Payments news and trends

Will Holiday Shopping Go Agentic? 40 Senior Execs Weigh In

October 06, 2026
Cover image for the October 2026 PYMNTS Intelligence report, The Future of AI Shopping Depends on Who Holds the Keys'. PYMNTS Intelligence explores how AI is changing holiday shopping, where consumers still want control and what retailers need to prepare for.
Why 63 CPG Brands Said Yes to Smart Checkout
Retail // September 24, 2026

The shopping basket has always held the answer. Brands just haven’t had a clear way to read it at the moment a customer pays. Smart checkout technology could change that by matching products in the basket with eligible offers and applying the savings automatically. “The...

Younger Cardholders Tell Issuers What Would Get Them to Use Their Cards More
Artificial Intelligence // September 21, 2026

Issuers can invest in faster, more precise credit decisions, but those improvements alone may not persuade customers to change how they pay. Cardholders need to see a benefit they can understand and trust, whether that means choosing how to repay a purchase, receiving credit terms...

Half of Investment Platforms Need More Automation
Real-Time Payments // September 16, 2026

Money can trade in seconds, yet investors may still wait days to receive it. That gap can make a fast digital platform feel surprisingly slow at the exact moment a customer wants access to cash. “The Power of Now: Moving Money at the Speed of...

Study Finds Credit Card Loyalty Is More Fragile Than It Looks
Credit Cards // September 14, 2026

A credit card can go from first choice to forgotten backup faster than an issuer can say “statement credit.” Once the wallet changes order, the next purchase often follows the new leader. “The Switching Trigger: How Issuers Can Stop Their Credit Cards From Losing Top-of-Wallet...

Interviews & Exclusives
Will Holiday Shopping Go Agentic? 40 Senior Execs Weigh In

October 06, 2026
AI may be ready to shop. Consumers are still deciding how much freedom they want to give it. “Holiday Retail’s AI Test Starts With Who Gets to Hit Buy” was produced by PYMNTS following a closed-door roundtable at Mastercard’s New York technology hub. The discussion brought together senior leaders from retail, payments, financial services, technology and […]

Why 63 CPG Brands Said Yes to Smart Checkout

September 24, 2026
The shopping basket has always held the answer. Brands just haven’t had a clear way to read it at the moment a customer pays. Smart checkout technology could change that...

Half of Investment Platforms Need More Automation

September 16, 2026
Money can trade in seconds, yet investors may still wait days to receive it. That gap can make a fast digital platform feel surprisingly slow at the exact moment a...

Study Finds Credit Card Loyalty Is More Fragile Than It Looks

September 14, 2026
A credit card can go from first choice to forgotten backup faster than an issuer can say “statement credit.” Once the wallet changes order, the next purchase often follows the...

Quick Reads
Nayax Aims to Transition From Payments Platform to Bank

August 06, 2026
Payments solutions platform Nayax is the latest FinTech seeking an American banking charter. The Israel-headquartered company announced Thursday (Aug. 6) that it had applied to the Connecticut Department of Banking to establish Nayax America Bank Inc., a “non-depository innovation bank” chartered under Connecticut’s Innovation Bank framework. “Payments are how we built our relationship with customers. This represents a larger opportunity to […]

Mastercard Considers Selling Vocalink UK Payments Business

July 13, 2026
Mastercard is reportedly considering a sale of its U.K. retail payments business Vocalink. That’s according to a report Monday (July 13) from the Financial Times (FT), which says this move...

Thredd Turns to Visa to Advance Cloud-First Strategy in APAC

June 24, 2026
Issuer processor Thredd has turned to Visa to advance its Asia-Pacific cloud strategy. The company announced Wednesday (June 24) the implementation of Visa Cloud Connect in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, allowing companies to access Visa’s VisaNet...

Visa Expands Agentic Ready Program to LatAm and Asia

April 29, 2026
Visa says it is expanding the agentic payments program it introduced last month. Agentic Ready, which lets banks and payment partners test agent-controlled payments, is being rolled out to Visa clients...