The Federal Reserve Board released a paper Thursday afternoon on the question of a central bank digital currency for the United States, and even though the Fed would play a crucial role in any such venture, observers looking for hints on how the central bank is leaning on the issue …

Mastercard Inc. launched Mastercard Track Instant Pay, a platform enabling instant payment of supplier invoices via virtual card transactions supported by machine learning. The service is available in the United States now, with plans to expand globally.Nuvei Corp. has been approved by the New York State Gaming Commission to process payments for …

Mastercard Inc. said it is enabling Mastercard-branded cards to be used for purchases on Coinbase’s upcoming NFT marketplace. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are digital goods.Accounting-automation company Bookkeep announced integrations with Stripe, Sage Intacct, and NetSuite. The company, which serves more than 600 retailers and restaurants, also offers links to Shopify, Square, Amazon, and …

It was probably only a matter of time before the two global card networks, which have already made overtures to blockchain technology, began venturing into support for central bank digital currencies. News of the latest development emerged very early Thursday with an announcement from Visa Inc. and blockchain software developer …

Sports-betting payments specialist PayNearMe Inc. said it has gained approval from the New York Gaming Commission to provide its MoneyLine platform to licensed operators in that state.Fly Now Pay Later, a buy now, pay later provider for travel services, closed a $75 million debt funding round from Atalaya Capital Management that will …

The chip shortage plaguing POS terminal makers is starting to inflict pain on payment card manufacturers. The forecast for 2022 is that the worst is yet to come. It was only a matter of time before the semiconductor shortage plaguing manufacturers such as auto and computer makers trickled down to …

Buy now, pay later provider Affirm Inc. signed electronics retailer Newegg Commerce Inc. and The Passport Place, a travel document consultant, as new merchants.Payments platform Mogo Inc. said it has received regulatory approval in Canada to launch MogoTrade, a commission-free stock-trading service.Visa Inc. announced it has closed on its acquisition of Currencycloud, a provider of cloud-based technology …

Taptap Send, a startup providing instant-payment capability for cross-border transfers, announced a $65-million Series B funding round led by Spark Capital. Its total financing now tops $80 million.Humboldt State University will adopt the Passport Parking app for on-campus parking beginning Jan. 18, announced Passport Parking.The Center for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery said …

Despite consumers’ intentions to spend more on gifts this holiday season than in 2020, concerns about ongoing shipping delays and low product inventories are making gift cards a more attractive gift option.  Indeed, 33% of consumers say they would purchase a gift card if they were unable to get a …

A report from consulting firm Deloitte found that 57% of consumers use a digital app to order restaurant food for off-premise dining, up from 54% in 2020. Even for ordering in a restaurant, 64% of consumers prefer to place their order digitally, up from 53% last year. The survey of 1,000 consumers …