The buy now, pay later trend is one of the hottest in payments. But rising rates, higher inflation, and stiffer rivalry could cool things off. Few trends in payments have been as explosive as instant credit online or at the point of sale, with no interest if the installments are …

After more than two years, payments providers are still reeling from the chip shortage. Indeed, lead times for chips used in POS terminals and credit cards can be as long nine months, compared to six months a year ago, says Stewart Watterson, a strategic analyst for Aite-Novarica. Pre-pandemic, lead times …

Mastercard Inc. released what it says is its first music album, featuring 10 songs that include the melody of the card network’s advertising. The album was launched at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.Processor Jack Henry & Associates said more than 250 financial institutions are now using its platform, JHS PayCenter, to …

The buy now, pay later trend is getting hotter with the summer. PayPal Holdings Inc. announced early Wednesday it will offer a plan allowing consumers to split large purchases over a period of six to 24 months. The monthly payments will incur interest and will apply to transactions valued between …

Payments provider Sionic announced a service that allows consumers to pay merchants at the point of sale via real-time transfers from the consumer’s bank account to the merchant’s bank account. The service includes incentives merchants can use to induce consumers to use the service in preference to rewards credit cards.XTM Inc. announced it …

Abra, a financial-services company specializing in digital assets, and American Express Co. have announced they will offer a rewards credit card that will let users pay with U.S. dollars but earn rewards in cryptocurrency. The new card, expected to debut late this year, will feature benefits such as Amex Offers, …

Consumers may not know what open banking is, but they sure like what it does. And the technology hasn’t even hit its stride yet. From real-time account verification and money movement to apps that provide lenders and landlords an up-to-the-minute overview of an applicant’s credit history, open-banking technology is the …

First came contactless. Now, transit payments are gaining the account-to-account advantage, and with it more flexibility for riders and insight for operators. Long heralded as a key factor in spurring contactless payment adoption, transit-payment programs are fully embracing the technology. Yes, the Covid-19 pandemic was a key instigator in this …

At least some payments players appear to be preparing for an important new phase in the buy now, pay later business, with an opening salvo to include significantly larger loans and revised credit terms that make the advances appear more like traditional installment programs. The move comes as the short-term …

Having weathered an industrywide downturn in sales that began during the third quarter of 2021, cannabis-payments processor POSaBIT Systems Corp. late Thursday reported strong first-quarter sales and revenue. Transactions totaled $103 million, a 61% increase from the same period last year, and revenues totaled $6.4 million, up 79%. Same-store sales …