Tom Nawrocki

PayPal is continuing its expansion from the digital marketplace to the physical world with the announcement that its PayPal Debit Card can now be used in brick-and-mortar stores. Cardholders can also add the debit card to their Apple Wallet and make purchases through Apple Pay.

The Department of Transportation’s investigation into the rewards programs of the four largest U.S. airlines may turn out to be more of a fishing expedition than anything else. The probe is intended to ensure consumers are not subjected to unfair or deceptive practices, but there’s little evidence suggesting they are.

Slim CD, a processing gateway that handles credit card payments for U.S. and Canadian merchants, revealed it was hit by a cyberattack in June. The breach potentially exposed the credit card details of 1.7 million individuals.

Ransomware is a worldwide phenomenon, with some of the most dangerous malefactors coming from regions like Russia. Unsurprisingly, many cybercriminals often target U.S. victims.

In what could be the most significant advancement in artificial intelligence-driven cybersecurity yet, Mastercard has announced the acquisition of global threat intelligence company Recorded Future for $2.65 billion. Like several of Mastercard’s recent efforts, Recorded Future leverages AI to analyze billions of data points to identify potential threats.

The Interledger Foundation, an organization advocating for an open and interoperable payment network, is teaming up with fintech company Chimoney to facilitate cross-border payments across more than 130 countries. Chimoney will integrate its payment infrastructure integration with the Interledger Protocol (ILP), an open-source protocol for transferring payments across various ledgers, independent of any single blockchain or currency.

Authorized Push Payment (APP) fraud has been notoriously difficult to fight against because it involves consumers voluntarily transferring assets to fraudulent accounts. In most cases, bad actors target their victims through social engineering or impersonating a real person or company.

Omnichannel commerce, a popular buzzword during the pandemic, is making a comeback. Crate & Barrel—which experiences an almost even split between online and in-store purchases—is streamlining the customer experience across all channels, including its 110 physical retail stores in the U.S. and Canada.

The upcoming MiCA regulation will establish a legal framework for the issuance, investment, and trading of crypto assets across the EU.

Low-income recipients of cash aid or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are especially vulnerable to crime. Since their benefits are usually loaded onto cards that rely on a simple magnetic stripe, thieves can use skimming devices at ATMs, grocery stores, and gas stations to steal card information when the cards are swiped. This allows them to drain the recipients’ accounts.