Block Inc., parent company of Square Inc., has become the latest payments provider to come under the scrutiny of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB, as well as attorneys general from multiple states, have requested information from Block related to how the company handles complaints and disputes from customers …

With card issuers making it easier to dispute a transaction in the two years since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, observers say it has become harder for them to distinguish good customers from bad customers, especially when a transaction is disputed post-purchase. The latter case is when friendly fraud can occur, …

Despite the economy reopening after the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, e-commerce continues to boom as consumers embrace shopping online from home or via their mobile device.  A recent study from FIS Inc. reveals that e-commerce transaction values in the United States grew 10% in 2021 compared to 2020, …

Ownit Commerce Inc. is betting the release of its new Connected Checkout service will give direct-to-consumer brands the ability to improve conversion rates by embedding Connected Checkout links anywhere they place URLs. The links enable one-tap purchase of any product. The effort is aimed at combatting shopping-cart abandonment as e-commerce …

Marking its first full year as a public company, Paya Holdings Inc. cited organic growth, increasing ACH volume, partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions as key growth drivers. Atlanta-based Paya reported payment volume of $11.7 billion for the fourth quarter, up from $9.2 billion from the same period in 2020, a …

Australian fintech Zip Co Ltd. is poised to expand its buy now, pay later services through a definitive agreement to acquire Sezzle Inc. in an all-stock deal that values Sezzle at $355.5 million, or 491 million in Australian dollars (AUS). The deal is expected to significantly expand Zip’s presence in the …

Phishing attacks in December totaled 316,747, the highest monthly total ever recorded by Anti-Phishing Working Group, (APWG) since it began tracking the cybercrime in 2004. Overall, the number of phishing attacks has tripled from early 2020, when the APWG was observing between 68,000 and 94,000 attacks per month. The APWG, …

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 …

More than half of consumers in the United States have been late paying a bill in the past 12 months, even if they pay online, but not always for reasons associated with unemployment and financial hardships. For many consumers, late bill payments are a result of friction in the bill-payment …

Cryptocurrency’s steady march toward becoming a mainstream payment option took another step with Sling TV’s acceptance of seven digital currencies and five stablecoins through BitPay Inc. The deal, announced Monday, will enable existing subscribers of the streaming television service to pay their monthly subscription fee with cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, …