The UK launch is its first international crypto expansion and anticipates the company’s super app goal.

The retail giant’s new job opening for a crypto experts suggests it’s looking to enable crypto payment acceptance and build out its fintech business.

The BNPL provider will let merchants accept Bitcoin payments and plans to launch a crypto trading feature—which may help it stand out as other BNPL providers opt for more traditional feature enhancements.

A job posting suggests the etailer wants to dive into the growing crypto payments space—and perhaps develop a proprietary digital currency—before it falls behind other Big Tech firms.

Blockchain is attracting enormous interest on the back of surging cryptocurrency valuations and increasingly high-profile payment integrations. But as a real payment currency, blockchain-based cryptocurrency still must overcome many hurdles before it can truly disrupt the space.

The payments firm’s total payment volume hit a whopping $311 billion—and it will likely sustain that momentum as it dives deeper into BNPL and cryptocurrencies and builds out Venmo and its in-store payments business.

Visa reported a 34% YoY rise in payments volume in its fiscal Q3—and its recent moves in the BNPL, cryptocurrency, and cross-border payments spaces can help it maintain its trajectory and build market share.

While Facebook’s digital currency remains MIA, Twitter and Amazon are making their own headway in cryptos—all in a bid to simplify payments on their global platforms.

China could be ready to launch the digital yuan in early 2022, and India is building a CBDC framework while also warming up to Bitcoin.

Are crypto users ahead of the payments curve?

A BitPay study found US consumers are increasingly interested in making purchases with cryptos, creating a growth opportunity for payment providers in the space.

Apple and PayPal hinted at future plans for crypto payments, but concerns surrounding regulations and crypto’s volatility could dampen development.

Last week, Elon Musk announced that Tesla would suspend Bitcoin payments due to the crypto’s large carbon footprint—fintechs should add less energy-intensive crypto options to alleviate such concerns and keep their user acquisition momentum going.

As technology continues to accelerate and transform the financial sector, Visa saw an opportunity to reintroduce itself to the world with a campaign highlighting its role in facilitating global commerce. Watch Industry Voices: Spotlight on Financial Services with Visa executive Frederique Covington Corbett, PhD, to hear her thoughts on cryptocurrencies, "buy now, pay later," economic inclusion, and more.

Affirm plans to launch a crypto trading feature, and Zip will support some of Adyen’s merchant partners.

Here’s a look at some of the latest news from our Payments & Commerce analysts.

China’s central bank made crypto transactions and exchanges illegal, potentially in an effort to encourage digital yuan adoption.

Among US adults, cryptocurrency owners and non-owners alike are most interested in using the digital assets to enhance the privacy or security of their online purchases.