Episodes

Organizations routinely ask employees to take clients out to lunch or attend industry conferences. Yet the expense management process designed to support these essential functions is often manual, time-consuming, and prone to delays, errors, and misuse. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Susie Shyatt, Business Development Executive at B4B Payments, and Hugh Thomas, Lead Commercial Payments Analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research, discussed the common challenges businesses face in managing expe...

The relationship between financial institutions and small businesses has grown increasingly strained. Many small businesses are becoming dissatisfied with their payment and banking services. In fact, more than half obtain their merchant payment accounts from providers other than their primary bank. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, Fiserv’s Tim Ruhe, Head of FI Payment Strategy, AJ Levin, Senior Director for Small Business Market Strategy, and Don Apgar, Director of the Merchant Payments Practice a...

The traditional model of biweekly or monthly physical check payouts is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. For businesses, moving away from checks results in lower processing costs and a reduced risk of check fraud. While direct deposit offers clear benefits for employees, it’s not always their preferred method of receiving pay. In today’s competitive labor market, an organization’s compensation model can serve as a key differentiator. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Kristin Ridgway, Vi...

Community banks are the heart and soul of their localities, often providing the spark that helps small businesses achieve their goals. However, the emergence of new technologies in recent years means that more financial services companies are vying for a share of the smaller institutions’ markets. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Matthew Wilcox, Deputy Head of Financial Institutions Group and President of Digital Payments at Fiserv, and James Wester, Co-Head of Payments at Javelin Strategy ...

Consumers are inundated with accounts, apps, and subscriptions—often to the point where they lose track of what they’ve signed up for. This can be costly for consumers, but it also prevents financial institutions from gaining a clear view of a customer’s overall financial picture, limiting their ability to offer tailored services. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Kevin Hughes, Director of Product Management, Aggregation and Information Services at Fiserv, and James Wester, Co-Head of Paymen...

Although child identity theft has received increasing attention in recent years, most parents don’t discover it—let alone take action—until after experiencing a financial loss. Among families who reported a financial loss due to identity theft, roughly 96% did not have their children included in a family protection plan until after the breach had occurred. For the past four years, Javelin Strategy & Research has focused on the issue of child identity theft and the risks that threaten children. ...

Although generative artificial intelligence has powerful proficiencies, its limitations have become more apparent as the technology is deployed at scale. Now, however, Visa and Mastercard have unveiled platforms aimed at giving AI an even more prominent role—AI agents will soon be able to shop and make purchases with minimal consumer input. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Christopher Miller, Lead Emerging Payments Analyst, Suzanne Sando, Lead Fraud Management Analyst, Don Apgar, Director o...

For mid-sized companies striving to compete with multinational giants, Vertical SaaS has become a game-changer, helping them bridge the gap in their software needs. One of the key factors driving this shift is outbound payments—empowering even the smallest businesses to process payments in real time, leveling the playing field. Vertical SaaS seamlessly integrates a range of essential functions, like payments, and tailors them to the unique language and regulations of each industry. By offering ...

As digital connections have fostered a global community, the demand for cross-border payments has surged. And yet, the cross-border payments paradigm—where correspondent and intermediary banks work with originating banks to process payments—has remained largely unchanged for the past 50 years. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Gary Palmer, President and CEO of Payall Payment Systems, and James Wester, Co-Head of Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, discussed the limitations of global pay...

For the 18th year running, gift cards topped wish lists as the most requested holiday present—solidifying their role as a cornerstone of seasonal giving1. With more occasions to gift than ever before, demand is surging, and retailers can’t afford to miss the opportunity. Insights from the 2025 Best Digital Gift Card Programs, Consumer Experience Benchmark Report, conducted by NAPCO research in partnership with Blackhawk Network (BHN), look at the trends behind this booming market, exploring who...

When a driver misplaces their fleet card or uses it to fuel a personal vehicle, the consequences can be significant for the organization. Shifting to digital payments can help alleviate these pain points, yet many fleet managers have been hesitant due to concerns about maintaining control. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Parker Pierce, Senior Product Manager at Highnote, and Ben Danner, Senior Credit and Commercial Payments Analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research, discussed the challenges f...

Financial institutions have traditionally been risk-averse, relying on tried-and-tested products and services. However, transformative innovations—such as real-time payment rails, artificial intelligence (AI), ISO 20022 adoption, and increasing demands for cybersecurity and fraud management—along with a constantly shifting regulatory backdrop—are making it critical for organizations to adopt new technologies. In a recent Payments Journal podcast, Radha Suvarna, Chief Product Officer for Payment...

A critical factor is often overlooked when focusing on improving the customer experience: ensuring payments go through successfully. A failed payment is more than simply a lost sale. It can lead to wider-scale revenue impacts and erode customer confidence over time. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, John Winstel, VP of Optimization Product at Worldpay, and Don Apgar, Director of Merchant Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, discussed the factors influencing authorization rates and examin...

When customers make purchases using Apple Pay or Google Pay—or enter their card info at online checkout—their sensitive data is protected by replacing it with a token. While this safeguards consumer privacy, it has also created a challenge: because the same card can be tokenized differently across multiple merchants, businesses are losing access to vital customer insights that could drive smarter marketing, stronger loyalty programs, and better fraud prevention. In a recent PaymentsJournal podc...

A cursory survey of sports venues will reveal fields sponsored by Citi, Chase, PNC, and Truist—just within Major League Baseball alone. However, the connection between payments and the arenas and stadiums that host events runs much deeper than naming rights. With a captive audience of thousands, there’s a strong opportunity to drive loyalty and revenue, which is why so many stadiums and arenas are exploring new pay methods. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Christopher Miller, Lead Emerging ...

Because digital payments offer such powerful use cases, many speculate that they will inevitably replace physical cards. However, this perspective overlooks several key factors—not only are physical cards highly reliable at the point of sale, but they also offer personalization options that create a tangible connection between consumers and their payment method, something digital payments can’t replicate. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, James Sufrin, Senior Vice President of North American...

Reconciliation has traditionally been seen as a back-office function, but modern technology has made it a priority. Automation, real-time data, and embedded finance solutions are transforming cash flow management, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency, enabling businesses to take a more strategic approach to maintaining their books. Penny Townsend, Chief Product Officer at Qualpay, explored the evolving landscape of reconciliation during a PaymentsJournal podcast. She spoke with Don Apgar...

Last year, a breach of cloud storage company Snowflake resulted in data stolen from more than 150 companies, with more than $2 million extorted from victims. The attack was carried out by an infostealer, a type of malware that didn’t directly infiltrate Snowflake but instead entered through a client with weak security measures. The growing market for financial data stolen by hackers has made these attacks an escalating threat to financial institutions worldwide. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, Mi...

Across industries and companies—from small businesses to large enterprises—organizations are constantly searching for ways to improve corporate culture and boost employee engagement. However, in large, dispersed companies, providing employees with the personal touch needed to maintain motivation can be particularly challenging. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, Julie Gu, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, North America, at Prezzee, and Jordan Hirschfield, Director of Prepaid at Javelin Strategy...

When Academy Bank first considered outsourcing its item processing, it anticipated a challenging and uncertain journey. However, partnering with Fiserv transformed the experience, delivering both anticipated and unexpected benefits—ranging from a streamlined training process to a significant reduction in client impact errors. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, several members of the Academy team—including CIO Shannon Gilley, Executive Vice President & Director of Deposit Operations Margaret Bosley, a...

Many organizations still rely on paper checks, with no immediate plans to phase them out. However, one of the key issues with checks is that criminals favor them as well. Last year’s AFP Payments Fraud and Control report found that checks are the most frequently targeted payment method for attempted payments fraud—nearly twice as much as ACH transactions. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, U.S. Bank’s Scott Pope, Senior Vice President, Senior Manager of Risk and Compliance; Consumer and Smal...

Many businesses are familiar with payments optimization, which focuses on enhancing the outcome of individual transactions. However, the growing field of payments orchestration takes a broader approach. It addresses larger issues, such as deploying the latest payment methods and technologies faster than competitors and improving payment performance at scale. The goal is to deliver the most secure, frictionless customer experiences while also driving profitability. Orchestration, at its core, pr...

E-commerce giants such as Amazon and Shopify use data to create highly personalized customer experiences. Yet, bill payment remains largely untouched by this transformation, leading to friction, higher costs, and customer frustration. Despite the wealth of payments data available, many organizations fail to leverage it to enhance customer interactions and reduce costs. This gap presents a major opportunity: by applying data-driven insights, businesses can not only improve the payment experience...

Just as organizations are implementing artificial intelligence and machine learning in novel ways, cybercriminals are continually looking to incorporate AI into their attacks. The disruptive technology allows criminals to find targets more effectively, scale their efforts, and forge better attacks that are increasingly harder to detect. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, Alex Cox, Director of Threat Intelligence, Mitigation, and Escalation at LastPass, and Jennifer Pitt, Senior Fraud and Security An...