The PaymentsJournal Podcast

Last January, Equifax announced a definitive agreement to acquire Kount, a digital identity trust and fraud prevention solution provider. On February 11, 2021, another Equifax announcement declared that the acquisition was complete.   One year after the acquisition, Equifax has made noteworthy progress in combining the strengths of the two organizations to help businesses better engage [...

The digital, on-demand nature of today’s world is changing the way consumers engage with brands and businesses – and what they expect in return – especially when it comes to payments. The pandemic has only fueled these changes. Simply put, when it comes to receiving payments of any type – rebates, refunds, compensation, etc. – […] The post Faster, Easier, & More Control: Where Payments...

The fight for consumer mindshare is more competitive than ever. Customers are bombarded with messages in a number of different channels, and standing out among the noise can be difficult for merchants.  The key to doing so is to deliver targeted, relevant promotions and offers in the mobile channel at the right time. To learn […] The post How Merchants Can Use Mobile to Stay Vital to th...

Consumer expectations are changing across the board. The world has become faster and more digitized. Payments in particular have been moving towards real-time operations for years, further expedited by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, physical credit and debit card issuance can still move at a snail’s pace. The solution? Digital issuance.  To learn more about whether […] The post Digital Iss...

With the unprecedented rise in fraudulent activity financial institutions and their customers experience, the pressure for risk mitigation to reduce losses and protect FI brands is extreme across all payment channels. Fraudsters are more sophisticated and determined than ever, with new tools and technologies that challenge the banking system every day.   One type of payments […] Th...

Bill collections still uses many manual, paper-based, and inefficient processes. However, that is beginning to change as fintech digital innovations are transforming the collections space and making it easier for consumers to pay off debt quickly and seamlessly.   To find out how, PaymentsJournal sat with Don Apgar, Director of Merchant Services Advisory Practice at Mercator […] Th...

The market for financial services has never been more competitive. Digital banks, neobanks, challenger banks—even merchants like Walmart, groceries, and drugstores—and other fintechs are all offering financial services in a less regulated setting than that of financial institutions (FIs). How can earned wage access make a difference?  Offering digital services is of paramount importance...

Merchant services are riding a wave of innovation. For many years, the broadest distribution channel for merchant services was the independent sales agent. Merchants relied on their personal relationship with agents for competitive pricing and local customer service.   Now there is a new trend where merchants are starting to value technology over the traditional merchant-vendor […]...

Payment processing is an essential part of any business. Forward-thinking merchants are pursuing omnichannel experiences that will yield the highest number of conversions in the most efficient way. However, many merchants still rely on legacy payment processors. Software developers need to create the next generation of modern and agile payments processing technology to help merchants […] The...

Over the last two years, the world has seen a massive wave of digitalization. Data sharing and data privacy have taken on greater importance, and data portability has become paramount to managing personal finances. While various data aggregators have been accessing consumer data for some time now, common data-aggregation practices like sharing of account credentials can […] The post Sec...

To build an e-commerce experience that will attract and retain B2B buyers, it is imperative that merchants make sure the experience dovetails with all sales channels and that they provide their customers with as much choice as possible at checkout. B2B sellers who offer more payment flexibility increase the probability of receiving a larger share […] The post BNPL for B2B: Exploring Business...

Fraud is always evolving. As the payments industry grows and changes, so also do the tactics used by fraudsters to steal money. Whether in person or online, merchants must take a firm stance on fraud prevention. At the end of the day, stopping fraud in its tracks does not just help the targeted business, it […] The post Multi-Layered Fraud Protection for All Merchants  appeared first on Paym...

One of the most important elements of a business is not always talked about consistently and directly: cash flow management. Historically, it has been very complicated for smaller companies to forecast cash flow accurately, but true cash flow control goes beyond even forecasting – businesses need simple ways to adjust the levers that impact cash […] The post Strategic Cash Flow Forecasting f...

Over the last few years, mobile banking with financial institutions across the country has soared as consumers happily embrace the shift to digital. It is important for both banks and credits unions to continue to grow their accountholders’ adoption of digital payment methods – specifically mobile check deposits – to not only drive greater end-user […] The post Driving Accountholder Adoption...

Omnichannel payments and customer experience go hand in hand. If developing great customer experiences is the goal, omnichannel payments are the solution. Customers want to transact with whatever method they choose, and with the help of companies like NCR, merchants can deliver top-notch service through flexible payment options.  To learn more about omnichannel payments and […] The post...

The bill pay industry is often overlooked, which is surprising given that bills are omnipresent for all adult consumers. Thankfully, organizations like BillGO are paying close attention to how consumers pay their bills and what consumers are looking for in technology to help them better manage their financial obligations.   PaymentsJournal sat down with Daniel Hawtof, […] The post...

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is crucial for the success of any business. The software and technology used to integrate the different management components of a business provides a bird’s eye view of enterprise processes and facilitates the most minute technical nuances.   Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and cloud-based solutions for ERP and treasury management systems (TMS) are the [&...

As social distancing became a necessary way of life in 2020, so did the need for new and alternative payment solutions. While the COVID-19 crisis accelerated consumer adoption of various contactless payment methods, retail will continue to face disruptions as new payments solutions emerge and evolve in the months and years ahead. As consumers adopt […] The post Preparing to Embrace New Retai...

It is safe to say that everybody has experienced a frictional checkout process at some point in their life. Whether in-person or online, anything interrupting or slowing the checkout process can feel incomprehensibly frustrating. Fortunately, new technology such as GoCart (powered by FIS) can deliver an easy and simple checkout experience without compromising security. How do […] The po...

No other area of payments has seen more technology focus over the past several years than the cross-border space. Global economies are becoming increasingly interdependent, creating a growing need for consumers and businesses to send cross-border payments in real time. The annual volume of cross-border payments exceeds $150 trillion. Innovation has been fueled by the […] The post Real-Time S...

Consumer behaviors within the payments ecosystem seem to be in a constant state of flux. Technological advancements, geopolitical and epidemiological pressures, and evolving payments preferences create an atmosphere of progress and uncertainty. Thankfully, there are experts with an informed view of what the future holds. One thing that remains clear is that wherever the payments […] The post...

Payments orchestration platforms are vital for any successful merchant. By integrating and managing various payment service providers (PSPs), merchants increase efficiency, authorization rates, and customer satisfaction. Payments orchestration is perhaps even more crucial for merchant aggregators whose offerings support any number of merchant customers. To learn more about payments orchestration a...

Real-time payments are here to stay. However, connecting to a real-time payment network can be difficult. Financial institutions need flexible architecture that allows ease of integration through a low-code, drag-and-drop interface. To learn more about the state of real-time payments and how financial institutions can prepare, PaymentsJournal sat down with Matt Nilles, Senior Director of […]...

Credit is an absolutely massive industry. In 2020, over one-third of all point-of-sale payments in the U.S. were conducted using a credit card. An average U.S. household has at least two credit cards, amounting to over 500 million total cards outstanding in the U.S. Credit cards generate about $4T in spend each year. Most significantly, […] The post The Power of Credit-as-a-Service appeared...

Payment fraud is a chronic issue. The current wave of digitization has opened up even more avenues for fraudsters: business email compromise (BEC), malware, phishing, data breaches, ACH debit fraud, and more, all on top of the still-rampant old-fashioned methods of check and wire fraud. (Author’s note: I faced this particular phishing scam just last […] The post How Enterprises Can Protect T...