How Order.co Is Modernizing Procurement and Spend Management at Scale
Order.co, a procurement platform for distributed teams, tackled two scaling hurdles: enforcing spend controls and automating high‑volume payments. By integrating Lithic’s payment infrastructure and Mastercard network, Order.co now issues single‑use and multi‑use virtual cards at scale while applying granular, real‑time authorization rules. The partnership delivers 99.99% uptime, 3D Secure authentication, and streamlined dispute management, eliminating manual card creation and AP bottlenecks. As a result, businesses can consolidate orders, maintain visibility, and purchase faster without added friction.
Card Volume Rises with Digital Boost
U.S. card‑payment volume rose 6.4% to $11.46 trillion in 2025, surpassing the 5.9% increase recorded in 2024. Credit‑card activity grew 6.1% to $6.51 trillion, showing sustained borrowing despite higher interest rates. Visa retained the largest share, handling roughly 31% of debit and...
Walmart Alumni Open POS Test Lab
Retail technology firm Kitestring Technical Services, founded by former Walmart engineers, has opened a vendor‑neutral point‑of‑sale (POS) demonstration lab in Bentonville, Arkansas. The lab showcases seven software and fourteen hardware vendors, allowing retailers to evaluate solutions side‑by‑side. POS selections are...
Sharpton Cites BNPL Racial Disparities
Civil rights leader Al Sharpton urged state attorneys general to broaden their buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) investigation, arguing the products disproportionately harm Black and Brown consumers. The inquiry, launched by seven states, already targets major players such as Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay, PayPal,...
Branch CFO Says IPOs Are a ‘Discipline, Not a Deadline’
Matt Peterson, the new CFO of fintech lender Branch, says an IPO should be treated as a discipline rather than a deadline, emphasizing rigorous fundamentals over timing. He draws on his experience guiding Fastly’s 2019 IPO and highlights usage‑based pricing...
Block’s Dorsey Rethinks Corporate Structure
Block, the parent of Square, Cash App and Afterpay, announced a sweeping AI‑driven overhaul of its corporate structure after slashing roughly 4,000 jobs – about 40% of its workforce – in February. In a detailed blog post, Jack Dorsey and...
PayPal Board Lures Ex-Square Executive
PayPal announced the appointment of Alyssa Henry, former Square CEO, to its board, replacing departing member Gail McGovern. The move coincides with the recent promotion of Enrique Lores, ex‑HP CEO, to PayPal’s chief executive role after Alex Chriss’s abrupt exit....
Visa Pushes Subscription Management Tool
Visa announced a partnership with Pinwheel to embed an enhanced subscription manager directly into banking apps, giving cardholders a consolidated view of recurring charges, alternative payment options, and one‑click cancellation. The rollout begins this summer for North American issuers, with...
Visa-DOJ Discovery Dispute Goes to Judge
The Justice Department’s antitrust suit, filed in September 2024, accuses Visa of monopolizing debit‑card payments. Visa has asked U.S. District Judge John Koeltl to compel the Treasury Department to produce pay.gov debit‑transaction records, arguing the agency is a relevant party....
Visa’s Stablecoin Ally Falls for Mastercard
London‑based stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK, which earlier announced a strategic investment and partnership with Visa to power Visa Direct stablecoin pilots, is being acquired by Mastercard for approximately $1.8 billion. The deal, announced on March 17, marks Mastercard’s biggest bet on on‑chain...
How Amex Exploits New AI Tools
American Express is rolling out artificial intelligence across its operations, from engineering to sales and customer service. The company reports that roughly 11,000 engineers using AI have reduced coding time by more than 30%, while travel advisors in 19 countries...
Transforming the Payment Experience: How Consumers Are Steering Payment Innovation
The Discover Network’s Payments State of the Union survey shows that 91% of U.S. shoppers have adopted digital payments, with 61% using a digital wallet in the past 90 days and mobile‑wallet usage climbing to 69% since 2021. Consumers are...
Electronic Transactions Association Acquires Peer
The Electronic Transactions Association announced it is acquiring the American Transaction Processors Coalition to bolster its advocacy, education, and member‑engagement capabilities. ATPC’s executive director, Jay Morgan, will join ETA as an advisor, reinforcing the trade group’s policy work. The combined...
Visa, PayPal Execs React to K-Shaped Economy
Visa’s product chief says processed‑transaction volume remains stable and resilient, downplaying a K‑shaped split. PayPal’s CFO notes a 1% deceleration in branded checkout growth, attributing it to divergent spending among middle‑ and lower‑income consumers. Shift4’s CFO points to lodging and...
Stablecoin Use Surges
Stablecoin transaction volume more than doubled in the past year, climbing from $668 billion in February 2025 to $1.78 trillion last month, according to Macquarie Group. The market capitalization of the 13 largest stablecoins rose to $311.81 billion, up from $196.61 billion a year earlier....
Amex Soups up Cards for Concur
American Express announced integration of its virtual‑card solution into SAP’s Concur expense management platform. The new capability lets corporate users generate single‑use card numbers, set spending limits and automatically reconcile transactions, initially rolling out to select U.S. customers with a...
Affirm Outlines Options if Economic Stress Rises
Affirm's CFO Rob O’Hare said the buy‑now, pay‑later lender could tighten its underwriting if U.S. economic stress intensifies, including dropping low‑margin loans, requiring down payments, and asking for more financial information. He emphasized these measures are hypothetical and that the...
EWS Pairs with Citi to Offer Paze
Early Warning Services (EWS) has teamed up with Citibank to bring its Paze digital wallet to Citi credit‑card holders, marking the first partnership with a non‑owner bank. The rollout is slated for the coming weeks, expanding Paze’s reach beyond the...
Social Media Blasted over Fraud
The Consumer Federation of America estimates U.S. consumers lose roughly $119 billion each year to online fraud, a figure derived from FBI and Bureau of Justice Statistics data. California, Texas, New York and Florida bear the heaviest losses, with California alone accounting...
Visa, Mastercard Face U.K. Challenge
The United Kingdom’s banking sector is actively seeking to curb its dependence on Visa and Mastercard, citing strategic and economic vulnerabilities. European initiatives such as the Wero digital wallet aim to provide an alternative, but they currently lack full EU...
Fraud Battle Calls for Cross-Sector Effort
Financial institutions are urging federal rule changes and cross‑sector data sharing to combat AI‑enabled fraud. Panelists highlighted the need for banks, telecoms and social‑media platforms to exchange real‑time signals, creating a unified view of fraud networks. Current safe‑harbor protections under...
Engine Aims to Fix SMB Cards
Engine introduced the Visa‑branded Engine X charge card aimed at small and midsized businesses, a segment that often lacks corporate payment solutions. The card delivers 10% cash back on travel booked through Engine and 1.5% on other spend, while offering spend...
Global Payments Feels Middle East Impact
Global Payments warned that the Middle East conflict is creating a modest headwind as flights for 12 of its largest regional airline clients are grounded, potentially affecting Q1 and Q2 results. CEO Cameron Bready said the impact on earnings and...
Cash-Strapped Homeowners Tap BNPL
A JPMorgan Chase Institute study of 4.5 million homeowners shows that cash‑strained borrowers increasingly turn to buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) as a liquidity valve, especially when mortgage payments tighten budgets. BNPL spending spikes 34‑38% in the year before a first‑time home purchase, while...
Shift4 Promotes Global Blue Execs
Shift4 Payments announced the promotion of two former Global Blue executives to senior leadership roles following its $1.5 billion acquisition of the Swiss payments‑technology firm. Pier Francesco Nervini will serve as president of Shift4’s international division, overseeing all commercial and go‑to‑market activities outside the...
Meta Revamps Ad Payment Policy
Meta Platforms announced that, starting April 1, a subset of advertisers will no longer be able to pay with credit cards and must switch to monthly invoicing or direct bank debits. The company did not disclose the spending thresholds or the...
Par Tech Faces Investor Pressure
Voss Capital, a 13.2% shareholder in Par Technology, has urged the point‑of‑sale software firm to explore strategic alternatives, including a sale. The call comes as Par’s stock has tumbled roughly 70% over the past year, eroding its ability to use...
Boston Fed Touts FedNow
The Boston Federal Reserve is championing FedNow, its real‑time payments platform, to draw more banks into instant‑payment services. A forthcoming Fed survey shows nine in ten consumers would increase bank usage if instant payments were offered, while 55% reported overdraft...
Affirm Pursues Affluent Consumers
Affirm is pivoting its buy‑now‑pay‑later offering toward affluent, high‑credit consumers by expanding 0% interest promotions. The company says interest‑free loans drive an 80% probability of repeat usage and currently account for about 16% of its transaction volume, with 80% of...
Why EWA Services Matter
Earned‑wage access (EWA) is gaining traction as hourly workers demand daily pay to bridge cash‑flow gaps between biweekly checks. Executives often view the concept as risky, yet the reality of paycheck‑to‑paycheck living drives demand for instant wage disbursement. Recent growth...
Inside a Startup Building Tools for AI Agents
Circuit & Chisel, a New York startup founded by former Stripe crypto executives, raised $19.2 million to launch ATXP, an agent transaction protocol that enables AI agents to navigate and execute payments autonomously. The company’s backers include Stripe, Polygon Labs, and Samsung Next, signaling strong...
CCCA Seeks New Path to Passage
Senators Dick Durbin and Roger Marshall are seeking to attach their Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) to the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing bill, hoping to secure a Senate vote. The CCCA would require banks to provide merchants with...
Bill Open to M&A Deals, CEO Says
Bill Holdings CEO René Lacerte told investors at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference that the company is actively evaluating merger‑and‑acquisition opportunities as activist shareholders increase pressure. He cited recent fintech consolidations—such as the sales of Brex, AvidXchange and Melio—as proof...
Amex Taps Customers for Fraud Fight
American Express is leveraging direct conversations with cardholders who have faced fraud to gather real‑time intelligence on scam tactics. The data helps the firm refine detection models as U.S. consumers lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25 percent rise. Executives...
Apple, Google Wallets Get Personal
Digital‑wallet platforms from Apple and Google are evolving beyond simple payments, with startups like Badge turning them into interactive commerce channels. Badge’s infrastructure lets brands push real‑time, location‑aware offers and loyalty updates directly to a consumer’s wallet. The San‑Francisco‑based company...
Getting Paid Faster in Construction
Payra, a Nashville‑based fintech startup, announced a $15 million growth investment from Edison Partners to accelerate its accounts‑receivable automation platform for construction and building‑materials suppliers. The solution plugs into virtually any legacy ERP, even systems up to 30 years old, allowing contractors...
PayPal, Rainforest Join Forces
PayPal announced a partnership with Atlanta‑based Rainforest to embed PayPal, Venmo and buy‑now‑pay‑later services directly into Rainforest’s software platform. The integration is designed to accelerate merchant payouts, cut late‑payment incidents and shift transaction volume away from cash and checks. Rainforest,...
Marqeta Flags Cash App Hit
Marqeta warned that Block’s revised Cash App pricing will compress its 2026 earnings, projecting a modest $10 million net income – the first profit since 2024. Block now represents about 45% of Marqeta’s revenue after falling from 68% in 2023, and the...
Block Swaps 4,000 Workers for AI
Block, the fintech firm behind Cash App, Square and Afterpay, announced a 40% workforce reduction, cutting roughly 4,000 jobs and shrinking headcount from 10,000 to just over 6,000. CEO Jack Dorsey said the move is driven by rapid advances in...
Debit Card Fraud Losses Rise
A Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank analysis shows debit card fraud loss rates rose between 2021 and 2023, driven primarily by card‑not‑present transactions. While online fraud increased, in‑person fraud declined on dual‑message networks but grew on single‑message networks. The report...
Fiserv Appoints New Executives
Fiserv announced three senior hires this month: Lia Cao as chief revenue officer for enterprise and platforms, Robert Clarkson as chief revenue officer for small‑business and Clover POS, and Adit Gadgil as global head of business development. All three are...
Payoneer Applies for Bank Charter
Payoneer has filed an application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a U.S. national trust bank charter, to be branded as PAYO Digital Bank. The charter would let the firm issue, send and receive stablecoins, provide...
CPI Card Group CFO Exits
CPI Card Group announced that CFO Jeffrey Hochstadt will leave the role on Feb. 13, with senior vice president Terra Grantham stepping in as interim CFO. The transition occurs just weeks before the company’s Q4 and full‑year earnings release scheduled for...
Visa to Buy Prisma in Argentina
Visa announced it will reacquire Argentina’s Prisma Medios de Pago and Newpay from Advent International, bringing the payment processors back under its control. The acquisition, expected to close by the end of March, restores Visa’s card‑issuer processing, real‑time payments, ATM...
Remitly Co-Founder CEO Exits
Remitly announced that former Santander executive Sebastian J. Gunningham will replace co‑founder Matt Oppenheimer as chief executive effective Thursday. Oppenheimer, who led the company for nearly 15 years, will move to board chair and focus on strategic initiatives. The leadership...
Toast Courts Fast-Food Restaurants
Toast, the Boston‑based restaurant point‑of‑sale provider, announced it will launch a drive‑thru product aimed at quick‑service restaurants later this year. The move marks a strategic shift from its traditional focus on casual‑dining chains such as Applebee’s and Potbelly. In 2025...
Global Payments Builds Salesforce
Global Payments announced a 300‑agent salesforce expansion in 2026, following its recent acquisition of Worldpay. The company will invest $1 billion this year to accelerate growth of its Genius processing brand and AI capabilities. Adjusted net revenue rose 1% to $2.32 billion...
Stripe’s Bridge Wins OCC Conditional Approval
Stripe’s Bridge subsidiary received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust bank charter, filed in October and approved on Feb. 12. The charter would let Bridge issue stablecoins, custody digital assets, and manage...
Affirm Partnerships Target Growth
Affirm is rapidly expanding its buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) footprint by striking partnerships with Intuit, Expedia, a tenant‑services firm, and payment processor Fiserv. The strategy targets new verticals such as travel, tax preparation, rent payments, and debit‑card users, aiming to broaden consumer...
4 Steps to Building Your Own Fintech
UK platforms Klipboard, Access Group, and Epos Now illustrate a four‑stage roadmap for building embedded finance. They begin by validating assumptions and launching embedded payments, then evolve payments into a core, cross‑functional capability. Next, they add complementary financial products such as...
