Digital Currency

The big card networks have worked for several years to exploit the growing business of transactions based on cryptocurrency, and the latest development emerged early Thursday with an announcement that Mastercard Inc. is looking to enable acceptance of stablecoin-backed cards at the more than 150 million merchants worldwide that accept …

SoundHound AI Inc. said of the 94% of U.S. consumers who use voice assistants while driving or have voice assistants available 77% would rather place their orders using an in-car voice assistant rather than wait in a traditional drive-thru lane. The survey, conducted by research firm Big Village, included responses from …

Cryptocurrency-payments platform BitPay Inc. is betting its HODL payment option will make it easier for investors to spend their digital currency without first having to sell their crypto assets to make a purchase or pay a bill. Launched earlier this week, HODL Pay enables consumers to borrow stablecoins against their …

Affirm Inc. announced deals for its buy now, pay later service to be available at Mattress Firm and at Costco Wholesale. Mattress Firm says it is the largest mattress retailer in the U.S. market, with more than 2,200 locations. India-based Zoho Corp. entered the U.S. market with the launch of Zoho Payments, which supports cards …

Arborgold, a software provider for landscapers, launched Arborgold Payments, allowing users to process credit, debit, and automated clearing house payments within the Arborgold software. Tillo, a gift card and rewards platform, announced it has received an investment from Tenzing, a technology investor. The sum of the investment was not disclosed. …

ONE.io, a specialist in digital-currency payments, and BoomFi, a cryptocurrency-technology provider, announced they will launch ONE Gateway, designed to allow ONE.io clients to accept crypto payments while automatically receiving settlement in fiat currency. In related news, SmartMedia Technologies, a loyalty and payments technology provider for blockchain-based transactions, launched its Pay with …

Square says its Cash App Pay service can now be used to pay for Domino’s items. Square said this is one of the first restaurant partnerships for Cash App Pay, which enables users to use their Cash App balances to pay for purchases. Payments provider Clearent by Xplor launched Xplor Capital, an embedded finance …

ServiceMonster, whose software serves carpet- and window-cleaning providers, launched ServiceMonster Payments, a platform allowing service providers to process payments within the ServiceMonster desktop or mobile app. Payment finance platform Infini has launched its Global Card, a virtual card that offers yields on stablecoin balances and spending through such wallets as Apple Pay, …

Block Inc. remains bullish that its Cash App financial-services platform will remain a growth driver this year, despite its posting lower than projected gross profits during the first quarter, the company said during a conference call late Thursday to discuss its first-quarter results. Block is the parent company of the …

Cryptocurrency remains far from mainstream payments, but it keeps edging closer in the United States and worldwide. Further evidence emerged early Friday with news that the money-transfer platform MoneyGram International Inc. has launched MoneyGram Ramps, an application programming interface aimed at easing crypto-based transfers. Simultaneously, a crypto app called Bitget …