Weekend Wrap-Up: Lending Club, Bitcoin, Visa Everywhere And The New Commerce

The weekend is here! A perfect time for camping, the beach, get-togethers and catching up on this week’s top PYMNTS stories. What’s on the menu, you ask? We’re serving up a four-course meal on Lending Club, bitcoin, the Visa Everywhere contest and Karen Webster’s latest opinion piece. Get the 411:

Lending Club’s Skyrocketing Chargeoffs

Proving the old adage that troubles never travel alone and instead choose to hunt in packs — Lending Club is facing yet another headwind in the hurricane it’s experienced since spring. Read more.

Meet YoCoin: The Bitcoin Alternative

There’s another digital currency in town, and its name is YoCoin. The question is: Can YoCoin give bitcoin a run for its money? We’ll have to wait and see. But YoCoin is pitching itself as a “new cryptocurrency with mainstream appeal.” Read more.

Three Startups Shaping The Future Of Commerce

Messaging. Social engagement. The API to rule them all. These three startups see a future that they can now take to the next level as winners of the recent Visa Everywhere Initiative competition. Karen Webster spoke to these three CEOs to get the inspiration behind their innovation. Read more.

The Coming Clash Of The Commerce Titans

There’s a battle brewing in commerce, Karen Webster says. One that’s driven by the fear of being boxed into the whims of the current mobile titans. Players like Facebook Messenger, Alexa and even Google with Chrome are using their assets to create ecosystems with as few dependencies as possible on anyone but themselves. But as Webster points out, not everyone wins wars. How does she see the battle lines being drawn? Read more.