PYMNTS Study

The Best Buy Now Pay Later Customer Is Not Who Banks Think

The Best Buy Now Pay Later Customer Is Not Who Banks Think
The Best Buy Now Pay Later Customer Is Not Who Banks Think
July 17, 2026  |  Consumer Finance

Financial institutions have traditionally organized customers using familiar metrics: income, assets, credit score and spending patterns. Those variables determined who qualified for a mortgage, which...

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Study: Issuers Improve Returns by Solving the Next Customer Friction
Study: Issuers Improve Returns by Solving the Next Customer Friction
July 17, 2026  |  Credit Cards

The operating assumption in card issuing is that better technology should produce better economics. Card issuers have largely won the technology-access battle. Instant issuance, mobile...

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36% of Gen Z Consumers Now Pay With Digital Wallets
36% of Gen Z Consumers Now Pay With Digital Wallets
July 17, 2026  |  Consumer Insights

Digital wallets are gaining ground not only among consumers who prize speed, but among those using the apps to keep tighter control of strained household...

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46% of Small Businesses Would Pay for Better Digital Tools
46% of Small Businesses Would Pay for Better Digital Tools
July 16, 2026  |  SMBs

Small businesses want tools that give them more control over when money moves, how spending gets tracked and what happens when a payment goes wrong....

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Credit Unions Plan to Nearly Triple AI Payment Services
Credit Unions Plan to Nearly Triple AI Payment Services
July 16, 2026  |  Credit Unions

For credit unions (CUs), the race to strengthen AI capabilities may be decided by following through on the plans already in place rather than developing...

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48% of Online Shoppers Now Use AI Before Buying
48% of Online Shoppers Now Use AI Before Buying
July 16, 2026  |  Artificial Intelligence

AI agents have moved from the wish list to the shopping cart. The next test is simple: Can merchants keep control when software starts acting...

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44 Million Subprime Consumers Create a New Market for Payments Providers
44 Million Subprime Consumers Create a New Market for Payments Providers
July 15, 2026  |  Consumer Insights

For young subprime consumers, the clearest sign of financial pressure may show up not at the checkout counter, but at the doctor’s office. Get the...

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Earned Wage Access Reaches Workers but Fails to Win Them
Earned Wage Access Reaches Workers but Fails to Win Them
July 15, 2026  |  Payroll

On-demand pay was supposed to address a straightforward mismatch. Employees earn money every day, but traditional payroll systems release it every one or two weeks....

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