PYMNTS AM Radar: CFOs Shun Spreadsheets, Consumers Embrace Crypto

Today is Friday, May 20. President Joe Biden is in South Korea today, visiting a Samsung plant to discuss the importance of bolstering the supply chain. It’s also the 90th anniversary of Amelia Earhart’s historic flight across the Atlantic and National Bike to Work Day. Here’s what else should be on your radar this morning.

CFOs Go Digital: In a conversation with PYMNTS’ Karen Webster, a group of executives – Corcentric President and COO Matt Clark, Blaze Pizza CFO Brad Reynolds, and Starbucks EVP and CFO Rachel Ruggeri – say that the position of the chief financial officer is experiencing a digital transformation. READ MORE

Embedded Payments Everywhere: Among the changes happening in the last two years in the payments world is the rise of embedded payments. That’s according to Nikhita Hyett, managing director for Europe at global payment orchestration platform BlueSnap, who tells PYMNTS this trend is touching all aspects of people’s lives. READ MORE

The Retail Rethink: The omnichannel movement in retail predates COVID, but was accelerated by the pandemic, Andre Machicao, senior vice president of merchant solutions at Cybersource, a Visa solution, told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster. “It’s the convergence of experiences where I would start my transaction in one channel and complete it in another,” he said. “We are seeing that expand and proliferate.” READ MORE

Consumers Embrace Crypto: Despite the current volatility in the cryptocurrency markets, the number of consumers who want to pay in crypto is still growing, George Davis, co-founder and chief product officer at crypto payments technology firm BVNK, tells PYMNTS. However, the cryptocurrencies they want to pay with are changing, moving from assets like ethereum and bitcoin to USD coin (USDC) and tether (USDT). READ MORE

ICYMI. In the wake of the president’s March executive order, federal agencies have been charged with creating a framework to foster competitiveness in digital assets. What would that look like? The government wants the public to weigh in. READ MORE