Episodes

Imagine a world where payments are seamless, customer data is secure, and merchants can easily manage a multitude of payment options while still providing the best customer experience. That’s the goal of unifying payment credentials. Payment tokenization is a crucial technology that is no longer a luxury but a necessity for merchants looking to thrive in today’s digital economy. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, Sheena Cherian, Director of Product Management at Worldpay, and Don Apgar, Director of ...

Many financial institutions are feeling the urgency to make headway on payments modernization and digital transformation initiatives. However, all the factors involved in outsourcing an essential function like item processing might make a migration project seem like a daunting task. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Candace Burleson, Senior Implementation Analyst at Fiserv, Amina Moyer, SVP of Core Banking Solutions at Community Bank, and James Wester, Co-Head of Payments at Javelin Strategy...

For more than 15 years, PayNearMe has helped billers optimize the payment experience. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, John Minor, PayNearMe’s Chief Product Officer, joined Brian Riley, Co-Head of Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, to discuss how poor payment experiences contribute to rising operational costs and drive up the total cost of acceptance. Lowering the Total Cost of Acceptance Many billers struggle with outdated technology that offers limited payment options and delivers subpar ...

Last year, PSCU and Co-op Solutions combined and rebranded as Velera. As part of this transformation, Velera seized the opportunity to assess its product journey and modernize its products and solutions to meet the rapidly evolving needs of credit unions and their members. This meant a commitment to developing new solutions and services, while at the same time improving its existing solution portfolio with new features, functionality and enhancements. One year into the integration, Velera’s Den...

Back in 2011, a group of Iranian hackers launched a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against nearly 50 U.S financial institutions. The attacks were alarming enough, disabling bank websites and preventing customers from accessing their online accounts. However, the situation became even more troubling when it was revealed that these attacks were sponsored and directed by the Iranian government. Since then, nation-state cyberattacks have remained a top concern for cybersecur...

Commercial solutions offered by banks have typically been tailored to larger corporations, with a one-size-fits-all approach that often doesn’t meet the unique needs of small businesses. As a result, many small business owners have turned to consumer-focused products, which lack many of the key functions they need. The lack of compelling options available have driven many to seek financial solutions outside of their financial institution. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Tim Ruhe, VP, Head ...

There have been many highly publicized efforts to introduce biometric authentication into the merchant space, such as Amazon’s palm payment technology. While widespread adoption of biometrics in retail has yet to occur, intriguing use cases continue to emerge. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Christopher Miller, Lead Emerging Payments Analyst, and Don Apgar, Director of Merchant Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, discussed the scenarios where biometric verification has proven effectiv...

There have been remarkable strides toward U.S. real-time payment adoption in recent years, driven by growing demand among businesses and consumers. As the long-awaited ubiquity of instant payments draws closer, the financial institutions that have yet to adopt this nascent payment method face tremendous downsides. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Justin Jackson, Head of Enterprise Payments at Fiserv, and Elisa Tavilla, Director of Debit Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, discussed the...

After years of discussion about the new messaging protocol, ISO 20022 is now an inevitability. Though there are substantial benefits to adopting the protocol, many financial institutions—especially in the mid-market tier—are still unprepared to meet compliance by the July 14 deadline (delayed from March 10). In a recent Payments Journal podcast, Mihail Duta, Director of Solution Consulting and Transaction Banking at Finastra, and James Wester, Co-Head of Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research,...

In the fast-changing world of financial services, modernizing payments technology has become essential for businesses looking to reduce costs, enhance customer experiences, and stay competitive. Santander Consumer, a full-spectrum auto lender, stands as a prime example of how bold leadership and strategic decision-making can transform payments infrastructure to deliver long-term value. On a PaymentsJournal podcast, Santander Consumer Chief Technology Officer, Don Smith, spoke with PayNearMe Chie...

Virtual cards have been a popular option for consumers for years, but they’re just now gaining traction among businesses. With an increasingly globalized economy, corporate entities are seeking efficient ways to move money across borders, and virtual cards are filling that role—maximizing efficiency while reducing costs. Mark Anthony Spiteri, Global Head of Card Business at Nium, sat down with Brian Riley, Co-Head of Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, during a PaymentsJournal podcast to d...

Cyber fraud presents a unique threat to small and mid-sized financial institutions, which often lack the resources or expertise that major banks possess to fend off account takeovers and other cyberattacks. However, they face the same risks from hackers as any larger institution. In a PaymentsJournal podcast, Mike Kosak, Senior Principal Intelligence Analyst at LastPass, spoke with Tracy (Kitten) Goldberg, Director of Fraud and Security at Javelin Strategy & Research about the evolving threat l...

Amid constant speculation about the future of payments technology, the ACH Network had its best year yet. The ACH Network processed more transactions, moved higher dollar values, and established more use cases for businesses and consumers. With new initiatives on the way designed to increase security and foster innovation, the ACH Network’s impressive growth could just be beginning. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Michael Herd, Executive Vice President of ACH Network Administration at Nach...

Criminals are continually looking for ways to circumvent fraud detection systems, and money mules have become a popular vehicle to move illicit funds between accounts. Mules are favored because they are effective—often, they are everyday people, many of whom are already customers of a financial institution who have passed verification checks. Glenn Fratangelo, Head of Fraud Product Marketing at NICE Actimize, and Jennifer Pitt, Senior Fraud and Security Analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research, s...

The buzz is growing louder. Many merchants are tired of navigating intricate payout processes that drain valuable time and resources. They want to be rid of payment headaches and welcome more seamless efficiency. Merchants demand a cutting-edge payout solution that helps them focus on their business while giving them the peace of mind that the complexities of their payout operations have been managed. A Personalized Payouts Experience Payouts have historically taken a back seat to adding new p...

Payment integration is a powerful way to improve the user experience on any software platform by offering benefits that extend far beyond simple transaction processing. However, many business owners may hesitate to hand over such a critical function to an outside party. During a PaymentsJournal podcast, Jessica Tate, manager of customer success at CSG Forte, Nathan Miller, president and founder of Rentec Direct, and Don Apgar, director of merchant payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, discus...

The United States employs multiple real-time payment schemes; however, unlike those in many emerging markets, these methods are not driven by a central government or central bank. In the absence of a centralized entity to organize payment processes, other stakeholders must take the lead in enabling instant, cross-border transactions. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Alex Johnson, Chief Payments Officer at Nium and Albert Bodine, Director of Commercial and Enterprise Payments at Javelin Stra...

The most familiar example of surcharging might be the cash-or-credit pricing at gas stations, but more businesses are following that lead. While it’s becoming common for customers to pay for the right to use a credit card at restaurants and retailers, credit card surcharging hasn’t been a common practice in the healthcare industry. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Ali Badawy, Director of Enterprise Healthcare Payments Solutions at U.S. Bank, and Don Apgar, Director of Merchant Payments at J...

Financial institutions are exploring new ways to attract younger savers, and their payment habits are evolving in turn. Credit cards have now edged out debit cards as the preferred choice, even among younger generations. Additionally, digital wallets and peer-to-peer methods like Venmo and PayPal are gaining significant traction in this demographic. Velera’s Eye on Payments study, a comprehensive annual assessment of payment choices among credit union members and other financial institutions, e...

Over the past five years, the U.S. has experienced an average of $18 billion annually in natural disaster-related damages. Millions of individuals are impacted by natural disasters each year, facing financial challenges such as damage to homes, the need for temporary shelter, and the replacement of personal belongings and food. With delays in funds distribution due to legacy payout methods and outdated processes, there has been a focus on the benefits of using prepaid cards for payouts. One po...

The payments industry has seen such rapid growth and dramatic technological advancements in recent years that conferences have become a crucial way to stay connected to the pulse of the space. There are few bigger industry events than Nacha’s Smarter Faster Payments 2025, which will kick off in New Orleans next spring. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Peter Tapling, Managing Director of PTap Advisory and a member of the Conference Planning Committee, Ashley Mustico, Director of Education an...

Money 20/20, one of the largest financial conferences in the world, has become a must-attend for payments, fintech, and banking professionals. This year, hot topics included instant payments, cross-border payments, and the integration of AI into fintech. However, the acceleration of payments innovations has also caused a decided shift in the show’s tone. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Oscar Munoz, Vice President of Sales at Euronet Worldwide, and James Wester, Director of Cryptocurrency a...

Organizations seeking more flexibility and sophistication in devising transaction fee and commission structures are increasingly turning to rules-based fees engines. Billing systems are designed to handle invoicing and collect payments, but they are limited in their ability to help companies create new fees and commissions. Rules-based fees engines allow payment processors to stay competitive and profitable, enabling them to offer new value-added services, develop creative incentive programs, c...

As the world hurtles headlong toward real-time payments, speed and efficiency have often been prioritized over security. However, with faster payments comes faster fraud, and just as organizations deploy technology to streamline their systems, criminals are deploying complex schemes on a global scale. In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Dal Sahota, Director of Trusted Payments at LSEG Risk Intelligence, and Brian Riley, Director of Credit and Co-Head of Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research,...