Issuing/Originating

Merchants and consumers are embracing cryptocurrency as a mainstream payments option, according to a study from the National Cryptocurrency Association and PayPal Holdings Inc. Some 39% of merchants surveyed accept cryptocurrency at checkout, while 84% believe crypto payments will become common in the next five years, the study says. A …

Affirm Holdings Inc. early Monday widened banks’ access to its buy now, pay later loan programs for debit card holders through a deal with Fiserv Inc. The deal will enable banks on the Fiserv network to integrate Affirm’s pay-over-time solution into their debit card programs via their digital-banking and mobile-app …

The Merchants Payments Coalition released a letter from it and 350 merchant groups in support of the Credit Card Competition Act urging that the bill be attached to a proposed cryptocurrency marketplace structure legislation. The measure is expected to be discussed Tuesday by the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. The New England Automated …

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 …

Capital One Financial Corp. said it will acquire Brex Inc., a San Francisco-based specialist in corporate cards and expense-management software, for $5.15 billion in stock and cash. Brex founder and chief executive Pedro Franceschi will continue in that role. The deal is expected to close by mid-year. Visa Inc. said it will …

Stablecoins have moved into the mainstream of digital payments, according to a report from cryptocurrency platform provider zerohash. In 2025, stablecoin transaction volume as measured in U.S. dollars increased nearly seven-fold year over year, while the average transaction size rose 157%. In addition, the number of customers actively transacting with …

PayPal Holdings Inc. has agreed to acquire Cymbio Ltd., a payments-orchestration platform, with a closing expected in the first half of the year. Terms were not disclosed. Lightspeed Commerce Inc. announced Lightspeed AI along with a number of other new services. The AI service is aimed at aiding merchants in decision making …

Forage Technology Corporation Inc. has partnered with Adyen NV to enable Adyen merchants in the United States to accept SNAP EBT payments. Some 42 million U.S. consumers receive the benefits. SNAP, short for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal assistance program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s …

PayPal Holdings Inc. is getting a boost from Blackhawk Network, a major gift card platform, which early Tuesday launched a promotion that could lift results for Blackhawk as well. Pleasanton, Calif.-based Blackhawk announced early Tuesday it is offering 5% cash back to consumers who opt in and buy digital gift …

Restaurant chain Steak ’n Shake says it has reduced its transaction fees by nearly 50% compared to credit card acceptance costs, while at the same time increasing sales by 15%, since it began accepting bitcoin last May. Steak ‘n Shake has nearly 400 locations in the United States. Steak ‘n …