Top News In Payments: Alipay Says ‘No’ To Crypto, Shopify Rolls Out Experts Marketplace

Today in the payments news roundup, Alipay says it will ban bitcoin and digital currency-related transactions. Also, Shopify has rolled out a gig marketplace focused on retailers. And Domino is collaborating with Amazon Wedding Registry to launch an interactive and shoppable experience.

Alipay Bans Crypto Transactions

Alipay says it will be banning any transactions related to bitcoin and other digital currencies. Its announcement came the day after digital currency exchange Binance tweeted that it is now accepting fiat currencies via Alipay as well as through mobile messaging and payment app WeChat.

Amazon Takes Its Wedding Registry Omnichannel

Domino has announced that it is teaming with Amazon Wedding Registry to roll out an interactive and shoppable experience. The collaboration will encompass a special print magazine, microsite and pop-up event. Couples will be able to browse curated registry items at the New York pop-up at the Museum of Modern Love from Oct. 11 to Oct. 13.

Walmart Names New US CEO

Walmart has announced the departure of Walmart U.S. President and CEO Greg Foran. John Furner, who currently serves as president and CEO of Sam’s Club, will be his replacement. Furner has worked under Foran for the last five years and will report directly to Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon.

Shopify Launches Retailer-Focused Gig Marketplace

Merchants seeking to scale their companies can now get expert help from a new Shopify platform. The new Experts Marketplace links retailers with external resources as well as experts who specialize in the Shopify platform. Merchants can browse profiles and reviews to collect information about experts’ skills and abilities to help them make decisions.

What Parking Marketplaces Can Learn From Airbnb

The platform economy is taking on everyday experiences that have long been a source of frustration for consumers — like parking in urban areas. Turning parking into a shared, mobile experience can help to take away much of the friction that drivers experience when it comes to finding a parking space in a crowded city, said Tim Wootton, CEO of P2P parking app Rover Parking. The company, however, is far from the only firm that has hit upon this realization in recent years, which is why competition to be the top parking marketplace in the platform economy is on the uptick.

How Asia Is Revolutionizing The $70B X-Border Tuition Space

Flywire said at the end of last month that it has teamed with JCB International in a relationship that provides international students in Asia with options as they make cross-border tuition payments.

In a PYMNTS interview with Karen Webster, Ryan Frere, vice president of global payments at Flywire, said the partnership “opens up 13 currencies across the network we can allow payers to choose when they use JCB cards to pay tuition.”

The JCB partnership, as he told Webster, helps establish a beachhead into other verticals.