Top News In Payments: Visa To Begin New Certification Program; Circle Co-Founder To Depart Firm

In today’s top news in payments, Visa has announced it’s going to begin a new certification program in dispute resolution, as well as fund scholarships that can be used toward the training. Also, the co-founder of Boston-based payments firm Circle will step down from his co-CEO role at the end of the month. And Uber has debuted a group ordering option.

Visa Offers Scholarships To Train Workers In Dispute Resolution

Visa has announced it’s going to roll out a new certification program in dispute resolution, as well as fund up to 500 scholarships available to qualified applicants to use toward the training. The new certification program is meant to train people as professionals in dispute resolution, which the company says is a role “that is currently in high demand across the payments ecosystem.”

Circle Co-Founder, Sean Neville, To Depart At Month’s End

The co-founder of Circle, a Boston-based payments firm, will step down from his co-CEO role at the end of the month. Sean Neville reportedly notified the board of directors of the firm at a quarterly meeting, and he will stay on the board as an independent director even though he will transition out of his co-CEO role.

Uber Eats Introduces Group Ordering

Uber Eats has debuted a group ordering option. Users can select a restaurant and click the “Start Group Order” button available on the restaurant’s menu to use the feature. They then can share a group order link that makes it easier for more than one person to participate in the ordering process.

Chime Raises $500M On $5.8B Valuation

Chime has notched $500 million in a Series E funding round that sent its valuation soaring to $5.8 billion. The funding is said to be the biggest individual equity investment for a challenger bank, coming out ahead of NuBank’s $400 million. The account base of Chime is 6.5 million, up from 1 million last year.

Why Installment Payments Are Fashionable This Holiday Season

Consumers are on pace to spend approximately $149 billion via online purchases this holiday season. Merchants will have to entice customers to their platforms over others, but that can be challenging as competition during the holiday season heats up.

That is why retailers would be wise to ponder how consumers want to pay, and whether alternative payment methods like Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) could help alleviate their holiday financial stresses, according to Nick Kaplan, president of plus-size fashion brand Fashion To Figure.

In a feature story, Kaplan discusses how retailers can offer flexible payment offerings without overburdening consumers.

Trucking Payments Tools That Are In It For The Long Haul

Payments providers with fraud detection strategies that fail to account for the unusual workstyles of truckers can lead to frictions, as can encounters with cargo unloaders or gas stations who are unable to accept the purchasing tools that drivers have available, according to America’s Service Line-employed driver Carmen Anderson and Castle Transport owner-operator Deb LaBree.

Truckers need widely-accepted, reliable payment instruments, convenient business spending and tracking tools to ensure their trips go smoothly, said Anderson, LaBree and Women In Trucking Association CEO and President Ellen Voie. In a feature story, the three provided PYMNTS with an inside view into the financial tools and strategies that make trucking more seamless.