The PaymentsJournal Podcast

The ways consumers purchase goods and services has been evolving in recent years, and COVID-19 has only accelerated the trend toward e-commerce with a number of innovations in tow such as Online Banking Payments, contactless payments, and buy now pay later options. For merchants, this evolution provides a great opportunity to offer payment methods that […] The post Online Banking Payments Ca...

Over the past few years, a massive surge of data breaches has exposed the personally identifiable information (PII) of millions of consumers. With troves of PII data available to hackers around the world, fraudsters can easily create synthetic identities—accounts that combine both real and fake information—to manipulate systems and commit crime without being detected by […] The post It All B...

‘Tis the season to go shopping. Of course, the unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic means this holiday season is going to be unlike any before. Already, holiday spending looks noticeably different in 2020: trends show e-commerce, debit card usage, and contactless payments thriving in a longer than usual holiday shopping season. In response, issuers must rethink how […] The post How Banks Can Become...

In recent years, digital experiences have become a prominent aspect of the payments industry. From making mobile payments to tracking their finance, consumers increasingly want the ability to seamlessly conduct a range of financial activity online. And with COVID-19 forcing people to limit physical interactions, the centrality of the internet to daily life is only […] The post APIs Are the F...

The upcoming April 2021 EMV at the pump deadline for fuel merchants is rapidly approaching. Even so, many merchants remain unprepared to meet the deadline because switching to EMV at the forecourt is a costly and extensive process. That, on top of the loss of revenue due to the pandemic, makes upgrading a daunting task. […] The post How Fuel Merchants Can Decrease the Cost of Upgrading to EM...

One of the newest and exciting topics in payments is cryptocurrency. Bitcoin, the first decentralized cryptocurrency, arrived in 2009 and soon exploded in value. Its decentralized nature, made possible by blockchain technology, promised to disrupt the status quo in the heavily regulated payments industry. Within years of Bitcoin rolling out, the number of different cryptocurrencies […] The p...

Retail financing is appealing to consumers and merchants alike. Consumers can make purchases without paying the total cost upfront, while merchants benefit from the simple fact that they’re generating more sales. Merchants that offer retail financing, and more specifically a waterfall lending option, at the point of sale are likely to see more loan approvals, […] The post Enhancing Retail Fi...

The economy is in a precarious situation due to the pandemic. As COVID-19 continues to spread, some industries—including live events and tourism—remain mostly on pause, forcing millions of people out of work and depriving communities of essential revenue streams. Even the companies that have been able to reopen must frequently do so with reduced staff, […] The post The Delinquencies Are Comi...

Several months since COVID-19 emerged in the United States, it’s becoming increasingly clear that pandemic-triggered changes in consumer shopping behavior are here to stay. As a result, the upcoming holiday shopping season will be one like never before. The most prominent and talked about change in consumer behavior is the ongoing shift from in-store shopping […] The post The 2020 Holiday Se...

In Brazil, the most common way to make payments is by cash. However, there are also a number of other options available, including credit and debit cards, bank transfers, and e-wallet services. Credit and debit cards are accepted at most businesses. Ryan McEndarfer: All right. So Bruno, thank you so much for joining me on […] The post Brazil and the Evolution of the Payments Industry appeare...

COVID-19 has moved digitization to the forefront, and property and casualty (P&C) insurance is no exception. Insurers are looking to protect employees, answer policyholder demands for improved payment experiences, and reduce costs. To do so, they are turning to push-to-card solutions as a way to offer a new level of flexibility and speed to insurance […] The post It’s Time for Property &...

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic has been wide ranging, affecting the lives of people and businesses. While moving to digital touchless payments, the pandemic has also influenced and changed the prioritization of current and future payments projects.  Severe market disruptions, changing customer and business needs and expectations have placed unprecedented pressure on financial institutions (F...

Cash management is an integral part of any business. In order to ensure financial stability, a company must effectively keep track of its various cash inflows and outflows. Failing to do so jeopardizes the company’s ability to meet current payment obligations and plan for future payments, two essential aspects of maintaining business stability. Treasurers and […] The post Finding the Right C...

With the world firmly in the grip of COVID-19, merchants everywhere are changing to adapt to the new reality. In order to facilitate social distancing and limit the spread of the virus, merchants are re-designing store layouts, expanding delivery options, and, when possible, pivoting to digital channels. In addition to these changes, a major area […] The post QR Codes Could Be the Future of...

It likely comes as no surprise to hear that COVID-19 has dramatically changed shopper preferences and behavior, and how consumers pay. But just how much change has occurred, and what does this mean for retailers and other businesses looking to better serve their customers? With the goal of examining attitudes and behaviors around shopping, payments, […] The post COVID-19 is Changing the Way...

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has had an astronomical economic impact on consumers and businesses alike. As a result, the United States government provided economic relief in the form of stimulus payments and loans. But this assistance won’t last forever, making it crucial for financial institutions to get ready to offer responsible and transparent solutions that […] The post When the...

With paper check use declining and electronic payment methods on the rise, the ACH Network has grown tremendously in recent years. A recent PaymentsJournal podcast unpacked how this growth continued into 2020, even as the pandemic disrupted regular economic activity. In fact, the pandemic underscored just how reliable and valuable the ACH Network is to […] The post Same Day ACH in 2020: Cons...

Today’s rapidly evolving market landscape, combined with the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, is forcing financial institutions to reimagine their digital payment strategies in an effort to stay relevant. And although convenience and safety are the leading drivers for the use of digital bill payments, consumers are demanding more than they currently get from […] The post It’s Time f...

Not since the Great Depression has America’s economy been in such a precarious situation. Although the country has stopped hemorrhaging jobs at an unprecedented rate and unemployment has dropped to 8.4%, industries still face severe challenges. First and foremost, companies must contend with the marked shift in consumer behavior brought on by the pandemic. With […] The post Hands Full with t...

E-commerce retailers are equipped with a range of tools and technologies that enable them to build detailed prospect and buyer behavior profiles for improving engagement. This gives them a significant advantage in terms of re-marketing, nurture campaigns, and promotional strategies over brick and mortar (B&M) merchants, which have historically struggled to personalize the in-store experience....

Traditional card-acquiring independent sales organizations (ISOs) are evolving into independent software vendors (ISVs)—aka fintechs—by providing merchants with a single destination for payments and financial services. While this may alarm traditional financial institutions, which have historically viewed fintechs as industry competitors, it doesn’t have to. In fact, banks can benefit through the...

In recent years, merchants have chipped away at the bill payment market, offering consumers a pleasant overall experience and a breadth of payment options. While many financial institutions offer forms of bill payment, the experience, transparency, and setup is not ideal for consumers. Because of this, merchants continue to gain bill pay market share.  To […] The post How Financial Inst...

In the payments industry, data can be  just as important as the payment transaction itself. The trick is having a payment processor that can collect data and present it to merchants in a way that offers to add value to not only them, but their customers as well. But there is something that makes it […] The post Payment Processing’s Hidden Problems: Why it’s Time for Retailers to Switch...

With a pandemic raging across America and the globe, daily life for billions of people has been disrupted. Everything from normal economic activity to routine social behavior has been forced to change, as societies around the world respond to the public health crisis. In America, lockdowns brought much of the economy to a standstill, and […] The post The Tale of Two Quarters: What Trends in...

Understanding customer attitudes and where you stand in comparison to your competition is essential for any business. Having an accurate grasp of how customers, and potential customers, view your brand, products, and competitors allows you to determine your company’s strengths and weaknesses, and where improvements should be made. But understanding customer and potential customer attitudes [&#8230...