06 Jun 23 @ 12:39

Mastercard has announced that the US Justice Department (DOJ) is conducting an antitrust investigation of its US debit program and competition with other payment networks. The company says it had... read more

05 Apr 23 @ 10:24

PCM’s exclusive research into payments markets in ten Eurasian countries reveals seismic change caused by the war in Ukraine. As our research makes clear, some markets are wearing the chaos... read more

05 Apr 23 @ 10:17

Virtual cards are taking the payments world by storm. We ask why this is happening, what it means – and how long it’s going to last… As a grizzled hack,... read more

16 Feb 23 @ 14:27

First sight of European payments landscape for 23 PCM’s exclusive annual review of payments data from 33 European countries confirms the growth of online payments versus in-person, as well as... read more

29 Dec 22 @ 04:23

From Open Banking and instant payments through the Next Big Thing in crypto, James Wood reads the cards to find out what’s coming next in the new year. Those who... read more

29 Dec 22 @ 04:17

The European Payments Initiative (EPI), launched to some fanfare in 2020, was supposed to offer a payments solution “catering and corresponding to European needs.” But as the EPI’s scope changes... read more

29 Dec 22 @ 04:08

The news that Venmo has been added by Amazon as a payment method feels like a watershed moment. For years, industry chat has talked about the potential for payments that... read more

29 Dec 22 @ 03:46

Consumers are looking for greater choices like mobile payments, crypto wallets, and person-to-person payment apps, which are taking their place alongside staple payment methods like cards and bank-to-bank ACH payments.... read more

25 Aug 22 @ 12:18

Some experts say cards are a legacy technology while digital wallets and alt-pays are the future. But more powerful cards with multiple functions and better security are fighting back. So... read more

25 Aug 22 @ 11:33

First came Apple Pay. Then the Apple Card, in partnership with Goldman Sachs. Now Apple intends to enter the burgeoning Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) market with Apple Pay Later. So is Apple... read more

26 May 22 @ 09:43

Request to Pay (R2P) is a hot industry buzzword. While still in its infancy, R2P promises greater control and faster settlement for consumers and businesses alike. James Wood goes under... read more

26 May 22 @ 09:15

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is on a path similar to the rest of the world: declining cash use and increasingly sophisticated electronic payments. However, this simple... read more

21 Apr 22 @ 10:11

New data from PCM’s yearbooks reveals strong growth in electronic payments across Russia and the former Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – though cash use persists and next-generation payment technologies... read more

21 Apr 22 @ 09:48

As both Visa and Mastercard announce higher charges for e-commerce transactions and almost two-thirds of Europeans now bank online, it seems the popularity of alternative payment methods, or “alt-pays”, continues... read more

21 Apr 22 @ 09:47

New data from the UK’s Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE) shows products in-market and user numbers accelerating. Meanwhile, major European markets such as France and Germany are moving from strategy... read more

21 Apr 22 @ 09:45

Alongside a host of other Western companies, PayPal, Mastercard, Apple and Visa have pulled out of the Russian market following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with major banks such as JP... read more

17 Feb 22 @ 15:05

This year’s PCM’s Digital and Card Payment Yearbooks suggest payment card use may be starting to decline, to be replaced by digital wallets, direct-to-account payments and other methods. James Wood... read more

17 Feb 22 @ 14:28

If markets like Brazil, Colombia and Argentina are digitising their financial services sector faster than anywhere else on Earth, then they are also experiencing rampant fraud attempts in digital channels.... read more

16 Dec 21 @ 13:20

Gaming is big business – and it’s getting bigger, with payments for items in-game rocketing in popularity. James Wood surveys the latest trends in gaming payments, including reducing customer friction,... read more

16 Dec 21 @ 13:16

A new report by European Open Banking services provider Tink finds much positive sentiment about the greater competition and wider palette of services Open Banking will bring. Such breathless optimism... read more