Today In Payments: Amazon Expands Palm Biometrics In Seattle; Republicans Propose $600 Billion COVID Stimulus Compromise

In today’s top news, Amazon adds its biometric scanners to three more Amazon Go stores, and Republicans are proposing a smaller stimulus bill. Plus, Ripple responds to the SEC lawsuit that claims XRP is a security that must be regulated.

Amazon Expands Palm Biometrics In Seattle

Three more Amazon Go stores in Seattle are being equipped with Amazon One palm-reading biometric identification scanners, bringing the total to eight. Amazon first launched the technology in September as an alternative to using a QR code or app to enter its automated Go stores.

Republicans Propose $600 Billion COVID Stimulus Compromise

Ten Republican senators are calling on President Joe Biden to consider a smaller, less costly $600 billion COVID-19 relief bill, in a legislation that they will likely roll out Monday (Feb. 1). Under their proposal, $160 billion would be set aside for vaccine assistance, and there would also be more stimulus checks — though for just $1,000 as opposed to the $1,400 in Biden’s proposal.

Ripple Files Response to SEC Complaint Over XRP Sales

Ripple has responded to the SEC’s lawsuit against it, saying the idea that its XRP cryptocurrency is a security is false. According to the SEC, Ripple had misled investors by selling over $1 billion without registering with the agency, but Ripple says that XRP is a medium of exchange and the SEC doesn’t have the right to treat it as a security.

US Personal Income Up More Than Expected In December

U.S. personal income in the month of December rose 0.6 percent, more than the 0.2 percent anticipated, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). But personal spending went down, as Americans stockpiled their savings.

Face-To-Face V. 2021: What Zoom Teaches Us About The Connected Economy

We’ve come a long way since the videophone in 1964. The years in between have seen the need for in-person business meetings go in and out of fashion, but the pandemic has pushed the concept to the extreme. Karen Webster says, as Zoom has shown, businesses have pivoted their business and marketing practices to reflect the new status quo, using digital tools and tech to fill the funnel, shorten the sales cycle and close business — and demonstrate the power of the connected economy.

Taking The Swedish Approach To Instant Payments Ubiquity

More than 70 percent of Swedes use the country’s mobile payments service, Swish. But in eyeing the nation’s model as a blueprint for their own instant payments success, banks, FinTechs and other payment players must take a collaborative approach, says Bengt Nilervall, payment expert for the Swedish Trade Federation, in this month’s Disbursements Tracker.

Will The Dogecoin Frenzy Take A Bite Out Of Bitcoin?

The Reddit saga is sending all sorts of holdings skyrocketing, including cryptos — and, perhaps most visibly, the “joke” coin known as Dogecoin. Will trading curbs and the specter of more regulation have negative ripple effects throughout the whole space — including for bitcoin?