Industry

10% Rebate: Bybit Card Introduces USDC Cashback

PR Newswire

"Bybit now offers cashback in both of the dominant USD-denominated stablecoins for Bybit Card holders. Starting Apr. 18, Bybit Cardholders will be able to diversify their cashback earnings into USDC. Once approved, new users will receive a virtual card compatible with Apple Pay or Google Pay."

Industry

Credit-Card Companies Brace for a Downturn

WSJ

"Credit card companies are bracing for a potential economic downturn and increasing reserves to cover expected future losses.  Delinquencies are rising and are in line with levels from before the pandemic.  Some firms are tightening lending or targeting affluent clients; Amex sees steady performance among high-income consumers. [Subscription Required]"

Industry

How is AI Revolutionizing the Payment Industry in 2025

RFID JOURNAL

"AI brings exciting opportunities in the payments industry, helping from fraud mitigation and better customer experiences to streamlined operations. But challenges remain—regulatory hurdles, data privacy concerns, and the need for modern infrastructure. In this article, we will delve into the benefits, challenges, and opportunities for key industry stakeholders looking to leverage the full potential of artificial intelligence in their payments business."

Industry

Paydify Launches To Enable Businesses Worldwide To Accept Crypto Payments

The Daily Hodl

"Paydify, a universal gateway for any crypto payments, has officially launched to enable businesses to accept crypto payments from any wallet or blockchain network. Built to simplify fragmented blockchain infrastructure, Paydify turns complex crypto payments into a smooth checkout experience – with real-time stablecoin settlement and zero transaction fees."

Industry

Transaction Disputes What are They & Why Do Customers File Them?

Chargebacks911

"Transaction disputes are never good news for merchants… but they don’t have to be the end of the world, either. In this post, we’ll examine when and why this mechanism should be used, as well as how you can stop the next dispute before your customer calls the bank."

Industry

Stablecoins and Crypto Shocks: An Update

Liberty Street Economics

"Stablecoins are crypto assets whose value is pegged to that of a fiat currency, usually the U.S. dollar. In this post, we document the growth of stablecoins since 2019, including the evolution of the reported collateral backing major stablecoins. Then, we estimate the impact on the stablecoin industry of large bitcoin price increases that occurred between 2021 and 2025."

Industry

Bilt Rewards Expands Network of Homes Into Student Housing, Introduces Capability to Pay Student Loans With Bilt Points

Business Wire

"Bilt Rewards, the payments and commerce network that transforms housing and neighborhood spending into rewards and benefits, announced an expansion of its network of homes to include student housing properties, with American Campus Communities as its launch partner. Bilt is introducing a first-of-its-kind feature allowing members to redeem their Bilt Points toward eligible student loan payments."

Industry

Capital One and Discover Merger Gains Approval in Jawdropping Deal

EMARKETER

"The Capital One and Discover deal received the final regulatory approval and will close on May 18. Combined, the two companies will have $660 billion in assets...What this means: The megadeal will dramatically shake up the payments and banking industries. Capital One will switch some of its cards from Visa’s and Mastercard’s networks to the Discover network. This will shift competitive dynamics."

Industry

Agentic AI: The Evolution of Autonomous Fraud Detection

Global Banking & Finance Review

"Fraudsters have consistently positioned themselves at the cutting edge of technological innovation. With the recent explosion in AI capabilities—spanning large language models (LLMs), Generative AI, and now Agentic AI—criminal actors are leveraging advanced techniques to create deepfake images, video clones, and voice impersonations that deceive victims into transferring funds. Meanwhile, financial institutions face mounting pressure to evolve their fraud prevention systems beyond traditional rule-based or purely predictive models."

Industry

VantageScore Expands New Open-Banking Credit Score for Lending to Underserved Borrowers

VantageScore

"VantageScore announced the expansion of their groundbreaking VantageScore 4plus pilot program for lenders launched in partnership with Credit Builders Alliance. The pilot leverages the industry leading VantageScore 4.0 credit score with open banking data to deliver the new VantageScore 4plus credit score model."

Industry

What Magstripe Card Extinction Means for Banks

American Banker

"By 2029, no new Mastercard credit or debit cards will be issued with a magnetic stripe, according to the card network, and by 2033, Mastercard said magnetic stripes will be gone from circulation, except for prepaid cards in the U.S. and Canada. [Subscription Required]"

Industry

Payarc, AWS Collaborate to Enhance Payment Processing Operations with AI

Amazon

"Payarc is taking AI-powered payments to the next level, using Amazon Web Services (AWS) to drive unprecedented automation, intelligence, and efficiency across its platforms. By integrating AWS’s advanced AI and analytics, Payarc is delivering real-time insights, predictive churn analytics, and automated workflows that strengthen fraud detection, boost customer retention, and uncover new revenue opportunities."

Industry

ISO 20022: The Future View

Euromoney

"ISO 20022 promises smarter payments, faster reconciliation, and better data. We explore how banks are planning to use the rich and structured data to bring enhancements and new services to their clients."

Industry

More Than a Third of Americans Tapped Into Their Emergency Savings Last Year

Banking Exchange

"Over one-third (37%) of Americans dipped into their emergency savings in the past year, with 80% using the funds for essentials, while a growing number are now relying on savings to cover day-to-day expenses, according to a Bankrate survey. The 2025 Annual Emergency Savings Report reveals that 51% of Americans tapped into their emergency savings to cover unexpected expenses, such as medical bills or car repairs."

Industry

AFP Survey: Businesses May Be Misled on Risks of Check Fraud

Nacha

"Even as business-to-business payments continue increasing on the ACH Network, a new survey finds the number of organizations using checks actually climbed last year, leaving experts wondering if there’s been a serious misunderstanding."

Industry

Tourists Are Ditching America — And It’s Set To Cost the Economy Billions

Quartz

"Data released this week from the International Trade Association shows that arrivals of non-citizens to the United States by plane have declined by over 11% since March 2024. The decline has alarmed economists, who point to the economic benefits bestowed by visitors. (This drop in arrivals is noteworthy because much of the data was collected before reports began to emerge of tourists being ensnared in airport customs.)"

Industry

With Chargeback Volume Set To Hit 324 Million in 2028, Merchants and Issuers Need To Find a Way To Protect Their Bottom Line

Tearsheet

"Factors like the increase in digital payments adoption are contributing to a rise in the global volume of chargebacks, and a significant chunk of this volume will reside in North America. Today's story gives an industry-wise breakdown on chargebacks, and a deep dive on what strategies merchants and issuers are currently using to combat chargebacks and where they can improve."

Industry

The Virtual Cards Conundrum

Business Travel News Europe

"Wayne Lappage loves virtual cards – in principle. “The benefits are huge,” says the global commodity manager for travel and expense at mobility IT systems company Yunex Traffic...Discontent with virtual cards boils down to two main concerns: hotels failing to accept the cards as payment when guests check in; and hotels neglecting to issue invoices after guests check out."

Industry

3D Secure – Driving Adoption for U.S. Retail

Retail TouchPoints

"3D Secure (3DS) is an additional layer of cardholder security and authentication for online card transactions, and more and more large retailers are wanting to add it into their payments process. It is easy to understand why: if a shopper is making a payment online using their card and the bank determines that the transaction might be suspicious, the bank card issuer redirects them to a 3DS page for further verification. So what will move 3DS forward and increase adoption across the board?"

Industry

Fraud Watch: Fraudsters Use Gen AI to Enhance Old Scams

ABA Banking Journal

"AI has been around for a long time, and banks have been using AI for a long time — fraud detection alerts, credit scoring risk assessments, process automation, chatbots. Now, generative AI tools have upped the game...There’s even one called FraudGPT that allows criminals to access these types of capabilities — it’s basically AI fraud as a service."

Industry

Nine out of Ten Americans Concerned About Cybercriminals Leveraging AI

PR Newswire

"Iris^® Powered by Generali released the findings of its inaugural Identity & Cybersecurity Concerns Survey, which polls consumers on their digital security practices, as well as fraud resolution experiences if previously victimized. Key Findings: 87% of consumers feel secure using their internet-connected devices, yet 85% show concern about their personal devices being hacked, and 88% worry about password compromises...Over 90% of consumers surveyed employ only a handful of recommended identity protection practices."

Industry

Sunoco to Launch In-Car Fuel Payments Across North America

Mobility Plaza

"Sunoco LP and connected vehicle technology provider Sheeva.AI are partnering to offer modern fuel payment in North America. The collaboration will see Sheeva.AI’s platform integrated into over 5,700 Sunoco fuel stations, enabling drivers to authorize and pay for fuel directly from their vehicle's infotainment system."

Industry

Branch Launches New Paycard Built for the Modern Workforce

PR Newswire

"Branch, the leading workforce payments platform, announced the launch of a full-service paycard, with enhanced features that reimagines the traditional paycard experience for workers. Branch's paycard can be easily integrated with time and attendance systems. The new paycard offering was developed in response to growing demand across industries including hospitality, healthcare, staffing, construction, and agriculture for a comprehensive solution that meets the needs of businesses and workers."

Industry

Top Acquirers of Card Payments at US Merchants

GlobeNewswire News Room

"J.P. Morgan Payments, a unit of JPMorgan Chase & Co., became the largest acquirer of card payments from US merchants in 2024 based on 40.98 billion transactions processed. Fiserv, which held the top rank in 2023, slipped to second place with 40.72 billion. Worldpay retained its third place position with 34.15 billion card payments processed."

Industry

PCI DSS 4.0: Time to Pay Up, Securely

Security Boulevard

"Businesses that handle payment data have struggled to secure transactions end-to-end. The payment industry has sought to apply discipline and consistency to those processes via the PCI DSS regulatory framework — and with the latest iteration, they made impressive strides. Just last week, on March 31, the deadline to comply with PCI DSS 4.0.1 passed without a whimper. The fines should make any business shudder, as much as $100,000 per month."

Industry

Hilton is Streamlining Business Travel Payments by Making it Easier to Go Cardless

Hilton

"Hilton is advancing the business travel industry as the world's first hotel group to automate the integration of virtual card payment details into its property management system. This technology will be implemented in thousands of Hilton properties globally. This new solution, created in partnership with Conferma, reduces the manual process involved in using virtual corporate credit cards at hotels."

Industry

Kraken Teams up With Mastercard To Introduce Crypto Debit Cards

CoinDesk

"Kraken is working with Mastercard to enable crypto holders in the U.K. and Europe to spend digital assets at over 150 million merchants worldwide. Kraken will introduce physical and digital debit cards for everyday transactions using crypto and stablecoins. The initiative is part of Kraken Pay, a service that debuted earlier this year for cross-border payments in over 300 crypto and fiat currencies."

Industry

25 Countries Join Russia’s Payment System as an Alternative to Swift

Middle East Monitor

"A total of 177 financial institutions from 24 countries are now participating in Russia’s financial messaging system (SPFS), which was developed as an alternative to the global payment system (SWIFT), according to Alla Bakina, head of the National Payment System Department at the Central Bank of Russia."

Industry

The Burritos You Bought With Installment Payments Will Now Appear on Your Credit Report

Fortune

"As more and more products become available for purchase in installments—even takeout food and groceries—credit-reporting bureaus are moving to incorporate that data into consumers’ profiles. Affirm began sharing data with Experian and has been feeding information to the developer of the FICO score. In other words: The impulse-buying economy is running headlong into America’s data-mining ecosystem."

Industry

Largest Ever Study of Crypto Holders in the U.S. Finds 21% of Adults Use Digital Assets

Business Wire

"The National Cryptocurrency Association released a new report based on the largest study ever conducted of crypto holders in the United States. The 2025 State of the Crypto Holders Report found that 55 million U.S. adults are using crypto, and 76% of them say it has a positive impact on their lives."