AI, BNPL, and the Future of Payments
by Patti Murphy on October 31, 2025 at 10:18 AM
This week’s Today in Payments dives into how AI is reshaping the holiday shopping experience, with PayPal launching new integrations with Mastercard and ChatGPT to power agentic commerce. New surveys reveal record-high consumer interest in gift cards, growing use of BNPL, and rising r …
RTP Growth, AWS Disruptions, and a Mobile Wallet Showdown
by Patti Murphy on October 23, 2025 at 3:00 PM
This week’s Today in Payments covers the Federal Reserve’s consideration of granting limited access to its payment rails for non-bank fintechs, a record-breaking day for the RTP network, and strong Q3 numbers from the ACH system. We also explore how a widespread AWS outage disrupted p …
Cash Loyalty, Digital Gifting, and Crypto Warnings
by Patti Murphy on October 17, 2025 at 3:31 PM
This week’s Today in Payments covers a $200 million settlement by Visa and Mastercard over chargeback rule changes, new data showing rapid growth in gift card popularity—especially among Gen Z and Millennials—and fresh insights into America’s complicated relationship with cash. We als …
Big Moves from Plaid, Square, and Mastercard
by Patti Murphy on October 10, 2025 at 10:44 AM
This week’s Today in Payments covers Plaid’s landmark agreement to pay JPMorgan for data access, a move that could reshape the future of open banking. Square simplifies its pricing with a streamlined three-tier structure aimed at helping sellers grow without complexity. Meanwhile, hol …
POS Glitches, AI Takeover, and Surcharge Showdowns
by Patti Murphy on October 2, 2025 at 5:32 PM
In this week's episode of Today in Payments, Patti Murphy and James Shepherd go full crime reporter mode, breaking down a nationwide refund fraud scheme that exploited POS system vulnerabilities. They also cover major trends reshaping the payments space—from global revenue forecasts a …
The Debit Divide: Courts, Cards, and Change
by Patti Murphy on September 26, 2025 at 5:42 PM
In this week's edition of Today in Payments, Patti Murphy and James Shepherd unpack the growing legal battle over debit card caps, as conflicting rulings from Kentucky and North Dakota courts set the stage for a potential Supreme Court case. They also cover Discover’s proposed settlem …
Fees, Friction, and the Future of Spend
by Patti Murphy on September 11, 2025 at 3:35 PM
This week’s Today in Payments covers merchants ramping up their use of digital wallets, growing backlash over surcharging, new momentum behind the Credit Card Competition Act, and cautious but steady consumer spending trends revealed in Fiserv’s latest Small Business Index.
Debit Rails Go Green
by Patti Murphy on September 4, 2025 at 5:42 PM
This week’s Today in Payments covers Fiserv opening its debit network to cannabis shops, state AGs pressing payments firms on deepfake porn, slowing credit card growth as debit and BNPL rise, and small businesses embracing embedded payments.
From Wallets to Wires: Tracking the Next Wave of Payment Innovation
by Patti Murphy on August 28, 2025 at 5:07 PM
This edition of Today in Payments explores the explosive growth of digital wallets and virtual cards, the rising consumer demand for one-click checkout, and the gradual adoption of cryptocurrency at the point of sale. It also highlights the continued relevance of ACH payments, which a …
From Browsers to Bank Battles
by Patti Murphy on August 21, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Google is doubling down on payments with new remittance and BNPL features, while gift card sales continue to climb. Meanwhile, the White House takes aim at debanking and J.D. Power finds more small merchants adding surcharges.