Late Payments? Governments Are Taking Action
The episode explores how governments worldwide are intervening to curb late supplier payments, a practice that intensified after the global financial crisis as firms hoarded cash. Lead analyst Hugh Thomas explains that high inflation environments, like Brazil’s, and the shift to real‑time payments have spurred regulatory measures such as fast‑track arbitration, government‑backed invoice discounting, and public “name‑and‑shame” disclosure mandates in Australia and the UK. These policies aim to balance encouraging timely payments without imposing rigid deadlines that could hurt sectors with longer supply chains, while also leveraging reputational pressure to improve payment practices.
Japan Retreats From Chinese Payment Apps Amid Money Laundering Concerns
Japanese retailers are pulling WeChat Pay and Alipay from their checkout systems amid rising political tension with China and intensified anti‑money‑laundering (AML) enforcement. The move reflects concerns that Chinese criminal groups are exploiting these platforms to launder funds by buying...
The Payment Facilitator Model as a Growth Strategy for ISVs
The episode explores how the payment facilitator (PayFac) model is becoming a key growth engine for independent software vendors (ISVs) amid the rise of SaaS, AI, and embedded finance. It highlights the superior merchant experience PayFacs deliver—simplified onboarding, ongoing risk...
When a Prepaid Issuer Goes Belly-Up, Who’s on the Hook?
The episode examines the fallout from Synergy’s sudden shutdown of its restaurant gift‑card program, leaving consumers with worthless prepaid cards and highlighting the lack of consumer recourse when such issuers fail. It details Costco’s voluntary refunds, despite no legal obligation,...
What’s Driving the Rapid Growth in ACH Payments
In this episode, Michael Herd of Nacha and analyst Ben Danner discuss the surge in ACH payments, highlighting a 4.9% rise in transaction volume and a 7.9% jump in value in 2025, driven largely by B2B use cases and the...
Linking Payments Infrastructure Is a Key Component of India, EU Deal
The episode examines the newly signed India‑EU Free Trade Agreement, highlighting payments interoperability as a cornerstone, including real‑time cross‑border payments and remittances. It explains how the deal builds on the ECB’s plan to link its TARGET Instant Payment Settlement service...
Why the Future of Financial Fraud Prevention Is Passwordless
In this episode, Dr. Adam Lowe of CompoSecure/Arculus and fraud analyst Suzanne Sando discuss the surge in AI‑driven financial fraud and why traditional passwords are no longer sufficient. They highlight how retailers like eBay and Amazon are moving to password‑less...
How Merchants Can Tap Into Support From the World’s Largest Payments Ecosystem
The episode explores Visa’s revamped Authorize.net platform, highlighting its new UI, AI‑driven support agent, and five specialized workspaces that streamline customer onboarding, payments, reporting, account management, and marketplace integrations. It emphasizes the platform’s flexibility, allowing merchants to adopt only the...
Digital Transformation and the Challenge of Differentiation for FIs
The episode explores how digital banking’s rapid expansion—driven by AI, AI‑powered search, and an ever‑growing suite of services—makes it harder for banks and credit unions to stand out. Guest Dylan Lerner critiques the current “door” approach to embedding wealth‑management tools...
With More Institutions on Board, FedNow Notches Volume and Value Gains
The episode highlights FedNow’s rapid expansion to 1,600 participating institutions, driving a 460% YoY rise in daily transactions to nearly 30,000 and a total transaction value of $853.4 billion, with average payments soaring to $101,435. It contrasts FedNow’s broader network reach...
Banks Without Invoicing Services Are Missing a Small Business Opportunity
The episode highlights how small businesses now view invoicing as a core part of their payments experience and why banks are uniquely positioned to capture this market. Ian Benton explains that effective invoicing tools—ranging from simple payment requests linked to...
Should Banks Compete in the Credit Builder Card Market?
The episode examines the rise of fintech‑driven credit‑builder cards, which let users fund a demand‑deposit account instead of a traditional secured‑card deposit, and compares this model to legacy secured cards. Brian Riley explains that while fintechs can reach a large,...
Interest Rate Caps Shift Credit Access, the Fed Finds
The New York Fed’s study of state‑level credit‑card interest caps (up to 36%) shows that such limits don’t shrink overall credit but shift it away from subprime borrowers, cutting their account numbers by 20% and balances by 16.9% without lowering...
