Cryptocurrency’s steady march toward becoming a mainstream payment option took another step with Sling TV’s acceptance of seven digital currencies and five stablecoins through BitPay Inc. The deal, announced Monday, will enable existing subscribers of the streaming television service to pay their monthly subscription fee with cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, …

ACI Worldwide Inc. announced ACI PayAfter, a buy now, pay later service that provides merchants access to more than 70 BNPL providers via a single integration. “ACI PayAfter gives consumers one BNPL option—ACI PayAfter—displayed at checkout, one application form, and a single credit check, all while providing access to multiple financing …

If the nation’s second-largest bank is any indication, total consumer payments are booming despite the pandemic, while digital alternatives are gaining ground fast, in part because of the pandemic. Bank of America Corp. reported early Monday spending by consumer customers in January rose 17% compared to January last year, resulting …

Silvergate Capital Corp. late Monday confirmed widespread reports that it has acquired assets from the stablecoin venture Diem Group. The deal, valued at $182 million in cash and stock, includes Diem’s intellectual property and “other technology assets related to running a blockchain-based payment network,” according to the announcement. The La …

Governments are moving closer to issuing digital money. That could introduce some benefits—but also many risks and complications. Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are coming, slowly but inevitably. They can be retail (for use by consumers and businesses), wholesale (for use between financial institutions), or both. Evangelists enthuse they’ll improve …

The birth of cryptocurrencies and the digitization of payments have led central banks worldwide to consider launching their own digital dollars. These central bank digital currencies (CBDC) could either supplement or replace government-issued cash as legal tender. Proponents say the tokens could offer benefits to citizens, governments, and businesses, while …

A typical textbook enumerates the three main attributes of money: store of value, unit of account, and medium of exchange. Overlooked is one other attribute: a social lifeline, owing to two other, undermentioned attributes—money is universally desirable, and money creates a bond between two strangers. In this column, I focus …

There are few subjects that raise the ire of merchants more than the runaway costs of card acceptance. For years, many have grumbled about the costs but felt powerless to do anything about them. Now, as the result of a chain of court victories at the state and federal level, …

Klarna AB has expanded its relationship in Europe with virtual card issuing platform Marqeta to 13 new markets. Working with Marqeta, Klarna will offer one-time virtual cards to consumers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. The deal is the …

The hype around Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay has quieted considerably. But that doesn’t mean the three big wallets are sitting still. When the so-called Pay wallets—Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay—launched in 2014, 2015 and 2018, respectively, they did so to great fanfare. At the time, …