蘑菇AV

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how a department of justice suggested breakup of Google could change search, the potential impact of Walmart鈥檚 personalized homepages and customer support, what鈥檚 next for the buy now, pay later (BNPL) space, how Tesla鈥檚 new 鈥渃ybercab鈥� could change the world of robotaxis, what charitable donations in America look like, and more. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson, director or Briefings Jeremy Goldman, analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf and vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti.

Budgeting concerns, high interest rates, and other factors are pushing the generation to alternatives.

The news: PayPal will serve as Selfbook鈥檚 commerce partner for its travel and hotel offerings, per a press release. Customers can book travel arrangements directly within the PayPal app. Our take: Consumers want travel features from their banks, which PayPal has taken up as a fintech payment provider.

US financial media network ad spend will soar to $1.22 billion in 2026, nearly doubling from $640 million in 2025鈥攁 66.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), per our May 2025 forecast.

The news: Global Payments rolled out a retail point-of-sale (POS) system under its Genius platform targeting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Our take: Despite that clout, as other merchant service providers also diversify their offerings through verticalized software, hardware, and partnership integrations, Global Payments鈥� Genius will enter a crowded POS space with its offerings nearly indistinguishable from Stripe鈥檚, Square鈥檚, or Toast鈥檚 hardware and software lineups.

The news: Walmart鈥檚 OnePay and Synchrony will issue a new co-brand Mastercard and a private-label card. Our take: The massive retailer鈥檚 connectivity between its customer base, supplier relationships, and financing apparatus positions OnePay to be a disruptor on the scene.

A new credit card is a smart way to contend with incumbents and fintech competitors, but a confusing product line could dampen its adoption.

Affirm. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Klarna. Mastercard. Payments Dive. PayPal. Stripe. TikTok. Visa. Worldpay.

The tech giant discontinued its buy now, pay later (BNPL) service in June and instead partnered with Klarna and Affirm. This was a major turnaround from its grand aspirations to build a suite of in-house financial services dubbed 鈥淏reakout鈥� in 2022. As Apple鈥檚 first independent lending venture, Pay Later was expected to be a key part of this suite鈥攂ut it didn鈥檛 even last a year.

The news: Banks shouldn't use a single marketing strategy for all young people鈥擬illennials (born 1981-1996) and Gen Z (born 1997-2012) have distinct financial behaviors. Millennials, shaped by economic uncertainty, seek stability and pragmatic digital tools, valuing expert advice. Gen Z, digital natives, demand effortless speed, are influencer-driven, and focus on immediate experiences, often skeptical of traditional banks. Our take: Marketing must be tailored. For millennials, emphasize trust, reliability, and security for long-term goals, offering expert education. For Gen Z, highlight speed, flexibility, and convenience through engaging, short-form content on platforms like TikTok, utilizing influencers to build rapport.

These moves can help the company grow ahead of its IPO expected this year

The news: PayPal partnered with the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences to enable payments for participating student-athletes. Our take: Capitalizing on young, emerging student consumers is a strong opportunity to secure long-time and loyal PayPal and Venmo users.

The CFPB will reportedly ask a federal court to vacate the rule鈥攕ide-stepping the lengthy rescinding process and setting back open banking indefinitely.

The campaign鈥檚 associated sweepstakes encourages users to pay more frequently with PayPal

The news: Credit card delinquencies have sunk to their lowest levels in two years, within striking distance of pre-pandemic levels, per data from VantageScore鈥檚 Credit Gauge. Our take: Fewer issuers are tightening their credit card lending standards, but those looking to gain sign ups face troubled waters鈥攃onsumer demand for credit cards fell in April by the most since the early days of the pandemic, per the Federal Reserve鈥檚 Senior Loan Officer Survey.

BNPL fintechs like Affirm and Klarna have also been rolling out plans with differing lengths: In June, Affirm added Pay in 2 and Pay in 30, for example. How to handle periodic statements. Providers must mail or deliver a periodic statement for every billing cycle in which the consumer has a debt or credit balance of more than $1.

The service advances Block鈥檚 goal of 鈥渂anking our base鈥� and could drive Cash App adoption.

In today鈥檚 episode, we talk about what young people want most from a bank, their favorite alternative investments, and what their parents have taught them about saving for the future. Join the discussion with host and Head of Business Development Rob Rubin, Analyst Lauren Ashcraft and Senior Analyst Grace Broadbent.