CONNECT WITH US

Local Payments

Local Payments Boost D2C Beauty Brand Oriflame’s Global Social Seller Success

At a time when more consumers are sitting in one continent but shopping in another, PayU CEO Mario Shiliashki and Oriflame Cosmetics Senior Director Marcus Fogel tell PYMNTS’ Karen Webster how eliminating local currency barriers, along with a strong business model and solid payments partner, are proving to be a powerful combination for new commerce.

Cross-Border Payments

Indian Consumers Seek Relief From Cross-Border Education, Travel Payments Friction

Booking.com SVP Daniel Marovitz, Leap Finance Founder Arnav Kumar and Cashfree Payments Co-Founder Reeju Datta tell Karen Webster that Indian consumers traveling abroad for study or leisure want to pay with their preferred methods – not just via cards.

Gig Economy

Growing Competition for '1099 Talent' Puts Premium on Faster Contractor Payments

Routable CEO Omri Mor tells PYMNTS’ Karen Webster that high demand for contract workers has nullified the proverbial “check’s in the mail” routine, and is seeing more companies harmonizing their HR and AP processes for a better payment – and employment – experience.

BNPL

Tamara CEO Says Data Refutes BNPL’s ‘Debt Trap’ Myth

Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, co-founder and CEO at Saudi-based BNPL firm Tamara, tells PYMNTS that analyzing data, rather than talking points and PR, shows that BNPL helps consumers avoid predatory debt traps rather than worsening their financial predicament.

Connected Fan

Resistance to Change Keeps Stadium Payments Stuck in the Past

GoTab CEO and Founder Tim McLaughlin tells PYMNTS that the biggest barrier to getting sporting venues and other multi-operator locations to upgrade and automate their payments systems is in their minds, rather than their wallets, as fear of change and the unknown keeps many industry players stuck with the status quo.

Connected Economy

Affirm and Zoom’s Post-Earnings Slumps Haul CE100 Lower by 3.7%

The Connected Economy 100 Index lost more ground this week, as buy now, pay later firms like Affirm and other marquee names of the digital shift such as Zoom gave cautious outlooks that pointed toward slowing growth.

Data Brief: Consumer Behavior

83% of Consumers Bought Groceries in July, Down From 87% in June

The findings come in the new “Digital Economy Payments: Consumers Buy Into Food Bargains” report, which shows grocery buying fell to a 6-month low in part because restaurants have been unable to raise prices as much as supermarkets, making their menus a relative bargain.

US Consumers Face Emergency Expenses 3.5x Larger Than Fed Estimates

PYMNTS survey of 4,006 U.S. consumers for the latest “New Reality Check: The Paycheck-To-Paycheck Report,” found that 46% of respondents faced an emergency expense in the last 90 days that averaged approximately $1,400, a sum that far exceeds the Fed’s oft-cited $400 benchmark for these unplanned and disruptive costs.

What's Hot

Etsy Requires US Sellers to Verify Bank Accounts

Open Text Strikes $6B Acquisition Deal for Micro Focus

Scammers Turn Attention to Student Loan Forgiveness

Report: $150B+ in Mergers and Acquisitions Halted This Summer

Block’s Afterpay, Westpac End 2-Year Partnership

Dollar General, Dollar Tree Look to Leverage the ‘Great Retail Trade Down’

Further Stablecoin Collapses Fuel Growing Credibility Problem

Europe’s High Street Retailers Feel Loss of Chinese Luxury Shoppers

Meta’s VP of Horizon Vivek Sharma Steps Down

Today in Crypto: Taliban Bans Crypto, Arrests Dealers; Grayscale Tells SEC That 3 Crypto Coins May Be Securities

Best Of Yesterday 

Inflation Expands Consumer, Merchant Interest in BNPL

BitPay CEO Says Stablecoin Payment Volumes Doubled in 2022

Inter & Co. CEO: Staying Outside the ‘Comfort Zone’ Key to Super App’s Success