Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
The definitive 2025 recap of everything payments. As December fades to January, it’s time to look back at the past year’s big events. A lot happened. Kendrick kicked it at the Superbowl, Katy Perry got shot into space, skinny jeans brought back a Y2K fit, and a scrappy little bot …
December, 2025
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24 December
China’s UnionPay Looks to Serve—and Attract—International Visitors
In an effort to appeal to travelers from abroad, China’s dominant UnionPay payments card network announced early Wednesday a new platform designed to simplify everyday transactions for international visitors. Dubbed Nihao China, the new app offers a range of capabilities, including cross-border and person-to-person payments, according to 23-year-old UnionPay, which …
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24 December
COMMENTARY: BNPL’s Real Bottleneck Isn’t Scoring. It’s Architecture
FICO’s latest scoring models now factor in buy now, pay later repayment data, a milestone many hoped would bring these plans into the mainstream credit system, giving lenders more visibility into consumers’ total debt and payment behavior. However, despite billions flowing through installment-payment platforms, lenders still can’t see the full credit picture. …
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24 December
Canadian Holiday Spending up 4.4% and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 12/24/25
Holiday spending in Canada over the seven-week period starting Nov. 1 rose 4.4% compared to the same period last year, according to a report from Visa Consulting & Analytics. Some 88% of the spending occurred in-store, with the remainder spent online. Payments provider Klarna AB said U.S. spending on its platform on entertainment, …
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23 December
Holiday Gift Cards Bloom, Especially Among Younger Consumers
Predictions that gift cards would be a popular choice this holiday shopping season may bear out. At least one gift card provider, Tillo Inc., finds that across Black Friday to Cyber Monday, Nov. 28-Dec.1, its total sales were up 41% over the similar period in 2024. Tillo, based in the …
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23 December
Holiday Retail Shopping up 3.9% and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 12/23/25
In-store and online retail sales in the U.S. market grew 3.9% from Nov. 1 through Dec. 21 compared to last year, according to Mastercard Inc.’s SpendingPulse report, which excludes automotive sales. The result, which is not adjusted for inflation, represents all payment types… …while preliminary data in a separate report from Visa Inc. indicate …
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22 December
Fiserv Adopts Agentic Commerce Protocols From Visa and Mastercard
Fiserv Inc. looked to position itself at the forefront of agentic commerce early Monday with the adoption of protocols from Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. Fiserv will deploy Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol across its payments system to authenticate, retrieve, accept, and process agentic transactions. Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol identifies trusted …
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22 December
How Processors Are Turning to Stablecoins for Internal and Seller Funding
The speed and apparent lower cost of stablecoins—coupled with the digital currency’s rising prominence as a payments method—has captured the imagination of payments companies. Now some are leveraging the coins for both internal and merchant funding. Shift4 Payments Inc. said early Monday it has launched a facility for stablecoin settlement …
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22 December
Fed Payment Account Comment Opens and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 12/22/25
The Federal Reserve opened a 45-day public comment period on a proposal that would enable eligible financial institutions to clear and settle payments within the Fed’s payment services. Dubbed payment account, this account would be distinct from a master account, the Fed said, which is what financial institutions currently must use for …
