Payments Friction news and trends

Fed Governor: Some Cross-Border Payment Frictions Are Necessary
Cross-border Payments // February 15, 2024

When it comes to cross-border payments, there are necessary and unnecessary frictions. That’s according to Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman, who discussed the challenges facing cross-border payments Thursday (Feb. 15) during a speech at the BCBS-FSI High-Level Meeting for Africa in  Cape Town, South Africa. “As one...

Retailers Walk Fine Line Over How Much Payment Choice to Offer
Payment Methods // August 05, 2022

The conventional wisdom of online commerce is that payments should be invisible, and merchants should offer their shoppers as many payment options as possible. In an interview with PYMNTS, Nicky Schardt, director of product, customer experience at Spreedly, said merchants should take those assumptions with...

BIS Report: CBDCs Can Cut Cross-Border Payments’ Friction Points
Cryptocurrency // July 12, 2021

For central bank digital currencies to reach their full potential, banks must look beyond domestic use — and examine CBDCs’ risks and rewards for cross-border transactions. That is one of the primary findings contained in new research from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), which...

Why Large Retailers Are Mandating Masks
Retail // July 16, 2020

Sometimes a mask is more than a mask. When Best Buy, Starbucks, Kroger and Walmart mandated that all customers wear masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 this week, they weren’t just being compliant as corporate entities. And while they made the move with their...

Interviews & Exclusives
More Payments Friction Coming for Customers

April 18, 2024
The recent credit card surcharge agreement brings into focus the impact regulations could have on businesses. Spreedly Vice President of Product Joe Meuse explains what the changes could mean for businesses and their customers in the new PYMNTS eBook, “The Implications of Uncertainty.”   As we near the end of the first quarter of 2024, business […]

Retailers Walk Fine Line Over How Much Payment Choice to Offer

August 05, 2022
The conventional wisdom of online commerce is that payments should be invisible, and merchants should offer their shoppers as many payment options as possible. In an interview with PYMNTS, Nicky...

BIS Report: CBDCs Can Cut Cross-Border Payments’ Friction Points

July 12, 2021
For central bank digital currencies to reach their full potential, banks must look beyond domestic use — and examine CBDCs’ risks and rewards for cross-border transactions. That is one of...

Why Large Retailers Are Mandating Masks

July 16, 2020
Sometimes a mask is more than a mask. When Best Buy, Starbucks, Kroger and Walmart mandated that all customers wear masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 this week, they...

Quick Reads
Fed Governor: Some Cross-Border Payment Frictions Are Necessary

February 15, 2024
When it comes to cross-border payments, there are necessary and unnecessary frictions. That’s according to Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman, who discussed the challenges facing cross-border payments Thursday (Feb. 15) during a speech at the BCBS-FSI High-Level Meeting for Africa in  Cape Town, South Africa. “As one who values efficiency, I am generally supportive of opportunities to […]

Central Bankers’ Report: Cross Border Payments Are ‘Slow, Expensive, Unreliable’

July 14, 2020
An international association for central banks has issued a report that “aims to make lasting improvements in cross-border payments.” The current problem, according to the report, is that the payments...