Walmart courts affluent audiences to make up for shoppers trading down: But the retailer’s attempts to grow its Walmart+ membership base look increasingly desperate.

Life is good for credit card issuers, but worsening economic conditions could endanger their $160 billion revenue stream. They must act decisively to ensure they’re still meeting consumers’ changing needs.

A recent crypto market implosion has magnified the volatility risk of stablecoin—an asset named for stability. Payment incumbents must weigh the crash’s implications and closely watch regulatory advances as they plan for short- and long-term crypto payments growth.

Increasing digitization among the 32 million US small businesses is changing the competitive landscape and forcing banks, acquirers, and fintechs to invest in next-generation features. These features range from payments and value-added services to outreach.

Rohit Chopra’s proposed punishments for recidivists range from loss of FDIC coverage to breakups.

On today's episode, we discuss how Apple's new Tap to Pay feature will disrupt the payments world. Then for "In Other News," we talk about the impact of American Express' new checking account and what will happen now that buy now, pay later firm Afterpay is integrated with Block (formerly Square). Tune in to the discussion with VP of content and head of financial services Daniel Van Dyke and our analyst Jaime Toplin.

Payments Ecosystem: Acquirers and processors, networks, and issuers each play distinct roles in the payments purchasing chain. But those roles are shifting amid commoditization, new competitive dynamics, and technological innovation.

Payments Ecosystem: Diminishing analog payment use—as well as the battle for share between entrenched electronic payment methods and emerging challengers—will intensify the battle for customer spending this year.

Payments Ecosystem: POS hardware, POS software, and gateway providers are working to become one-stop shops for merchants. Offering simple, robust access to front- and back-end solutions across industries lets them better serve merchants demanding integrated solutions.

Matt Turner, an industry-hopping head of digital, sees the future of banking as hyper-personalized services embedded in customers’ daily lives.

Co-brand card issuers and brand partners have an opportunity to reimagine their offerings in the pandemic’s wake. Leaning on newfound digitization and shifting spending habits can help providers tailor their offerings in ways that widen their net, grow volume, and appeal to the maximum number of customers.

The American Express-owned lender added a high-yield checking account for small and medium-sized businesses, giving it an opportunity to cross-sell lending products and deposit accounts.

The event will feature experiences and perks across a variety of categories, which should help Amex increase customer engagement and expedite travel & entertainment volume recovery as the US reopens.

Social media usage, advertising, and commerce will reach new levels in 2021, presenting big opportunities for brands to engage consumers.

Buy now, pay later solutions are quickly gaining adoption as consumers look for new financing options and merchants aim to drive sales. But the industry is still unsettled as a number of firms are battling to lead the space, while card networks and issuers are looking to get involved too.

When Steven Tristan Young, CMO at social commerce marketplace Poshmark, started his career two decades ago, he knew he’d be doing so with the goal of leading a marketing team like Poshmark’s: one focused on brand strategy and aggressive, yet thoughtful, growth.