PaymentsJournal

Reconciliation has traditionally been seen as a back-office function, but modern technology has made it a priority. Automation, real-time data, and embedded finance solutions are transforming cash flow management, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency, enabling businesses to take a more strategic approach to maintaining their books. Penny Townsend , Chief Product Officer at Qualpay, explored...

Last year, a breach of cloud storage company Snowflake resulted in data stolen from more than 150 companies , with more than $2 million extorted from victims. The attack was carried out by an infostealer, a type of malware that didn’t directly infiltrate Snowflake but instead entered through a client with weak security measures. The growing market for financial data stolen by hackers has made thes...

Across industries and companies—from small businesses to large enterprises—organizations are constantly searching for ways to improve corporate culture and boost employee engagement. However, in large, dispersed companies, providing employees with the personal touch needed to maintain motivation can be particularly challenging. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, Julie Gu , Vice President of Sales and M...

When Academy Bank first considered outsourcing its item processing, it anticipated a challenging and uncertain journey. However, partnering with Fiserv transformed the experience, delivering both anticipated and unexpected benefits—ranging from a streamlined training process to a significant reduction in client impact errors. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, several members of the Academy team—includ...

Many organizations still rely on paper checks, with no immediate plans to phase them out. However, one of the key issues with checks is that criminals favor them as well. Last year’s AFP Payments Fraud and Control report found that checks are the most frequently targeted payment method for attempted payments fraud—nearly twice as much as ACH transactions. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, U.S....

Many businesses are familiar with payments optimization, which focuses on enhancing the outcome of individual transactions. However, the growing field of payments orchestration takes a broader approach. It addresses larger issues, such as deploying the latest payment methods and technologies faster than competitors and improving payment performance at scale. The goal is to deliver the most secure,...

E-commerce giants such as Amazon and Shopify use data to create highly personalized customer experiences. Yet, bill payment remains largely untouched by this transformation, leading to friction, higher costs, and customer frustration. Despite the wealth of payments data available, many organizations fail to leverage it to enhance customer interactions and reduce costs. This gap presents a major op...

Just as organizations are implementing artificial intelligence and machine learning in novel ways, cybercriminals are continually looking to incorporate AI into their attacks. The disruptive technology allows criminals to find targets more effectively, scale their efforts, and forge better attacks that are increasingly harder to detect. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, Alex Cox , Director of Threat I...

Imagine a world where payments are seamless, customer data is secure, and merchants can easily manage a multitude of payment options while still providing the best customer experience. That’s the goal of unifying payment credentials. Payment tokenization is a crucial technology that is no longer a luxury but a necessity for merchants looking to thrive in today’s digital economy. In a PaymentsJourn...

Many financial institutions are feeling the urgency to make headway on payments modernization and digital transformation initiatives. However, all the factors involved in outsourcing an essential function like item processing might make a migration project seem like a daunting task. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Candace Burleson , Senior Implementation Analyst at Fiserv, Amina Moyer , SVP o...

For more than 15 years, PayNearMe has helped billers optimize the payment experience. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, John Minor , PayNearMe’s Chief Product Officer, joined Brian Riley , Co-Head of Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, to discuss how poor payment experiences contribute to rising operational costs and drive up the total cost of acceptance. Lowering the Total Cost of Acceptance...

Last year, PSCU and Co-op Solutions combined and rebranded as Velera. As part of this transformation, Velera seized the opportunity to assess its product journey and modernize its products and solutions to meet the rapidly evolving needs of credit unions and their members. This meant a commitment to developing new solutions and services, while at the same time improving its existing solution portf...

Back in 2011, a group of Iranian hackers launched a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against nearly 50 U.S financial institutions. The attacks were alarming enough, disabling bank websites and preventing customers from accessing their online accounts. However, the situation became even more troubling when it was revealed that these attacks were sponsored and directed by the I...

Commercial solutions offered by banks have typically been tailored to larger corporations, with a one-size-fits-all approach that often doesn’t meet the unique needs of small businesses. As a result, many small business owners have turned to consumer-focused products, which lack many of the key functions they need. The lack of compelling options available have driven many to seek financial solutio...

There have been many highly publicized efforts to introduce biometric authentication into the merchant space, such as Amazon’s palm payment technology. While widespread adoption of biometrics in retail has yet to occur, intriguing use cases continue to emerge. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Christopher Miller , Lead Emerging Payments Analyst, and Don Apgar , Director of Merchant Payments at...

There have been remarkable strides toward U.S. real-time payment adoption in recent years, driven by growing demand among businesses and consumers. As the long-awaited ubiquity of instant payments draws closer, the financial institutions that have yet to adopt this nascent payment method face tremendous downsides. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Justin Jackson , Head of Enterprise Payments at...

After years of discussion about the new messaging protocol, ISO 20022 is now an inevitability. Though there are substantial benefits to adopting the protocol, many financial institutions—especially in the mid-market tier—are still unprepared to meet compliance by the July 14 deadline (delayed from March 10). In a recent Payments Journal podcast, Mihail Duta , Director of Solution Consulting and Tr...

In the fast-changing world of financial services, modernizing payments technology has become essential for businesses looking to reduce costs, enhance customer experiences, and stay competitive. Santander Consumer, a full-spectrum auto lender, stands as a prime example of how bold leadership and strategic decision-making can transform payments infrastructure to deliver long-term value. On a Paymen...

Virtual cards have been a popular option for consumers for years, but they’re just now gaining traction among businesses. With an increasingly globalized economy, corporate entities are seeking efficient ways to move money across borders, and virtual cards are filling that role—maximizing efficiency while reducing costs. Mark Anthony Spiteri , Global Head of Card Business at Nium , sat down with B...

Cyber fraud presents a unique threat to small and mid-sized financial institutions, which often lack the resources or expertise that major banks possess to fend off account takeovers and other cyberattacks. However, they face the same risks from hackers as any larger institution. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, Mike Kosak , Senior Principal Intelligence Analyst at LastPass , spoke with Tracy (Kitten...

Amid constant speculation about the future of payments technology, the ACH Network had its best year yet. The ACH Network processed more transactions, moved higher dollar values, and established more use cases for businesses and consumers. With new initiatives on the way designed to increase security and foster innovation, the ACH Network’s impressive growth could just be beginning.  In a rec...

Criminals are continually looking for ways to circumvent fraud detection systems, and money mules have become a popular vehicle to move illicit funds between accounts. Mules are favored because they are effective—often, they are everyday people, many of whom are already customers of a financial institution who have passed verification checks. Glenn Fratangelo , Head of Fraud Product Marketing at N...

The buzz is growing louder. Many merchants are tired of navigating intricate payout processes that drain valuable time and resources. They want to be rid of payment headaches and welcome more seamless efficiency. Merchants demand a cutting-edge payout solution that helps them focus on their business while giving them the peace of mind that the complexities of their payout operations have been mana...

Payment integration is a powerful way to improve the user experience on any software platform by offering benefits that extend far beyond simple transaction processing. However, many business owners may hesitate to hand over such a critical function to an outside party. During a PaymentsJournal podcast, Jessica Tate , manager of customer success at CSG Forte, Nathan Miller, president and founder o...

The United States employs multiple real-time payment schemes; however, unlike those in many emerging markets, these methods are not driven by a central government or central bank. In the absence of a centralized entity to organize payment processes, other stakeholders must take the lead in enabling instant, cross-border transactions. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Alex Johnson , Chief Paymen...