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 …
Read More »AI Engine Perplexity Adds PayPal to Its Commerce Suite
Artificial intelligence engine Perplexity.AI will soon enable PayPal and Venmo payments for products, travel, and tickets that are found via its tool. Announced Wednesday by PayPal Holding Inc., the service will be enabled this summer for U.S. subscribers to Perplexity Pro, which is $20 per month. This is the second …
Read More »With HODL Pay, BitPay Aims to Bridge the Gap Between Decentralized Finance and Everyday Crypto Spending
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 …
Read More »Costco, Mattress Firm Pick Affirm and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 5/14/25
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 …
Read More »First-Party Fraud Rockets In 2024, Despite Overall Fraud Rates Flattening, LexisNexis Says
First-party fraud, also known as “friendly fraud,” accounted for 36% of all fraud globally in 2024, up from 15% the previous year, says LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ Cybercrime report. First-party fraud occurs when a consumer disputes a legitimate credit card transaction, claims he never received the order, or misrepresents personal information …
Read More »Toast’s Restaurant Menu Monitor and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 5/13/25
Toast Inc. launched its Menu Price Monitor, which tracks U.S. restaurant pricing trends. The company claims a client base of more than 140,000 restaurant locations. LegitScript said it is launching a benchmarking program to allow e-commerce clients using its marketplace to measure risk in various categories. Payouts platform Onbe announced it has expanded its …
Read More »Paysafe Teams With Fiserv to Offer Merchants Digital Wallets And Other New Features
Paysafe Ltd. and Fiserv Inc. are teaming up to offer merchants using Fiserv’s Clover point-of-sale terminals a digital wallet to receive settlements and access banking services. The wallet, which is intended to speed settlements, allows merchants to accept payments, including credit cards, bank transfers, and alternative options, and use the …
Read More »Eye on AI: SpotOn’s AI Tool to Debut; AI Ransomware’s Future
As artificial-intelligence services become more commonplace, their impact on the payments industry, both good and bad, is becoming clear. As a tool to help merchants, AI services can help with a variety of tasks, something restaurant point-of-sale specialist SpotOn Transact LLC will be counting on as it launches its AI-powered …
Read More »Arborgold Payments Debuts and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 5/12/25
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. …
Read More »The Pizza Ranch Chain Adds Digital Wage Access Through Payments Provider Branch
Pizza Ranch Inc., a Midwestern buffet restaurant chain specializing in pizza and chicken, has added digital wage access through payments-platform provider Branch LLC. Pizza Ranch workers will be able to digitally receive their hourly wages, tips, and mileage reimbursement after each shift. Employees also receive a fee-free bank account into …
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