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July 25, 2025

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On the web

Amazon Fund Backs Startup Tackling Return Fraud With Imaging

Tech in Asia

"Amazon has invested in Cambridge Terahertz, a California-based startup, through its US$1 billion Industrial Innovation Fund. The startup specializes in 3D imaging technology that scans unopened packages to detect fraud and verify contents. Retailers lost US$103 billion in fraudulent returns in 2022, and the startup’s tech helps verify package contents without opening them."

From Solopreneur to Large Enterprise: PayPal Open Sparkles in Campaign Unveiling a Unified Platform for All Business [Video]

PayPal Newsroom

"PayPal Open - a new platform designed as a single stop for essential business solutions, from payment processing to financial tools. The move signifies PayPal’s ongoing shift from a payments provider – a simple button at checkout – to an innovative and effective e-commerce partner that helps businesses grow and scale their operations effectively. PayPal Open is now available in the US, Germany, and the U.K. It will begin rolling out in more markets later this year and into 2026."

Payments Canada: The Real-Time Rail Quarterly Update with Jude Pinto: 2025 Q3 [Video]

Payments Canada

"The technical build of the RTR will finish in the coming weeks and the program will move into the testing phase, as planned, successfully meeting our target of finishing the build in Q3 of 2025. The build includes the completion of the real-time Clearing and Settlement component, the replatforming of the real-time Exchange and the build of the centralized fraud services."

AI-Generated Scams Claim 62% More Victims Year-Over-Year Despite Declining Consumer Concern, New Sift Report Reveals

Sift

"Sift, the AI-powered fraud platform delivering identity trust for leading global businesses, released its Q2 2025 Digital Trust Index, revealing a troubling disconnect between consumer confidence and actual vulnerability to AI-generated fraud. The report exposes a dangerous "confidence paradox" where scam sophistication is outpacing consumer awareness, creating unprecedented risks for businesses and their customers."

Stablecoin Salaries: A Viable Alternative to Bitcoin Payments

OneSafe

"Stablecoin salaries come with a variety of advantages. First and foremost, they promise stability. Unlike Bitcoin, stablecoins are designed to maintain a consistent value, which can keep employees' paychecks from losing value overnight. This reliability is a breath of fresh air in a market where Bitcoin can drop hundreds of dollars within hours. Then there's the cost factor. Transaction fees for stablecoin payments are often less than what you'd pay for traditional banking services or Bitcoin transactions."

Central Bank Tightens Security Rules for Pix, Its Instant Payment System

Valor International

"Brazil’s Central Bank has introduced new regulations to enhance security in Pix, the country’s widely used instant payment system. Under the new rules, banks and financial institutions must remove Pix keys (unique identifiers used for transactions) associated with individuals and businesses whose tax records are not in good standing with the Federal Revenue Service."

Evolving with AWS: Forter Launches Trusted Agentic Commerce

Forter

"As businesses shift toward agent-based workflows and customers embrace agentic shoppers, trust and identity are more important than ever. Now available in the AWS Marketplace AI Agents and Tools category, Forter’s Trusted Agentic Commerce allows AWS customers to easily discover, buy, and deploy agentic AI solutions using their existing AWS accounts — streamlining procurement and accelerating adoption."

Square Launches Data Driven Cash Advances In The UK

Block

"Square announced the launch of Square Cash Advance in the UK, meaning businesses can access simple funding to grow their business and keep operations running smoothly. Whether a restaurant owner, retail merchant, or beauty salon, fast and easy access to funds helps sellers manage daily expenses without delay and with no interest – just a simple, upfront funding cost."

How AI Is Transforming Fraud — and What You Can Do

Visa

"At the Visa Payments Vault in Washington D.C., Axios Publisher Nicholas Johnston sat down with Michael Jabbara, SVP of payment ecosystem risk and control at Visa, to tackle a rising concern that should have everyone’s attention: the growing threat of AI-powered fraud. With cybercrime costs expected to hit a staggering $10.5 trillion this year, Jabbara pulled back the curtain on what’s keeping him up at night, and how businesses and consumers alike can fight back. Here are seven key takeaways from their eye-opening chat:"

July 24, 2025

Top Post

On the web

Nuvei Adds Pinless Debit and Least Cost Routing to Its Authorization Optimization Suite

FX News Group

"Nuvei announced the addition of PINless debit and Least Cost Routing to its Authorization Optimization suite, improving its authorization rate for merchants in North America by up to 3.5 percentage points for applicable transactions. PINless debit and least cost routing are available now in the U.S., enabling eligible transactions to bypass traditional card rails in favor of lower-cost local debit networks."

New Samsung Wallet Feature Offers More Flexible Payment Options

Samsung

"Samsung Electronics America announced Installment payments will be available to Samsung Wallet users in select states beginning July 25 with expansion to all states planned by the end of 2025. Building on the recent rollout of Tap to Transfer, the new feature offers greater flexibility and convenience when paying in-store with Samsung Wallet by allowing the customer to separate their purchase into smaller payments."

PayPal and Wix Advance Strategic Relationship to Deliver Unified Payments Experience for Merchants

PayPal Newsroom

"Wix.com Ltd., the leading SaaS website builder platform globally, announced an expansion of its partnership with PayPal Holdings Inc., bringing additional online payment options to merchants through Wix Payments. Now available as a built-in part of Wix Payments, this provides U.S.-based merchants a unified, seamless experience that simplifies backend operations and ultimately supports higher checkout conversion."

European Central Bank: Payments Statistics: Second Half of 2024

European Central Bank

"In the second half of 2024, the total number of non-cash payment transactions in the euro area increased by 8.6% to 77.6 billion compared with the second half of 2023, with the corresponding total value rising by 3.8% to €116.9 trillion. Card payments accounted for 57% of the total number of transactions, while credit transfers accounted for 21%, direct debits for 15% and e-money payments for 6%. The remaining 1% comprised cheques, money remittances, and other payment services."

Add to cart: Online Shopping Surges

Bank of America Institute

"Online retail spending growth has outpaced total services spending for the last several months, according to Bank of America's aggregated credit and debit card spending. Seasonal promotions and discounts appear to continue to draw consumers in, with spending during online promotions stronger than in previous years. Though brick-and-mortar retail spending is generally boosted by these promotional periods as well, online shopping seems to be the preferred form of retail therapy. Why? One contributing factor could be an increased use of buy now, pay later (BNPL)."

PhonePe, G-Pay Hold 82% UPI Share in June

Entrackr

"India’s UPI network saw 18.4 billion transactions worth Rs 24.04 lakh crore [$288.5 billion] in June, slightly lower than the previous month, as per NPCI data. Despite the dip, PhonePe and Google Pay continued to lead the space, together handling over 82% of all UPI transactions by volume."

Mastercard Expands Global Relationship With Uber to Enhance Payment Experiences for Drivers, Couriers and Consumers

Mastercard

"Mastercard is deepening its global payments partnership with Uber to improve experiences for drivers, couriers and Mastercard cardholders using the Uber platform. Uber will leverage a range of Mastercard products and services – including Mastercard Move for real-time disbursements, Mastercard One Credential to simplify the payment experience, and Mastercard Gateway capabilities for collections – to support its business operations."

PNC Bank Partners With Coinbase to Offer Crypto Services

Ledger Insights

"PNC Bank announced a partnership with Coinbase to provide a Crypto-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform, enabling clients and institutional investors to buy and sell digital assets. In addition, PNC will provide certain banking services to Coinbase. According to the Federal Reserve, the broader PNC group is the seventh largest banking entity in the United States, with more domestic assets than Goldman Sachs."

Capital One Auto Unveils Real-Time Fraud Detection Tool

Capital One

"Fraud is one of the biggest challenges in automotive retail today—and it’s accelerating. Capital One Auto has launched ProtectID, a new fraud prevention solution designed to help dealers spot potential risk in real time and take action before a deal moves to funding.ProtectID is fully embedded in Dealer Navigator, Capital One’s dealer-facing platform, and works automatically when an application is submitted."

Banking Lobby Calls for Halting of Crypto Bank Licenses

Banking Exchange

"Five of the US’s top banking and credit union associations have called for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to hit pause on decisions around banking license applications made by cryptocurrency firms, due to concerns about the crypto industry’s approach to fiduciary duty."

Block’s Square Opens Bitcoin Payments to 4 Million Merchants

The Defiant

"Block Inc.’s payments subsidiary Square on 22 July began enabling merchants to accept native Bitcoin transactions, using the digital currency’s Lightning Network for faster, low-cost settlements. The rollout starts with an initial group of sellers but is ultimately available to Square’s full base of roughly 4 million merchants, according to information provided by the company."

July 23, 2025

Top Post

In-Car Payments Are Set to Soar. What Banks Need to Know

American Banker

"The payments industry is driving forward with plans to allow consumers to seamlessly pay for gas, parking, charging and more from their vehicles. With embedded and invisible payments becoming more ubiquitous, some industry professionals expect to see more use cases within the automotive industry. It's largely a question of timing, according to Chris Uriarte, partner at Glenbrook Partners. "We can all envision a future where you drive your car anywhere, and whether it's parking, charging, a McDonald's drive-through or a toll plaza, it just seamlessly works," Uriarte told American Banker. "I think it's just a question of getting the industry moving in the right direction together." [Subscription Required]"

On the web

Adyen Research Reveals One in Three Global Travelers Use AI to Book Summer Vacations, Up 74% from 2024

Adyen

"Adyen’s 2025 Hospitality and Travel Report reveals a sharp rise in travelers using AI to book experiences this summer, with data showing a 106% increase in Boomers using the technology year-on-year, the biggest increase in users globally.  Global research finds that fraud remains a significant challenge within the industry, with 38% of accommodation providers reporting a rise in payment fraud attempts in the past year."

Fiserv Announces Strategic Relationship With TD

Fiserv, Inc.

"Fiserv, Inc. announced that it has signed a multi-year Strategic Managed Services program agreement with TD Bank Group, where TD Merchant Solutions will utilize Fiserv technology, including Clover, the world's smartest point-of-sale system, for its merchant business. This agreement deepens Fiserv’s relationships in Canada and creates new opportunities to scale Clover hardware and SaaS solutions."

On the wires

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