Merchant

As more consumers look for alternatives to credit cards, investors are flocking to point of sale credit firms, with Affirm raising a fresh $500 million.

The humble QR code — invented for automobile manufacturing in 1994 — had been on the rise as a payment method for many years, but the pandemic expanded its use in the U.S. in some unforeseen ways.

Small and midsize banks would pay for access to the Monit app and offer it to small-business clients as an add-on service.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced retailers and consumers alike to consider the benefits of shopping via a mobile app, providers of shopping and loyalty apps were seeking partnerships with security vendors to deploy fraud prevention technology.

Apple's legal dispute with Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, has exposed a potential nuclear option that the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant can use against any company that sells online.

Besides providing a safe, sanitary no-touch payment option for consumers, there are other advantages to contactless payments, such as line-busting, says Todd Barstow, vice president of payment solutions for GK Software USA.

With only a fraction of the funds allocated being used, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank is considering tweaks to the middle-market rescue program in an appeal to lenders wary of taking on added risk.

The pandemic has upended many business tasks, creating a rush among processors to expand the digital experience without complicating it.

More than 160 institutions will use the money to help members weather the coronavirus by offering new products and providing help with loan payments.

PayPal released a survey of online small and medium-sized merchants that expressed caution about the upcoming holiday season, as 70% do not plan to hire new or rehire furloughed staff.