Latest Credit Data Signals a Reset and Resilience
The Federal Reserve reports consumer credit growth slowed to a 1% annualized rate in November, with revolving balances declining while non‑revolving credit continued to expand. A New York Fed survey shows sentiment softening, higher inflation expectations and rising job‑security concerns, yet wages remain robust. The latest employment report reveals a slowdown in hiring and a modest uptick in unemployment, though real wage growth stays positive. Collectively, these signals point to households becoming more selective and risk‑aware rather than abandoning credit altogether.
Online Finally Breaks Brick and Mortar
The article argues that the perceived dominance of brick‑and‑mortar retail is based on outdated metrics that mask a rapid digital shift. When essential categories are excluded, online sales already represent 30‑50 % of discretionary, high‑margin categories, making 2026 the true crossover...
Digital Wallets Win the Instant Payments Habit Battle
Instant payouts have moved from novelty to norm, with 57% of recipients adopting them as their primary disbursement method, up from 39% in 2020. The PYMNTS Intelligence report shows digital wallets excel at habit formation, converting 58% of occasional users...
New York Demands Information From Instacart About Algorithmic Pricing Experiments
New York Attorney General Letitia James has formally demanded detailed information from Instacart regarding its algorithmic pricing experiments after a consumer study revealed price disparities among shoppers. James warned the company that its practices could breach the state’s Algorithmic Pricing...
AI Arms Race Pits Insurers Against Fraudsters
Insurance fraud is being supercharged by AI tools such as deepfakes, synthetic voice cloning, and AI‑generated images, pushing exposure up to 20 times higher than in banking and growing roughly 8% year‑over‑year. Synthetic‑voice attacks alone rose 19% in 2024, especially...
PayPal Teams With Microsoft to Power Checkout in Copilot
PayPal is teaming with Microsoft to embed its payments infrastructure into the new Copilot Checkout, letting shoppers browse and complete purchases without leaving the Copilot interface. The service will surface merchant inventory, support branded and guest checkout, and process credit‑card...
Fiserv Teams With Microsoft to Expand AI Use
Fiserv announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to embed artificial intelligence across its development platforms and workforce. The collaboration gives employees access to Microsoft 365 Copilot and expands use of the Foundry AI platform, which has already processed more than...
BNPL’s Next Act Is as Consumer Working Capital
Buy‑Now‑Pay‑Later (BNPL) is moving beyond fashion purchases to become a core liquidity tool for everyday bills. Roughly two‑thirds of U.S. households live paycheck‑to‑paycheck, creating timing gaps that traditional overdrafts and late‑fee penalties currently fill. BNPL’s installment models are now anchored...
Citi and PYMNTS Launch ‘From the Block’ Podcast: Straight Talk on Digital Assets
Citi and PYMNTS have launched a weekly podcast, "From the Block: Straight Talk on Stablecoins and Digital Assets for Corporate Leaders," debuting Jan. 13. Co‑hosted by PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster and Citi’s Global Head of Digital Assets Ryan Rugg, the...
Higher Food Prices Erode Confidence Even for Six-Figure Earners
The PYMNTS Intelligence report finds that nearly seven‑in‑ten U.S. consumers now live paycheck to paycheck, with confidence in personal finances and the broader economy slipping. Food price inflation tops the list of stressors, affecting even households earning $100,000 or more,...
72% of B2B Buyers Favor Suppliers With Embedded Payment Options
The PYMNTS Intelligence report, co‑authored with WEX, finds that B2B buyers are increasingly demanding embedded payment options, with 72% saying they prefer suppliers who offer them. Companies are moving away from building their own payment stacks and instead adopting white‑label...
KeyBank to Pay $7.77 Million to Settle PPP Fraud Allegations
KeyBank agreed to pay $7.77 million to settle allegations it sought forgiveness for fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans. The settlement covers nearly $6 million in SBA loans that a Conshohocken branch manager, Tommy Hawkins, allegedly secured by inflating payroll and employee numbers....
FreshBooks’ Small Business Software Integrates Kick’s Automated Bookkeeping
FreshBooks announced a strategic partnership with Kick, embedding the latter’s automated bookkeeping engine into its small‑business management platform. The integration automatically categorizes, reconciles and keeps transaction records tax‑ready, extending FreshBooks’ existing invoicing, payments, accounting and payroll tools. Targeted at U.S....
Zilch Plans to Acquire Fjord Bank to Accelerate European Expansion
Zilch, the UK‑based consumer payments platform, announced plans to acquire Lithuania‑based Fjord Bank, securing a European banking licence and establishing a new headquarters in Vilnius. The deal, expected to close in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory clearance, adds...
Payhawk’s Valuation Could Soar to $2 Billion With New Funding
Payhawk, the Bulgarian expense‑management fintech, is courting more than $100 million in fresh capital that could lift its valuation to roughly $2 billion, effectively doubling its prior estimate. The prospective round underscores sustained investor appetite for European fintechs even as AI startups...
Dow Jones Consumer Platforms to Feature Polymarket’s Prediction Market Data
Polymarket has entered an exclusive partnership with Dow Jones to supply real‑time prediction‑market data across the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch, Investor’s Business Daily and other consumer platforms. The collaboration will embed market‑derived probability signals on economic, political and cultural...
Ant International Revenue Jumps 25% as Digital Wallet Thrives
Ant International, the overseas arm of China’s Ant Group, posted revenue of roughly $3.7 billion last year, a 20‑25% increase and about 10% of the parent’s projected 2025 earnings. The surge is driven largely by its digital‑wallet platform, which now underpins...
Clover Adds Face and Palm-Payments With Wink Partnership
Clover, the Fiserv‑owned point‑of‑sale platform, announced a partnership with biometric payments provider Wink to embed face and palm authentication into its checkout flow. The integration leverages Wink’s AI‑powered biometric engine and Clover’s secure token vault, keeping biometric data separate from...
The Crypto CFO Playbook for Blockchain Treasury Management
The Cardano Foundation’s CFO, Stephen Wood, explains how crypto‑native treasuries require a blend of traditional finance discipline and blockchain‑specific tools. Real‑time on‑chain management provides instant visibility, lower fees, and automated reconciliation, turning the treasury into a shared, transparent resource. Wood’s...
Hugimals Founder Credits Growth to AI, Payments and Amazon Store
Hugimals World, a direct‑to‑consumer brand of weighted plush comfort items, has accelerated growth by weaving AI tools, a flexible multi‑currency payment stack, and a robust Amazon store into its operating model. Founder Marina Khidekel built the business on Shopify to...
Fraud Orchestration Puts Merchants Back in Charge
Traditional fraud prevention, treated as a cost, relied on processor black‑box decisions, limiting merchant control. A new Payments Orchestration Tracker report shows merchants shifting to fraud orchestration, a centralized decision layer that aggregates identity, behavioral and device signals. This model...
74% of Credit Union Members Pass the Loyalty Test
A PYMNTS Intelligence report with Velera reveals that 74% of credit‑union members meet a loyalty benchmark, yet Gen Z members are far less secure, with 36% likely to switch. The study links this volatility to rising expectations for AI‑driven, real‑time financial...
Stripe Integrates Crypto.com to Facilitate Crypto Payments
Stripe and Crypto.com announced a partnership that embeds Crypto.com Pay into Stripe’s payment platform, allowing merchants to accept cryptocurrency payments. The integration automatically converts crypto into the merchant’s selected fiat currency, which is deposited like any traditional transaction. Crypto.com will...
Ripple’s GTreasury Acquires Financial Automation Platform Solvexia
Ripple’s GTreasury has acquired Solvexia, a no‑code financial automation platform. The deal expands GTreasury’s capabilities to automate reconciliation and regulatory reporting for both fiat and digital‑asset transactions. Integrated solution offers end‑to‑end automation, embedded governance, and real‑time visibility, aiming to eliminate...
Fed Draws a Hard Line Between Payments and Banks
The Federal Reserve has issued a request for information on a prototype “Payment Account” aimed at non‑bank institutions that focus on payments innovation. The proposal limits access to core Fed services such as Fedwire and FedNow while excluding deposit‑taking, lending,...
Citi and CredAble Partner on Trade Finance Solution
Citi has teamed with fintech CredAble to launch a globally‑available digital trade finance platform that adds a white‑label verification layer to its trade loan workflow. The solution cross‑checks invoices against government‑backed digital public infrastructure, validating more than ten critical data...
Banks Are 2026’s Secret Weapon for Supplier Enablement
Banks are emerging as the 2026 catalyst for supplier enablement, leveraging modern API‑driven onboarding, real‑time payments, and embedded finance. After a turbulent 2025 marked by tariff shocks and supply‑chain strain, banks are repositioning from passive utilities to active partners that...