The protocol is designed as a neutral, open-source framework that enables merchants, consumers, and third-party platforms to leverage the benefits of agentic AI. It supports multiple payment types, including […]
Alibaba Teams with Slope on B2B BNPL Offering
Buy now, pay later has been a success in the consumer arena, but can the same option work for business payments? Alibaba is betting that it will, partnering with Slope on “Pay Later for Business,” an embedded financing solution that lets U.S. business buyers manage payments in much the same way they do at retail […]
How to Streamline the Onboarding Process and Speed Up Underwriting
Customers signing up for new accounts and services can feel frustrated by the hoops they have to go through, assembling information and entering it in complicated, sometimes multiple forms, whether on paper or online. What they may not realize is that the process can be just as frustrating for the people working at financial institutions, […]
Plaid Agrees to Pay JPMorgan Chase Fees to Access Data
In a deal that could have far-reaching ramifications for the U.S. financial service industry, Plaid will pay JPMorgan Chase (JPMC) fees to access consumers’ banking data. Plaid’s aggregation platform connects banks and their customers with third-party services, ranging from peer-to-peer payments and credit score monitoring to crypto trading. Until now, fintech companies have had unfettered […]
Expanding Into Healthcare: ISV Growth Through Embedded Payments
Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and SaaS providers have long viewed healthcare as a rich target for vertical expansion. The market is large, highly regulated, and plagued with inefficiency. Many vendors break into this space by solving one part of the revenue cycle process, such as eligibility checks, claims scrubbing, or denial management. That narrow focus […]
Store-Issued Credit Card Rates Still Soar
Retail credit card interest rates remain stubbornly high, despite the Federal Reserve’s rate cuts at the end of 2024. While standard credit card rates have held steady and mortgage rates have inched lower in recent weeks, retail card rates have shown little movement. According to the 2025 Bankrate Retail Cards study, the average retail card […]
PayPal Users Can Send Payments and Requests Via Links
As the next step in its peer-to-peer (P2P) payments platform, PayPal is launching a feature that enables users to send payment links via text message, email, or direct message. Within the app, the Links feature lets users enter a payment or request amount and generate a private, one-time link for the transaction. The sender can […]