A Perfectly Understandable Bad Idea: Why Merchants Should Reconsider Surcharging
Most organizations factor in the cost of doing business when pricing their products or services. However, the costs of credit card acceptance have been a sticking point with many merchants for years, prompting some to tack on a surcharge when their customers use a card. Although this line of thinking may be understandable, as Craig […]
Visa’s New A2A Service Lands in the UK
Visa has launched its account-to-account (A2A) payment solution in the UK—a new service that enables users to manage bill and subscription payments directly through their banking apps. Leveraging the existing UK payment infrastructure, Visa A2A offers near real-time settlement along with enhanced dispute resolution mechanisms, similar to those available for its credit cards. Consumers can […]
Circle’s Cross-Border Payments Network Gains Traction
Circle recently launched a network designed to harness the potential of stablecoins in cross-border payments, and the network has now added another integration. The Circle Payment Network (CPN) was first announced in April, with the company’s ambitious goal of creating a global rail to rival those operated by Visa and Mastercard. As the issuer of […]
The Numbers Game: Building the Relationship Between Banks and Accountants
Hiring an accountant is an important milestone for most small-business owners, a sign that the business is successful enough to require such expertise. It also leads to important steps in digital banking, such as when an accountant asks for access to financial data to prepare a report or a looming tax deadline forces a scramble. […]
Why Cybersecurity Experts View AI Agents as a Double-Edged Sword
AI agents have featured in some of the most intriguing recent product launches, but cybersecurity experts have mixed feelings about the technology. Data from SailPoint found that 96% of tech professionals view AI agents as a growing security threat. Yet, nearly all respondents indicated they plan to expand their use of agentic AI in the […]
What’s Inside the New Alliance Between United and JetBlue
United Airlines is teaming up with JetBlue in a new alliance called Blue Sky, allowing passengers to use their air miles interchangeably across both airlines. As early as this fall, JetBlue TrueBlue members will be able to earn and redeem points on most United flights, and United MileagePlus members can do the same on JetBlue […]
A Definitional Discussion: Exploring the Shape and Trajectory of the U.S. Commercial Payments Ecosystem
The latest available data from the Federal Reserve found that there were roughly $1.6 quadrillion in payments in the United States alone. However, because this data includes financial economy transactions like company acquisitions and stock sales, as well as consumer payments, quantifying the total addressable market for B2B payments—much less share shift that is happening […]
Plaid to Expand Data Coverage to Small Business Banking
As lenders increasingly turn their attention to the small and medium-sized business segment, Plaid is launching a solution designed to provide better access to data. The company’s Transactions for Business platform builds on Plaid’s existing infrastructure, originally developed to parse consumer transaction data. By shifting this model for small business clients, the platform will allow […]
As Germany’s Cashierless Stores Boom, Could They Thrive in the U.S.?
Since the opening of Germany’s first modern cashierless store in July 2019, unmanned smart stores have rapidly expanded, with around 600 locations now operating across the country. In just six years, retailers have introduced several different autonomous formats, with the largest share—around 270 stores—found in rural areas, according to a study from Stephan Rüschen, a […]
Fear and Friction in Cross-Border Payments: The Alternative to Correspondent Banking
As digital connections have fostered a global community, the demand for cross-border payments has surged. And yet, the cross-border payments paradigm—where correspondent and intermediary banks work with originating banks to process payments—has remained largely unchanged for the past 50 years. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Gary Palmer, President and CEO of Payall Payment Systems, and […]