蘑菇AV

The news: Lloyds Bank is reportedly considering acquiring Curve for approximately $162 million, per Bloomberg. Our take: Lloyds wants to acquire Curve to avoid falling behind other alternate payment methods. However, buying a third-party wallet might not be the best solution.

The news: PayPal will enable Pay with Crypto in an attempt to streamline cross-border payments for US merchants through its intricate network of digital wallet and cryptocurrency integrations in the coming weeks. In the meantime, US consumers will have to break age-old payment habits: Only 8% of crypto owners who use cryptocurrency to purchase goods and services do so daily; most only use it up to four times a year. Building these consumer payment preferences will take time, so PayPal should remain patient.

The news: PayPal launched PayPal World, a global platform linking major international payment systems and digital wallets. Our take: While PayPal鈥檚 starting list of key partnerships represents Latin America, India, and China, the payment provider could penetrate further into European markets by tying up with the European Payments Initiative and the Wero wallet鈥攁s well as with top US wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay or the nascent Paze.

Gen Zers are driving growth in both emerging and traditional payment methods as they embrace cards, BNPL, and digital wallets. Payment providers must now align their offerings with Gen Z鈥檚 preferences as the cohort鈥檚 spending power grows.

Multi-industry players have the power to redefine the future of commerce media advertising. Unlike in the US, where retailers and FIs typically operate independently, many Latin American retailers act as financial services providers鈥攐ffering credit lines, digital wallets, and other banking products to unbanked and underbanked consumers.

Solving this hurdle can help digital wallets better meet customer demand.

Digital wallets: The launch of its first contactless digital wallet in Germany resulted in over three million enrollments for mobile wallets. PayPal World: PayPal connected five of the world鈥檚 largest digital payment systems and wallets together, expanding global interoperability and reducing costs for cross-border payments.

The news: PayPal and Venmo users can receive early access to Perplexity鈥檚 new browser, Comet, with a free 12-month trial of Perplexity Pro. Our take: Big Tech is betting that agentic commerce is the future of shopping, but consumers aren鈥檛 on board yet: Nearly 70% of US adults are not interested in AI-powered shopping assistants, per a September 2024 蘑菇AV and CivicScience survey. While jostling for future positioning in the market, PayPal, Venmo, and Perplexity need to convince consumers that agentic commerce is a desirable payment option, lest they repeat a metaverse investment flop.

The news: Klarna, Affirm, and Zip will be available as autofill payment options through Google Pay on Chrome for cart sizes of $35 or more. Our take: Increasing the ease and availability of a payment method for US consumers can increase volume for BNPL providers and Google.

Paying by smartphone is now routine for a growing number of consumers, both in stores and online. Recent data shows the size of the user base, shifting demographics, shopper preferences, and how mobile fits into the spectrum of payment options.鈥�

The news: PayPal rolled out a dynamic, AI-powered scam alert system to protect consumers against fraud for 鈥淔riends and Family鈥� transactions. Our take: Rolling out user-facing AI-powered fraud protection alerts increases PayPal鈥檚 visibility as a safe financial provider for more than just online checkout at well-known retailers.

The news: PayPal users can get 20% cash back on their Taco Bell orders if they check out with PayPal or Venmo in-app or online, per a press release. Our take: For Taco Bell enthusiasts, 20% cash back every week may be too good of an offer to refuse.

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 news: Fiserv will launch its own stablecoin, FIUSD, by end of year to complement its existing banking and payments infrastructure. Our take: Reporting BNPL data to the credit bureaus would be a solid step toward combatting BNPL鈥檚 鈥減hantom debt鈥� criticism.

The news: Mastercard has awarded WPP Media its $180 million media account after ending its relationship with Dentsu-owned Carat. Our take: WPP Media鈥檚 previous with PayPal may give insight into the type of media it might produce for Mastercard. As the creative firm behind the 鈥淰enmo Everything鈥� campaign and the Will Ferrell-fronted PayPal Pay Later campaign, Mastercard鈥檚 new promos likely will feature zeitgeisty and generationally buzzy celebrities to target younger demographics.

The news: PayPal is launching storefront-style ads that allow users to buy products directly within display ads on publisher sites, using PayPal or Venmo without leaving the page. Debuting in the US with partners like Business Insider and Vox Media, the units will later expand to include carousels and listings. This move strengthens PayPal鈥檚 financial media network footprint after its 2023 Ads launch. Our take: As FMN spend is set to reach $1.78B by 2027, PayPal is embedding commerce where consumers already are. These shoppable ads address friction, drive impulse purchases, and position PayPal as a safeguard against rising AI-driven agentic commerce.

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.

The news: Google is launching Offerwall, a new Ad Manager tool that lets users unlock publisher content through ads, surveys, or payments鈥攑art of a broader effort to mend relationships with publishers facing traffic loss from AI Overviews and eroding ad share. Publishers say Google pays less than rivals like PubMatic and Magnite, and AI-driven zero-click searches have dropped site traffic significantly. Our take: With a DOJ remedies trial looming and ChatGPT traffic rising fast, Google鈥檚 publisher outreach isn鈥檛 just damage control鈥攊t鈥檚 existential. If AI is to remain useful and ethical, supporting the content it鈥檚 trained on is a must.

Digital wallets鈥� transformation into commerce enablers speeds up. We make a case for digital-only consumer credit cards. And we see a new threat that BNPL poses to credit cards.

With account integration ending for Android wallets, PayPal sets its sights on keeping more users within its own ecosystem.