Friday , January 23, 2026

Kevin Woodward

Kevin's role at Digital Transactions is to write news and features stories for publication on the Web site and in the magazine. He also oversees the digital editorial aspect of the site and the Digital Transactions News daily newsletter.

Rent May Be a New Affirm Option While it Applies for an ILC Bank Charter

Some renters using the Esusu Inc. platform to build their credit may have a new option to break their monthly rent payments into smaller portions via a partnership Esusu formed with Affirm Holdings Inc. Affirm, a longstanding buy now, pay later and installment loan provider, is available to building owners …

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FedNow Tallies More Than 1,600 FIs in its Real-Time Payments Service

FedNow, the real-time payments service from the Federal Reserve, has topped 1,600 participating financial institutions in the more than two years since the network’s 2023 debut. The Fed says more than 100 of them, plus two service providers, joined in the fourth quarter. FedNow, which enables instant payments between accounts, …

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Eye on Processing: Regions Bank Picks Worldpay; CU Switches to Velera

Regions Bank, with 1,250 branches, will use payment processing services from Worldpay, a unit of Global Payments Inc., for its Regions Merchant Services business. Meanwhile, credit union service organization Velera says Financial Center First Credit Union chose it for credit and debit card processing services. Birmingham, Ala.-based Regions Bank, part …

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A Contractor Platform Enlists PayEngine for SoftPOS

Payments-technology provider PayEngine will enable its softPOS tap-to-pay service with ServiceTitan Inc., a software developer for contractors in the HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and other service sectors. Santa Monica-based PayEngine says this means consumers will be able to pay their contractor invoices on the ServiceTitan platform by tapping a contactless card …

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Eye on BNPL: Affirm’s Underwriting Open Banking Reliance; Klarna Delves into P2P Payments

With more than 100 million U.S. consumers expected to choose a buy now, pay later payment option by 2027, according to eMarketer Inc., BNPL providers are preparing better underwriting and new services as the payment option is further cemented in the U.S. payments economy. Affirm Holdings Inc. says its underwriting …

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CleverQ Taps MagTek in Authentication Boost, While MagTek Notes Several Similar Moves

MagTek Inc., a point-of-sale equipment and security provider, starts 2026 with four partnerships. First, it is pairing with cleverQ, an independent software vendor specializing in queuing and appointment software that will use MagTek’s Qwantum Multifactor Authentication product for its secure identity verification process. With this integration, cleverQ can verify visitors …

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Eye on POS: MagTek Adds Tap to Pay on iPhone; Elo’s Readies Wallaby Self-Checkout Platform

MagTek Inc. is the latest point-of-sale equipment maker to make Tap to Pay on iPhone available on its devices. And, Elo will preview its new self-checkout platform, Wallaby SCO. Seal Beach, Calif.-based MagTek says the contactless payment service Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available through its iOS Virtual …

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Eye on POS: Clover’s Biometric Move; NCR Voyix Readies Applications Suite

Clover, the point-of-sale system from Fiserv Inc., is embarking on an identity-based utility with an integration with biometric-payments company Wink. Announced Wednesday, the integration involves much Clover POS equipment to accept biometric authentication to complete a transaction. Fiserv says the integration with Plano, Texas-based Wink is initially available to quick-service …

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Fiserv’s December Index Notes a Modest Increase in Small Business Sales

Days after the end of the 2025 holiday shopping season, Fiserv Inc. notes modest gains in its monthly Small Business Index, with a one-point increase to 144 in December from November. Fiserv notes consumers shopping at small businesses tended to focus on the essentials and selective discretionary spending. That slight …

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Eye on AI: Worldpay Adds AI Safeguards; Pushpay’s Approach to AI

[Aug. 14] As artificial intelligence use builds in the commercial world, its manifestations in consumer-facing payments applications continue to emerge. The latest developments include processor Worldpay using Trulioo’s identity technology for AI-enabled measures in agentic commerce and Pushpay’s introduction of AI tools for ministry leaders. Worldpay, which is expected to be …

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