The PaymentsJournal Podcast

At the heart of a good travel experience is a seamless payment process. Fortunately, game changers in the travel sector are stepping in to make that frictionless process a reality. To learn more about the travel industry within the payments space, PaymentsJournal sat down with Dean Sivley, President at Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, and Peter […] The post Improved Travel Payments Pilo...

The world has officially reached a state of digitization. With devices in nearly every hand, purse, or pocket in the U.S. and most other countries, access to the e-commerce world has never been easier or more convenient. Now, with most consumers making purchases online, cyberspace is in an extremely vulnerable position and the internet is […] The post Underwriting is the First Step in Accele...

Despite the pandemic and subsequent recession, debit and credit card payments are recovering and other trends are emerging. As consumer behavior shifts, new business growth arenas are coming to light. To learn more about these trends and what businesses can do to capitalize on them, PaymentsJournal sat down with Melissa Jankowski, SVP and Division Executive […] The post What Consumer Payment...

The digitization of payments has accelerated over the last 16 months, and so has the demise of checks. Organizations that still rely on checks for business processes are now recognizing their inefficient nature and looking for a better way to distribute payments. One of these better options is push-to-card payments. To learn more about how […] The post Push-to-Card Payments Push Financial Se...

Machine learning is nothing new, but during the pandemic, fraudulent activity hit an all-time high, and its popularity soared. Now, it is the primary tool used for mitigating fraud, and companies like ACI Worldwide are leading the charge in developing algorithms and models to serve each and every one of their customers. To further discuss […] The post Machine Learning is the Newest Leader in...

As the pandemic winds down, both consumers and merchants are beginning  to figure out what the “new normal” will be. This is especially true for the way they interact with money. People are paying at the register with their phones, and merchants are accepting alternative payment methods. The shift to digital payments has seen exponential […] The post The ACH Network Continues to Thrive...

Security breaches are happening left and right. It’s not uncommon for consumers to receive a letter or an email alerting them that their information has been compromised. Ever since the global pandemic pushed consumers into the accelerated digital age, cybercriminals have had more fraudulent routes to choose from. This has become a big problem for […] The post Fraudsters Are Having Their Day...

Consumer financing is nothing new. Companies have been using it to sell goods to consumers for years, understanding that large purchases cannot be made by the average shopper if the item must be paid-in-full. But with the advancement of technology and the I want it now attitude of the modern-day customer, consumer financing has received […] The post New and Improved Consumer Financing Makes...

A Multi-acquiring strategy requires a network of acquirers to process payments across the globe, which in turn creates many benefits for merchants and payment service providers (PSPs). It has proven to lower costs, increase conversion rates, and enhance the customer experience. To further discuss the differences between single- and multi-acquirer approaches to payments and how […] The post M...

COVID-19 hit every corner of the world, and people around the globe had to alter their everyday behavior in some way. The most noticeable change was limited day-to-day in-person interactions. As a result, people turned to technology for things like grocery shopping, cinematic experiences, and even banking. With this sudden surge in an already tech-saturated […] The post Real-Time Payments Ar...

The global acceleration of digital transformation has triggered reimagining nearly every business process and interaction. With that acceleration comes a great opportunity to improve efficiency, productivity and security while creating business opportunities. Organizations often partner with multiple vendors to offer the wide range of products expected by their customers, most of which have differ...

Many businesses dedicate significant time and effort to fighting fraud prior to a transaction being authorized. To keep fraudsters at bay, many businesses have fraud mitigation in place that checks email addresses with IP addresses and analyzes a breadth of data. When sales go through, and businesses believe the money is in their pocket, they […] The post Fighting Transaction Disputes with P...

For the European Union (EU) payments industry, Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is the latest requirement of the revised Payment Services Directive II (PSD2). The amendment requires merchants to use multi-factor authentication, with the goal of increasing transaction security. While this requirement only applies to the EU, it has the potential for global adoption. To further […] The post...

In the healthcare industry, supplemental benefits in a health insurance plan go above and beyond standard health insurance policies. Supplemental benefits can help consumers pay for out-of-pocket expenses that their regular insurance doesn’t cover, lowering the long-term costs of healthcare by supporting healthy habits and increasing health plan member engagement. To learn more about the […]...

When it comes to small dollar lending, most of the financial services industry and media attention have focused on how these programs meet the needs of low-income consumers with an urgent need to access short-term funds.  Fiserv put that proposition to the test with its 2020 Emergency Funds Survey. In the survey, Fiserv intentionally oversampled […] The post Consumers Are Signaling They...

Money mules, or individuals who transfer money acquired illegally, are a critical link in the fraud supply chain. As the threat of this type of fraud grows, it is becoming increasingly important for financial institutions to be able to detect it. To learn more about the role of money mules in the fraud supply chain, […] The post Mule Account Detection is Key to Eliminating Cybercrime appeare...

Wire and ACH payments are an integral part of a financial institution’s strategy. With the introduction of The Clearing House RTP® service and the Federal Reserve’s plan to offer instant payments in 2023, organizations need to work out how these payment rails coexist and develop a roadmap that allows them to meet market demands. Meanwhile, […] The post Expanding the Value of Wire Payments Sy...

By April 17, 2021, all fuel merchants were expected to meet the EMV automated fuel dispenser (AFD) compliance deadline. The deadline came and went, with many merchants failing to comply by the due date. The inability to meet expectations is most likely a result of the major challenges COVID-19 continues to create for fuel merchants […] The post ACI Worldwide Shares the Results of the Latest...

The payments, banking, and financial services community is abuzz about a new event being held on June 15-17: Fintech Meetup. Unlike other virtual events, Fintech Meetup will not have any speakers or sessions. Instead, the online event will host over 15,000 double opt-in one-on-one virtual meetings for over 2,000 attendees. To learn more about the […] The post Fintech Meetup: The Tech-Enabled...

For over a year, it seems COVID-19 is all that anybody talks about. While news topics and phone conversations have grown stale because of this, the payments industry has been anything but stagnant. The quick and unexpected digitization of the bill pay market took industry professionals by surprise, forcing them to work overtime to adapt […] The post Maintaining a Streamlined Order-to-Cash Cy...

Let’s face it: fraudsters follow the money. As the digitization of payments has accelerated, fueled by high customer satisfaction, convenience, and cost efficiency, bad actors have shifted their sights accordingly. In response to the uptick in fraudulent activity targeting electronic transactions, including ACH transactions, the WEB Debit Account Validation Rule was put into effect on […] Th...

Fraud prevention and digital trust are quickly becoming essential components for all businesses undergoing a digital transformation journey. The ability to deliver the desired level of customer experience to capture and retain customers is also required.  To learn how Equifax’s acquisition of Kount can help businesses undergoing digital innovation balance fraud prevention and digital trust, [...

The pace of the digital economy is accelerating, changing how merchants, consumers and businesses interact. Demand for personalized experiences is shifting the classic payment transaction to a digital process based on open collaboration. Financial Institutions (FIs) and Payment companies implementing digital strategies, are faced with the expanding steps in payment processing while simultaneously...

In today’s world, digital banking is the new normal. Customers expect seamless journeys from start to finish that includes access to as many services as possible. This leaves banks tasked with maintaining the delicate balance of meeting customer demands and establishing trust through a high level of data security and regulatory compliance. To learn more […] The post The Challenge of Establis...

Cybercriminals have really taken work from home to a new level. Before the pandemic, fraudsters focused their sophisticated attacks  (those more complex threats that attempt to mimic humans) on financial institutions (FIs), but with nearly every vertical being forced to move online, these bad actors are truly expanding their horizons. Retail, streaming, travel, and digital […] The post...