NotFinancialAdvice

Small businesses increasingly rely on fintechs not just to accept payments, but to manage how and when they get paid. Invoicing—once a back-office afterthought—has become a core part of the payments experience. Because invoicing tools can be complex to build and

Over the past two decades, payment systems in most developed markets have moved from slow, multi-day processes—like checks—to near-instant transfers between counterparties.  Yet, while buyers can now move funds in real time, many still delay payments, often to

It has been less than a year since Visa and Mastercard unveiled platforms designed to give AI agents a larger role in retail—and actual purchasing power. In the months since, there has been a rush to build agentic commerce protocols, plan merchant integrations, and

The secured credit card has long been the industry’s solution for consumers without credit histories. A new generation of credit builder cards is testing whether that solution still holds. Offered by several fintechs, the cards require users to fund an associated de

Credit scores critically impact financial decisions, yet many lack understanding of their distribution. Recent data reveals the prevalence of different credit score ranges, emphasizing the need for context in assessing personal credit situations. A new fintech model is transforming secured credit cards, linking them to checking accounts for automatic repayment, though it raises regulatory questions regarding transaction processing and consumer repayment management.

The traditional fleet management model has relied heavily on physical payment cards, which can be lost, stolen, or misused. An emerging alternative is vehicle-initiated payments, a technology in which one of the leading providers, Car IQ, is set to be acquired by

The ACH Network is reliable and ubiquitous. And over the past year, it continued to realize strong growth, both in the volume of payments and overall dollar amount. In 2025, ACH Network payment volume increased by roughly 1.6

Late yesterday Capital One announced that it had acquired the commercial payments and expense management fintech Brex for $5.15 billion, half in cash and half in stock. Analysts have been noting that the price is a sharp discount from Brex’s peak valuation of

South Africa has entered the digital currency arena with the launch of a new stablecoin, ZAR Universal (ZARU), pegged to the rand rather than the U.S. dollar, which dominates the global stablecoin market. The initiative aims to make the rand “internet-native,” but h

Paying a supplier is a fundamental function for businesses, yet it’s often encumbered by a complex billing cycle. When the supplier is in a different jurisdiction, this complexity skyrockets, forcing organizations to navigate foreign exchange rates, bank

Splitting a bill or chasing down a friend for concert tickets often takes more messages than the payment itself. Cash App is betting it can shrink that friction by turning everyday conversations into payment moments.
The company is allowing users to send payment li

Despite recent contention over interest rates and transaction fees, credit cards remain firmly entrenched in the U.S. payments landscape. To capitalize on this ubiquity, Bank of

While stablecoin usage in payments is expanding quickly, most current activity is still concentrated in internal use cases rather than external payments. Although total stablecoin transaction volume is estimated at roughly $35 trillion annually, the portion tied

Cities are adopting contactless payments for public transit to enhance convenience and reduce queues. Seattle's ORCA system will allow card taps and mobile wallets, improving efficiency during major events. This shift supports increased ridership and economic growth while maintaining options for those needing prepaid cards.

The humble demand deposit account has been the cornerstone of the financial services system for decades. However, banking customers who manage all their finances through checking and savings accounts at a single financial institution are in short supply.
At the

Crypto money laundering has surged at a staggering pace, reaching at least $82 billion last year, up from just $10 billion in 2020. As crypto markets have become more liquid, laundering operations have grown more sophisticated and more brazen, operating openly

The next phase of agentic commerce may not be about browsing or checkout, it may be about control of the wallet. Coinbase is introducing agentic wallets designed to function as full-service, autonomous money management tools, enabling AI agents to make payments,

As more financial institutions deploy artificial intelligence for key functions such as credit assessments, a group of UK lawmakers has raised concerns that the industry may be unprepared to withstand a major AI-related incident.
The lawmakers recently advised the

As information highways have opened new avenues to the global marketplace, many business owners have been attracted to these new frontiers. However, there are unique challenges associated with cross-border operations that go far beyond currency conversions and

The BRICS group of nations is moving forward with plans for a shared currency for internal trade, potentially launching as early as next year. Last week, the Institute for Economic Strategies of the Russian Academy of Sciences announced a working prototype of a trad