Blackhawk Network Inc. is partnering with buy now, pay later provider Klarna AB to let consumers use Klarna’s interest-free payment solutions at physical retail locations. The deal, announced Wednesday, will enable consumers to make use of Klarna in-store for such items as groceries, electronics beauty, and more when shopping within …

After years of a relatively light touch, federal regulators are turning the Klieg lights on the payment industry. In some cases, their approach has been opaque, which is creating concerns that could stifle innovation. There’s an old adage inside the Beltway that says, “People Are Policy.” Since entering the Oval …

Chargebacks911 said it is working with AirlinePros, a distribution company for airlines, to combat chargebacks wrongly filed against air carriers as air travel continues to recover.In related news, the Mastercard Economics Institute estimated 1.5 billion more passengers will book flights in 2022 than did so last year, indicating a rebound for air travel …

Payments companies have sensed increasing regulatory pressure since the Biden Administration’s inauguration last year, and now experts who follow developments in Washington, D.C., are confirming it. After a relatively “light touch” during the Trump Administration, “the [regulatory] pendulum has come back this way” toward a harder look at payments practices, …

Despite rampant inflation and supply-chain shortages that have made certain products hard to come by, gift cards, whether they are physical or digital, remain popular with consumers. Indeed, 58% of consumers plan to purchase more gift cards as an alternative to tangible products due to inventory shortages in 2022, according …

Sales of gift cards in the United States remained steady in 2021, with 73% of consumers purchasing the same number of cards, or more, compared to a year earlier, says a report from Fiserv Inc.  Online merchants were the biggest beneficiaries, with 53% of respondents saying they purchased a gift …

E-commerce sales increased 11% in the Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 period compared to the same time last year, and were up 61.4% from the same time in 2019, according to the latest Mastercard SpendingPulse report.Fintech Aizen Global Co. Ltd. said it is working with BNY Mellon to develop banking-as-a-service for banks and …

Despite consumers’ intentions to spend more on gifts this holiday season than in 2020, concerns about ongoing shipping delays and low product inventories are making gift cards a more attractive gift option.  Indeed, 33% of consumers say they would purchase a gift card if they were unable to get a …

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau order handed down Thursday that asks Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., Apple Inc., Facebook Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Square Inc., and PayPal Holdings Inc. to turn over information about their payments products, plans, and practices has industry observers lining up on both sides of the …

Payments observers are expecting a tougher regulatory approach from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with the confirmation on Thursday of Rohit Chopra as executive director of the 10-year old federal agency. “The agency will likely return to the days of director Cordray,” predicts one close observer who asked not to …