Новости за 19.12.2024

Big Lots said Thursday (Dec. 19) that it is preparing to begin going out of business (GOB) sales at all its remaining stores after determining that it no longer expects to complete its previously announced sale to Nexus Capital Management. The closeout retailer said in a press release that it is still working toward completing an […]

While CarMax reported solid third-quarter results Thursday (Dec. 19), including a 5.4% increase in retail used unit sales and a 6.3% rise in wholesale unit sales, company officials attributed this growth to strong execution across its business model, led by its omnichannel strategy. This strategy has become a key differentiator, according to CEO Bill Nash. CarMax […]

The B2B payments landscape is at a pivotal juncture as 2025 approaches. On one hand, the imperative to digitize and integrate payment processes has never been more pressing. On the other, legacy systems and entrenched processes pose significant obstacles, creating a delicate balancing act for businesses striving to modernize. Understanding these dueling imperatives is key […]

Chime Financial reportedly submitted a confidential filing for an initial public offering (IPO). The FinTech company plans to go public in 2025, though the timing of the IPO has not been finalized and could change, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (Dec. 18), citing unnamed sources. Reached by PYMNTS, Chime declined to comment on the report. The company was […]

America’s homeland security chief is reportedly worried about the European Union’s approach to AI regulation. Alejandro Mayorkas, outgoing head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in an interview with the Financial Times (FT) Thursday (Dec. 19) that  Europe’s “adversarial” relationship with tech companies is hindering broader efforts to regulate artificial intelligence (AI). He said the U.S. […]

In the latest and final revision of how the economy fared in the third quarter — through the growth in gross domestic product — the headline is that growth was healthy. GDP was better than expected, and it’s almost always the case that GDP’s direction rests firmly on the shoulders of U.S. consumers’ spending, which […]

Visa said it completed its acquisition of financial crime/payments fraud prevention provider Featurespace. “Visa will add Featurespace’s capabilities into its range of fraud prevention and risk-scoring offerings,” the payments giant said in a Thursday (Dec. 19) news release. “By combining the two companies’ highly complementary products and tools, customers will have access to enhanced fraud […]

MoneyLion launched a partnership with YouTube superstar Jimmy Donaldson, better known as “MrBeast.” The FinTech is partnering on “Beast Games,” a new competition series by MrBeast that premiered on Prime Video Thursday (Dec. 19), according to a press release issued the same day. MoneyLion is also launching the MoneyLion Beast Games Giveaway, a $4.2 million […]

MIT researchers have created a way to turn baffling AI decisions into plain English, using an innovative system that acts like a translator between machines and humans. EXPLINGO pairs artificial intelligence (AI) language models with a built-in fact-checker to turn complex machine-learning explanations into clear narratives. It’s part of an ongoing effort to make AI […]

Payments innovations impacted small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in 2024. For years, SMBs lagged behind larger enterprises in adopting digital payment solutions, hindered by limited budgets, resources and expertise. To this day, many SMBs are operating in a hybrid payment environment, balancing legacy systems with incremental adoption of new technologies. This slow but steady evolution […]

A flurry of announcements and proposals from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the weeks leading up to — and after — November’s election begs the question: With the agency under fire from the majority party — as Republicans have control of the presidency and Congress — what happens next? Yes, the CFPB’s very structure […]

The luxury fashion world’s loss has been The RealReal’s gain this year. As The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Thursday (Dec. 19), sales for the luxury resale website have grown for three quarters in a row as shoppers seek secondhand prices for first-class goods from the likes of Gucci and Chanel. Now, the company is working to keep items […]

Consumers who initially appear low risk based on basic bank account validation may be revealed to be fraudsters when analyzed with additional signals and insights, ValidiFI found in a report released Thursday (Dec. 19). A comprehensive cross-referencing of phone, email, address and other identity elements against bank account data can spot fraud patterns missed by […]

It may be groundbreaking technology, but OpenAI is letting users contact ChatGPT the old-fashioned way: over the phone. The artificial intelligence company (AI) has launched 1-800-CHATGPT (1-800-242-8478), a number anyone in the U.S. can dial and speak to the AI chatbot for up to 15 minutes, at no cost, and from any type of phone. […]

The stakes for fraud prevention and data security are rising with innovation across digital payments. Trust remains the cornerstone of today’s dynamic ecosystem, but it is increasingly tested by a web of risks, including fraud and security vulnerabilities, compliance demands, counterparty reliability, payment failures and more. “These threats aren’t just financial; they strike at the […]

Credit cards have long been a catnip for criminals. The lure is undeniable. “Your account number is valuable — it has personal information that if someone gets a hold of, that’s how fraudsters compromise accounts and steal your money,” Pablo Fourez, chief digital officer at Mastercard, told PYMNTS in a recent interview. Through the past […]

There are two sides to any commercial transaction. Within B2B, buyers and suppliers find one another and agree on terms, funds flow, and accounts payable and receivable departments interact. On that last point, where back-end offices trade payments and invoices, the traditional way of doing things has been riddled with friction and pain points. Paper […]

Credit unions (CUs) have plenty of rivals across the financial landscape, chief among them the big banks that dominate the market. As financial technology progresses, consumers expect their financial services to provide a smooth, innovative experience, regardless of where they bank. However, CUs often find themselves outmatched in this competition, vying for market share with […]

Embedded lending, the integration of credit offerings into platforms where consumers and microbusinesses (MSBs) can apply for credit directly during a transaction, is gaining traction across major global markets. According to the PYMNTS Intelligence report “The Embedded Lending Opportunity: Global State of Play,” consumers and MSBs are adopting embedded lending products, but challenges remain, particularly […]

Global consumer spending in mobile apps and games reportedly increased 15.7% year-over-year in 2024, even as the number of app downloads decreased by 2.3%. The year’s spending across Apple’s App Store and Google Play reached $127.3 billion, up from $110 billion the previous year, with a decline in Google Play spending being more than offset by growth in the […]

Get ready for B2B wearables. Polar is taking wearable tech beyond the fitness enthusiast with the recent launch of Polar 360, a new business-to-business platform designed to help companies boost employee health and productivity. Offering a suite of devices — from fitness trackers to smartwatches — Polar 360 gives employers tools to monitor vital metrics […]

Apple has reportedly stopped its development of an iPhone hardware subscription program. The company had planned to launch the program in 2022, delayed it until 2023, and has now scrapped it, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (Dec. 18), citing unnamed sources. Apple did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment. The company had planned to launch a service […]

With bitcoin rising, the luxury world is reportedly showing more interest in allowing cryptocurrency payments. As Reuters reported Wednesday (Dec. 18), until recently just a handful of brands — including Gucci and LVMH watch labels Hublot and Tag Heuer — had permitted crypto payments. But now, with the price of bitcoin hitting record highs, others […]

Perplexity AI reportedly closed a $500 million funding round earlier this month. The round tripled the artificial intelligence (AI) startup’s valuation to $9 billion, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (Dec. 18), citing an unnamed source. Reached by PYMNTS, Perplexity declined to comment on the report. The company’s backers include SoftBank, Nvidia and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to the report. Perplexity AI […]

What many finance teams want for the holidays this year is an automated back office. As the calendar years’ worth of PYMNTS Intelligence studies have shown, accounts payable (AP) and accounts receivable (AR) automation are increasingly becoming key areas of focus for businesses looking to eliminate manual B2B processes and corral their disorganized tech stacks. […]