The reason? Amid challenges such as operational uncertainty, ongoing geopolitical friction and supply chain disarray, firms frequently scramble to turn cost centers into levers for resilience.

Given the realities of today’s macro backdrop, many businesses are looking no further than one of the most stubbornly analog components of their operations: B2B payments.

A growing number of firms are turning to virtual cards to digitize payables and even receivables. In doing so, they are discovering strategic advantages beyond cutting paper out of the equation.

President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and regulatory complexities are piling up. The latest on the U.S. tariffs, which remain in effect on China and continue impacting sectors like semiconductors, electric vehicles, automobiles and rare earth minerals, have prompted procurement teams to identify alternate suppliers, often across borders and currencies. At the same time, compliance departments are grappling with a surge in know your customer (KYC), anti-money laundering (AML), and other regulatory checks as global commerce grows more fragmented.

For finance departments still reliant on paper checks and legacy wire transfers, these shifts have created friction that’s becoming more than just inconvenient but is veering into the strategically untenable.

As chief financial officers face increasing pressure to manage geopolitical risk, maintain liquidity and support business continuity, the case for virtual cards is becoming less about automation and more about optionality.

Read also: Trump’s Global Tariffs Position CFOs as New Supply Chain Architects

The Strategic CFO’s New Virtual Card Mandate

Suddenly, payment processing time isn’t just about operational efficiency. It’s about supply chain agility.

Virtual cards, unique, single-use card numbers generated for specific transactions, have been around for more than a decade. Initially positioned as a fraud-reduction tool for corporate travel, they’ve quietly evolved into a robust B2B payment method. What’s changed is not just the volume but the strategic rationale.

For years, the virtual card conversation was about rebates and fraud control. Now, it’s about visibility, traceability and speed, especially in complex trade environments where every delay has downstream impacts.

Unlike ACH transfers, which often require manual supplier onboarding and can take days to process, virtual cards can be issued instantly, embedded in existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) workflows and settled in near real time. This agility is especially valuable when companies need to pivot suppliers or route goods through new territories in response to trade disruptions.

Every new trade restriction amplifies the inefficiencies of paper-based payments.

“The really progressive companies are getting in front of [the transition to virtual card],” WEX President of Corporate Payments Eric Frankovic told PYMNTS this month. “… They have to cut costs, they have to control costs, they have to keep a healthy supply chain. And in order to do that, they have to start those conversations.”

See also: Mobile Wallets and Virtual Cards Give B2B Payments Digital Makeover

Embedded Finance Meets Strategic Procurement

Another force accelerating virtual card adoption is the rise of embedded finance — the seamless integration of financial services into non-financial platforms. Procurement software, ERP systems and supply chain management tools are increasingly embedding payment capabilities, enabling firms to initiate and reconcile virtual card payments directly from the same interface used to approve purchase orders.

The benefits aren’t just operational. Suppliers, particularly small- to medium-sized vendors in emerging markets, often prefer virtual card payments because they settle faster and don’t require maintaining complex banking infrastructures. Some platforms even offer early payment options, allowing suppliers to receive funds within hours in exchange for a small discount — effectively embedding working capital solutions into the payment rails themselves.

Despite their appeal, virtual cards are not without challenges. Some suppliers are reluctant to accept card payments due to interchange fees, and integration with legacy accounting systems can be nontrivial. Additionally, card networks’ reach still varies by region and industry.

Still, the PYMNTS Intelligence report “Building Better B2B Relationships Through Payments Innovation” found that automation, virtual cards and digital payments are becoming cornerstones of B2B payments, with businesses increasingly recognizing their role in strengthening buyer-supplier relationships.

As the next round of tariffs looms and supply chains continue to evolve, firms still relying on paper checks may find themselves in a different kind of paper jam — one that’s entirely self-inflicted.

For all PYMNTS B2B coverage, subscribe to the daily B2B Newsletter.

The post Trump’s Tariffs Could Act as Tailwind for Digitizing B2B Payments appeared first on PYMNTS.com.

FinTechs and government-backed initiatives are driving Latin America’s digital payments revolution, with solutions like Worldpay, Pix and Mercado Pago leading the charge. These efforts have promoted financial inclusion by enabling previously underserved populations to access formal financial services and participate in the digital economy. As a result, digital wallets and apps are becoming the preferred payment methods for many consumers. With innovative solutions and cross-sector collaboration paving the way, Latin America is emerging as a global leader in digital payment adoption — positioned for a more inclusive and digital financial landscape.

• Digital Payments Take Latin America by Storm
• Mobile Wallets and Apps Advance Purchasing and Financial Inclusion
• FinTechs and Governments Drive Instant Payment Adoption
• Latin America’s Digital Payments Momentum Is Just Getting Started

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Digital Payments Take Latin America by Storm

Digital payments in Latin America have surged in popularity in recent years and are now on the verge of displacing more traditional payment options like cash.

Digital payments are quickly supplanting cash as the payment method of choice in Latin America.

A2A transfers and digital wallets are key drivers of this shift. In 2024, A2A transfers via real-time payment rails made up 24% of eCommerce transaction value and 15% of point-of-sale (POS) transaction value. Digital wallets are the fastest-growing payment method for in-store transactions, with their transaction value projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% from 2024 to 2030.

Credit cards remain a prominent payment method online and in-store, accounting for 30% of eCommerce transaction value and 24% of POS transaction value in 2024. However, like cash, they are losing ground to digital alternatives. By 2030, credit card usage is expected to decline to just 21% of eCommerce transaction value and 19% of POS transaction value. This trend underscores the rapid adoption of digital alternatives as consumers across Latin America embrace more convenient and accessible payment options.

Brazil’s Pix is a remarkable example of digital payments’ surging popularity.

Pix, the government-backed real-time payment system developed by the Central Bank of Brazil, has achieved unprecedented growth, becoming one of the country’s most preferred payment methods. According to a recent report based on data from the Central Bank, Pix processed more than 6 billion transactions per month by the end of 2024, culminating in a total of 64 billion transactions for the year. This represents a 53% year-over-year increase, surpassing the combined total of debit and credit card transactions by 80%. On Dec. 20, Pix set a single-day record of 252.1 million transactions. Person-to-business (P2B) payments led the way, growing 94% year over year. Business-to-business (B2B) payment volume also grew, exceeding 1 trillion reals (approximately $178 billion) in December 2024, marking a 56% increase year over year.

Looking ahead, Pix is set to roll out two major innovations to further boost adoption. First, it plans to introduce tap-to-pay functionality using near-field communication (NFC) technology, offering a seamless experience comparable to Apple Pay but without transaction fees. Additionally, Pix Automatic will launch in June 2025, enabling recurring payments for subscriptions, utilities and investments.
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Mobile Wallets and Apps Advance Purchasing and Financial Inclusion

Mobile devices are rapidly becoming the preferred means and method for payments across Latin America, not only revolutionizing purchasing but also promoting financial inclusion.

Mobile wallets and payment apps have become go-to payment tools in Latin America.

This shift reflects broader trends in Latin America’s financial landscape as digital means and methods increasingly replace traditional payment methods like cash. The convenience and accessibility of mobile-based payments empower consumers to manage their finances more securely and efficiently, even in areas with limited banking infrastructure.

Digital payments are promoting financial inclusion across the region.

A recent report found that consumer adoption of fast payment systems — such as Brazil’s Pix and Mexico’s CoDi, which enable real-time or near-real-time transactions — are closely tied to mobile phone penetration, which exceeds 70% in Latin America. As a result, mobile-based payments have become a critical tool for financial inclusion, particularly among unbanked populations. By reducing reliance on cash and traditional banking infrastructure, digital payments empower small businesses and individuals in remote areas to engage in the digital economy. Additionally, digital payment systems help lower remittance costs, making these transactions more affordable for households that rely on them, and facilitate microtransactions that sustain daily economic activity. However, challenges remain, including uneven infrastructure in rural areas and regulatory hurdles that complicate regional payment integration.
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FinTechs and Governments Drive Instant Payment Adoption

Instant payments are quickly becoming table stakes in Latin America, driven both by government initiatives like Pix in Brazil and private FinTechs like MODO in Argentina.

The Latin American FinTech scene is growing at a blistering pace.

Government initiatives are spurring digital payment growth.

Countries across the region have implemented programs to boost digital payment adoption among their populaces, ranging from pro-FinTech regulations and digitized subsidy payments to full government-sponsored instant payment systems like Brazil’s Pix. Since its introduction, Pix has significantly boosted financial inclusion by encouraging the opening of digital accounts across all societal segments and integrating more individuals into the financial ecosystem.

Governments have also boosted digital payment integration by enabling more widespread internet and mobile data access. At the close of 2023, 418 million Latin Americans, or 65% of the population, had access to mobile internet, a 75 million user increase over five years. In countries like Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile, more than 80% of the population enjoys regular internet access. This demonstrates how improved digital infrastructure has supported financial inclusion in the region, with FinTechs playing a key role by introducing accessible and innovative digital platforms designed to meet the specific needs of Latin America’s population.
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Latin America’s Digital Payments Momentum Is Just Getting Started

The rapid rise of digital payments in Latin America presents a compelling case for continued investment, innovation and collaboration across the financial ecosystem. From government-led systems like Brazil’s Pix to FinTech-powered mobile wallets and peer-to-peer apps, digital solutions are reaching more consumers and businesses than ever — especially in underserved and remote communities. These platforms not only promote economic participation but also empower consumers with secure and convenient financial tools, reducing reliance on cash and enhancing financial literacy across the region.

As adoption grows, digital payments are helping to boost purchasing power, foster eCommerce expansion and enable small businesses to reach more customers. However, sustaining this momentum will require continued investment in infrastructure, regulatory harmonization and public-private partnerships. Ensuring that digital payment solutions remain accessible, affordable and interoperable across Latin America will be key to long-term success. Stakeholders who act now can help shape a more inclusive and connected financial future for the region.

The acceleration of digital payments across Latin America is more than a trend — it’s a transformation. By combining mobile-first innovation with inclusive financial infrastructure, the region is not only closing access gaps but redefining what modern commerce looks like. At Galileo, we see this as a blueprint for building digital economies that serve everyone — faster, fairer and on their terms.”

The post Digital Developments: Charting Digital Payment Growth in Latin America appeared first on PYMNTS.com.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “How People Pay: Budgeting Anxiety Drives Debit Card Usage” shed light on the nuanced decision making behind payment method selection in brick-and-mortar stores and across digital channels.

The report, a comprehensive survey of 2,552 U.S. consumers conducted in August, uncovered a fundamental tension between consumers seeking to manage their spending and those prioritizing financial incentives. This dichotomy played out differently depending on the shopping environment.

For in-store purchases, debit cards and cash were favored by those focused on budgeting and convenience, with 14% of debit card users and 20% of cash users citing budget management as a key reason for their choice.

Conversely, credit card use in-store was predominantly driven by the desire for rewards or cash back, cited by 40% of users. Security concerns also factored into in-store choices, with cash being the preferred method for consumers prioritizing payment security.

The online landscape presented a slightly different picture, although the underlying themes of budgeting and incentives persisted. Budget-minded online shoppers gravitated toward debit cards, with roughly a quarter highlighting the ease of tracking payments and 14% emphasizing budget control.

Security became a more prominent factor in online transactions, with 8.3% of credit card users citing better security compared to 4.8% of debit card users.

Despite this, the primary driver for online credit card use remained rewards, attracting one-third of users.

Digital wallets emerged as a strong contender for online convenience, with 55% of users citing them as their main reason, higher than debit or credit cards.

Trust in the provider played a larger role for PayPal users compared to those using Google Pay or Apple Pay.

Other key findings from the report:

• Forty percent of consumers using credit cards in-store were motivated by rewards or cash back. This highlighted the continued power of incentive programs in driving credit card adoption for physical purchases.
• Convenience was the top motivator for online debit card use, cited by 44% of users. This underscored the importance of seamless transaction experiences in the digital realm for debit card holders.
• Fifty-five percent of online digital wallet users prioritized convenience. This demonstrated the growing appeal of digital wallets for their ease and efficiency in eCommerce.

Beyond these key takeaways, the report delved into other compelling aspects of consumer payment behavior. For instance, it explored the motivations behind digital wallet use in physical stores, where convenience was also the leading factor, albeit by a smaller margin compared to online transactions. The report also differentiated between various digital wallet providers, noting the importance of brand trust for PayPal users.

The post Convenience Drives Digital Wallet Use for More Than Half of Consumers appeared first on PYMNTS.com.

The reason? Brazil’s demographic and regulatory environment has created a near-perfect sandbox for FinTech evolution.

André Cazotto, investor relations officer, M&A, and corporate strategy officer at PicPay, explained to PYMNTS that three key ingredients are fueling Brazil’s digital momentum: a young, tech-savvy population, near-universal smartphone access (approaching 90%), and a regulator with vision.

“The central bank played a huge role in digital inclusion and competition. Pix — the instant payment system — was a game-changer. In 2024 alone, 155 million people used Pix for transactions totaling over 27 trillion reais,” Cazotto said, noting that he sees this as more than just payment volume.

“It helped millions of Brazilians access financial services for the first time,” he said. “The combination of demographics, technology and regulation has made Brazil a model for FinTech growth.”

Redefining Finance and Payments

Unlike many governments that lag behind technological shifts, Brazil’s regulators are ahead of the curve. The central bank and other financial authorities have taken a proactive stance, crafting a framework that encourages experimentation while safeguarding consumer interests.

“We were the forerunners of instant payments in Brazil,” Cazotto said of PicPay. “Ten years before the central bank introduced Pix, we were already enabling P2P payments and QR code transactions.”

Founded in 2012 in Vitória, PicPay began as a digital wallet — similar to early PayPal — and scaled to become Brazil’s largest.

“We were an open platform from the start,” Cazotto said. “Any credit card from any issuer could be registered.”

That open approach laid the groundwork for an aggressive expansion into full-service digital banking. The company now boasts 60 million registered accounts and 40 million active users.

“Our strategy has shifted from wallet to comprehensive financial services,” Cazotto said. “We now offer credit cards, personal loans, insurance, investments — and it’s all gaining serious momentum. … Today, we have over 40 million cards on file. We’re actually bigger than Apple Pay in Brazil.”

Backed by a unique blend of innovation, regulatory openness, and a focus on user experience, PicPay’s story is also Brazil’s story: a case study in how technology, when done right, can scale access, unlock markets, and ignite massive growth. Indeed, 2024 marked a turning point for PicPay, noted Cazotto: Financial services now contribute 45% of total revenue, up from just 10% in 2023.

“Last year alone, we issued 11 million credit cards, originated 7 billion reais in personal loans, and signed 5 million insurance policies,” he said. “That’s how fast the model is evolving.”

Regulation, Tech as Growth Engine

One of the most important outcomes of PicPay’s growth — and Brazil’s digital finance boom at large — is how it’s closing the gap in financial inclusion. For decades, millions of Brazilians were excluded from financial services due to lack of credit history, documentation, or proximity to banks.

Customers enter through the wallet and expand into services — a progression fueled by data.

“The transaction data gives us deep insight into user behavior,” Cazotto said. “We can then cross-sell intelligently — the right product, at the right time, in the right context.”

This thinking extends to the PicPay Store (its own commerce layer), crypto, and small business financial services. The secret sauce? Speed.

“At one point, we were launching two new products a month,” Cazotto said. “That kind of velocity just doesn’t exist at incumbent banks.”

Tech isn’t just a delivery mechanism for PicPay — it’s a growth engine. Cazotto is particularly excited about PicPay’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, which integrates with the app and WhatsApp to handle basic banking via voice or text.

“We’re one of the top 10 global users of OpenAI,” he revealed. “AI is embedded across customer service, marketing, and even financial advice. … It’s innovation with purpose.”

FinTechs are “not just about payments anymore,” Cazotto said. “It’s about becoming the financial partner of everyday life.”

The post Brazil’s Pix Lays Foundation for ‘Perfect’ Digital Financial Ecosystem appeared first on PYMNTS.com.

A recent report titled “Digital Wallets Beyond Transactions: Global In-Depth Report,” produced by PYMNTS in collaboration with Google Wallet, surveyed over 12,000 consumers across Brazil, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States to uncover the current state and future potential of these digital tools.

The study found that while most consumers in these key markets are indeed familiar with digital wallets and report generally high satisfaction rates, the specifics of platform preference and usage vary significantly by country. For example, in the U.S., digital wallets are most commonly used for online shopping, contrasting with other markets where in-store purchases are more prevalent.

The report highlighted that familiarity with the top three digital wallets — Google Wallet, Apple Wallet, and Samsung Wallet — is widespread, though recognition levels differ across the studied nations.

The U.K. shows the highest rate of correctly identifying Google Wallet as a digital wallet, while France and Brazil have lower recognition rates. In terms of usage, Apple Wallet generally has a higher penetration across the five countries, but notably, Google Wallet leads in Brazil, where overall digital wallet usage is high. Satisfaction levels are also noteworthy, with Google Wallet users reporting the highest rates of being very or extremely satisfied.

Beyond payments, the report explored the adoption of digital wallets for digital verification and access, such as storing IDs, transportation passes and event tickets. While a portion of consumers store credentials digitally, a smaller percentage currently use the key digital wallets for this purpose, indicating significant room for growth in these non-transactional applications.

Here are three key data points from the report:

• 86% of consumers in the U.K. could correctly identify Google Wallet as a digital wallet, showcasing a higher level of understanding compared to France (57%) and Brazil (50%).
• In the U.S., 74% of Google Wallet users primarily use wallet-stored cards for online shopping, a behavior that diverges from other studied markets where in-store usage is more common.
• Only 2.6% of consumers across the five countries reported using Google Wallet, compared to 5.9% for Apple Wallet, indicating that while familiarity is high, overall usage of Google Wallet still lags behind its primary competitor.

Interestingly, across all five countries, a significant two-thirds of users have utilized Google Wallet for in-store purchases in the last year, a trend mirrored by users of Samsung Wallet (66%) and Apple Wallet (74%).

Paying bills also emerged as a popular use case, with 40% of all consumers having used any digital wallet for this purpose in the past year. When it comes to storing digital credentials, U.K. consumers showed the highest adoption rate within the top three wallets, at 30%.

The report suggests that as consumers become more comfortable with the capabilities beyond payments, and as providers enhance and promote these features, the adoption of digital wallets for a wider range of uses is likely to increase. The survey, conducted between Jan. 11, 2024, and Feb. 5, 2024, and involving 12,299 consumers, underscores the evolving landscape of digital wallet usage and the nuanced market dynamics at play.

The post Nearly Half of Consumers Use Digital Wallets for Bill Payments Globally appeared first on PYMNTS.com.

That system, The Clearing House’s (TCH) automated clearinghouse (ACH) network, saw its transaction volume increase by 6.2% last year, the company said Monday (March 31). The system in 2024 processed 20.7 billion transactions worth $56.4 trillion, accounting for roughly half of the U.S. ACH commercial volume last year.

“The EPN network’s growth since 2021 outpaced ACH industry growth, with The Clearing House’s network averaging 7.4% per year, as businesses and consumers continued to embrace electronic payments,” TCH said in a news release.

The company said that the trend of increasing volumes has continued into this year, with the EPN system processing a record number of transactions on Feb. 14, with a single-day transaction volume of more than 152.4 million.

“The Clearing House’s EPN network continues its outstanding growth rate,” said Jason Carone, senior vice president of EPN product management, The Clearing House. 

“Consumers and businesses appreciate the convenience and security provided with electronic payments. We see growth in all our payment networks, particularly with instant payments and same day ACH payments.”

The release added that ACH volume has grown for all user types and use cases, with business-to-business payments up nearly 11.6% year over year. 

Direct deposit volume and person-to-person (P2P) transfers and account-to-account (A2A) transfers and bill payments, are all also increasing as consumers move to faster-payment options and away from paper checks.

The Clearing House’s RTP® network last month processed a $10 million real-time transaction, the largest instant payment in U.S. history.

“With the transaction cap now at $10 million — up from $1 million — corporations can transfer high-value funds instantly. This unlocks new possibilities for treasury management, supply chain financing and interbank settlements,” PYMNTS wrote recently.

TCH’s findings come amid a dramatic shift in consumer sentiment towards instant digital disbursements, as recent PYMNTS research shows. 

“Digital Transformation and Instant Payments Fuel Business Disbursement Efficiency,” a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence and Ingo Payments, found that 41% of U.S. consumers reported receiving instant disbursements most often in January of this year, up 30% since 2018.

“This surge in demand has implications for financial institutions, businesses, and payment providers,” PYMNTS wrote last week.

“As consumers view immediate access to their funds as a necessity rather than a luxury, the ability to provide seamless and secure digital disbursement options is becoming a critical competitive differentiator. Companies that fail to adapt risk falling behind in an economy that is rapidly moving toward real-time financial interactions.”

The post The Clearing House Claims Half of US Commercial ACH Volume appeared first on PYMNTS.com.

The findings paint a clear picture of a consumer segment that has wholeheartedly embraced digital convenience. Zillennials are not reaching for cash or even traditional credit cards with the same frequency as other generations. Instead, they are overwhelmingly drawn to the ease and speed of digital wallets, demonstrating a preference that is more than double that of the general population in categories like grocery shopping. This embrace of mobile payments underscores their desire to “tap and go,” reflecting a fundamental shift towards prioritizing seamless transactions both in physical stores and online. The report also delves into the reasons behind these preferences, highlighting convenience and ease of use as primary drivers for adopting digital payment methods.

Here are three key data points from the PYMNTS Intelligence report:

• Digital Wallet Dominance: Nineteen percent of zillennials used a digital wallet for their last grocery purchase, more than twice the 9% of the overall consumer sample. This highlights a significant preference for mobile payments in everyday transactions.
• Cashless Inclination: Only 11% of zillennials paid with cash at restaurants, a stark contrast to the 17% of consumers across all generations. This signals a strong move away from physical currency in favor of more convenient digital options.
• Credit Card Caution: Just 24% of zillennials used credit cards for their last grocery purchases, compared to 32% of the broader population. This indicates a more risk-averse approach to credit, likely driven by a desire to avoid debt and overspending.

While zillennials lead the charge in digital wallet adoption and eschewing cash, their relationship with credit cards is marked by caution, with a notable preference for the immediacy and perceived safety of debit cards. For travel purchases, a significant 29% of zillennials opted for digital wallets, compared to just 18% of the general population, further solidifying their inclination towards digital solutions even for higher-value transactions. As this generation’s spending power continues its upward trajectory, understanding and catering to these distinct payment preferences will be crucial for banks, payment processors and merchants aiming to capture a significant share of the future market.

The post Zillennials Ditch Cash for Digital Wallets When Dining Out appeared first on PYMNTS.com.

Monzo Split is aimed at solving what the company said is a persistent problem in the U.K. Consumers lose money because they feel too awkward to ask to be paid back after covering shared expenses, according to a Monday (March 24) press release provided to PYMNTS.

“We’ve all been there — trying to stay on top of costs on a group trip, managing ongoing household expenses or buying that round of drinks — and then awkwardly chasing people,” Monzo Chief Product Officer Andy Smart said in the release. “We don’t think splitting costs should come at a cost, so we built Monzo Split. Now, whether you’re a Monzo customer or not, we can take care of the tracking, the maths, and even the nudging, so you don’t have to.”

More than half of U.K. residents routinely cover costs for others, while over a third have fallen out with friends or family over asking to be paid back, the release said.

With Monzo Split, consumers can avoid these situations by splitting, tracking, paying and requesting payments from a single space, even if they don’t bank with Monzo, per the release. The tool offers two ways to manage expenses: Running Split, for recurring expenses like household bills, and Single Split, for one-time expenses like a shared cab ride.

The launch of Monzo Split follows the release of similar products designed to ease expense sharing among consumers.

For example, PayPal last year introduced Pool Money, a feature that helps customers and their friends and family pool funds for shared expenses like group gifts, travel and special events.

A few weeks later, financial platform Tribe Money Pools announced the launch of its mobile payments app, which lets organizations, teams and social groups streamline shared expenses.

Bill splitting is a widespread use for digital wallets, particularly among young users. The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Digital Wallets Beyond Financial Transactions: U.K. Edition” found that 19% of Generation Z consumers and 12.5% of millennials in the U.K. routinely turn to digital wallets for this purpose.

“As younger generations embrace this functionality, they’re changing how financial exchanges happen among peers, making digital wallets indispensable for everyday financial management,” PYMNTS reported in December.

The post Monzo Debuts Tool to Ease Shared Expense Awkwardness appeared first on PYMNTS.com.

The intersection of technology and Irish celebration has created innovations across financial services, artificial intelligence and digital marketing. This evolving digital ecosystem transforms how businesses and consumers experience the festive holiday.

Banking Goes Green: Digital Promotions in Financial Services

St. Patrick’s Day offers financial institutions opportunities to engage customers digitally. Most banks will remain open Monday — as celebrated as it is, the day isn’t a U.S. federal holiday — continuing their normal operations while adding festive touches to their digital presence. Some institutions are capitalizing on the holiday spirit with specially themed promotions.

Forget dying a river green. Financial institutions regularly illuminate their buildings in green lighting for the holiday, creating shareable social media moments. U.S. Bank Tower, for example, has traditionally decorated its Sacramento building green for the occasion.

Digital banking apps use the day to interact with customers by introducing holiday-themed interfaces, with promotional offers tied to pots of gold. Financial institutions also use St. Patrick’s Day as a timely hook for promoting financial wellness through their platforms. This approach frames financial advice as finding your pot of gold through smart money management, turning the holiday into an opportunity to encourage better budgeting and savings habits while increasing digital platform use.

AI-Powered Creativity Transforms Holiday Content

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how businesses create and customize St. Patrick’s Day content. AI art generators like Midjourney enable financial marketers to produce unique, branded holiday visuals without extensive graphic design resources. Similarly, Appy Pie’s AI St. Patrick’s Day Poster Generator allows businesses to create custom promotional materials instantly.

An example comes from Ireland’s postal service, An Post, which collaborated last year with Microsoft to offer AI-generated St. Patrick’s Day cards. This service allowed customers to design personalized cards by selecting St. Patrick’s Day keywords, with Microsoft’s AI generating unique designs based on these inputs. It even included AI-written greetings or verses like limericks.

Other platforms have embraced similar AI capabilities to help users craft personalized St. Patrick’s Day messages. These technologies allow even smaller institutions to create professional-quality, customized content that resonates with their specific customer base while reducing production costs and timeframes.

Digital Marketing Strategies With an Irish Flair

Marketing professionals are finding ways to use St. Patrick’s Day through digital channels. The holiday represents an opportunity for themed promotions that can drive engagement and sales.

WPForms suggested creating themed coupon codes like “LUCKYDAY” or “GOLDCOIN” that are both memorable and holiday appropriate. These digital discount strategies are being implemented across eCommerce platforms, with many businesses organizing flash sales specifically timed around St. Patrick’s Day.

Social media campaigns using holiday hashtags and custom St. Patrick’s Day filters enable businesses to extend their reach during this period. Financial services companies increasingly create shareable, branded content that aligns with the festivities while subtly promoting digital services.

Payment Innovations and Holiday Shopping

The payments sector isn’t missing out on the festivities either, with marketing campaigns and promotional tools for merchants. Payment processors and software platforms have developed St. Patrick’s Day-themed digital receipts and transaction experiences to engage consumers.

Content creators and entrepreneurs are finding new opportunities in St. Patrick’s Day digital products. AI tools are used to identify unsaturated niches for holiday-themed digital offerings, from printables to specialized digital content.

The holiday has become a testing ground for AI-assisted market research, helping creators identify profitable opportunities in the seasonal digital product space. This entrepreneurial push is a growing segment of the gig economy that uses cultural moments for digital commerce.

The Future of Digital Celebrations

The pot of gold at the end of today’s rainbow isn’t just about luck — it’s about using digital transformation to create meaningful connections with consumers during cultural moments that matter. For financial services professionals, understanding these digital trends presents valuable opportunities to engage customers in festive and financially rewarding ways.

The post The Digital Gold at the End of the Rainbow: How Tech Is Transforming St. Patrick’s Day appeared first on PYMNTS.com.

The event was held the same day the company announced PayPal Open, its new merchant platform, expanded efforts with Verifone to “win checkout” and detailed a broadening of its strategic pact with J.P. Morgan Payments to expand merchant acquiring and launch Fastlane in Europe and the U.K.

“This is a new PayPal,” Chriss said. “Call it PayPal 2.0. Call it the next chapter.”

PayPal Everywhere

The announcements tie in with a strategy that Chriss said would take PayPal from being a firm that “you know and love, just online, to being available everywhere … online, instore, everywhere a consumer or a merchant wants to transact, we need to be available … creating personalized experiences, leveraging the data, leveraging the information we have [on merchants and consumers] to help them find each other.” 

He said APIs and the platform, with the aid of information flows, would create customer profiles and enable merchants to “create the exact personalized shopping adventure” for those profiles, complete with product recommendations. 

“We think  we can take the data, the assets that we have, and the two-sided network that we have, and create a better relationship,” he said.

Merchants also will be able to provide discounts and rewards based on that personalized relationships, according to the presentation.

During his own remarks, Chief Technology Officer Srini Venkatesan said that the data on hand spans 430 million consumers and merchants across 20 markets, along with $1.7 trillion in annual payments volumes, and 20 trillion customer interactions. But the data remains scattered across disparate systems, he added, “which slows us down.” 

He told the audience that the platforms and initiatives announced Tuesday are “unifying our technology.” Artificial intelligence (AI), he said, is reducing development times for new products and services, while helping make the firm’s own employees more efficient.

Diego Scotti, general manager of the company’s consumer group, said that PayPal’s “pay everywhere” efforts will include tap to pay, credit and pay later products, and that debit has shown particular promise, as total payment volume (TPV) via debit cards has grown 100% year on year. 

An NFC wallet is on track to be launched in Germany this year, he said; other P2P innovations will include the ability to send money instantly to bank accounts. And with a nod to crypto, he said, “PayPal was the company that brought the world offline-to-online and now we’re the ones taking it from online to on-chain.” 

The PayPal Wallet will get “smarter,” Scotti said, as customers can add and cancel subscriptions, and “soon all of your offers, rewards and loyalty programs will stack automatically and be applied automatically right there in the app. … Consumers will automatically earn and burn merchant rewards at the point of sale.”

Focus on Merchants

Frank Keller, GM of large enterprise, said that the company has been “laser focused on reimagining our checkout experiences,” and said that Fastlane has gained momentum, with more than 170 million accounts in the U.S. that are “Fastlane ready,” where merchants will see conversion lifts of 50% in guest checkouts. The company’s overall plan is to accelerate TPV by 8% to 10% in 2027, he said, and volumes should grow at eCommerce levels.

Michelle Gill, GM of small business and financial services, said that the company has been revamping its small business efforts and “is on the path to be the indispensable platform for small business.” 

She said that the 35 screens that had previously confronting merchants when onboarding had been reduced to seven. She also noted that when merchants have added buy now, pay later (BNPL), the payment option increases average order values by 62%. 

“And merchants who adopt PayPal Working Capital typically see a 36% increase in their total payment volume subsequent to that first loan.”

In addition, Gill said, “In 2025, the thing we’re really excited about is we’re going to tap into a brand new market, B2B [business-to-business] bill pay. B2B bill pay is tapping into a $2 trillion market. This is exciting not just for our merchants, but also for PayPal in that it opens up a brand new network. … They now get to invite their vendors, and their suppliers to join the PayPal ecosystem. … By the end of 2025, we hope to power all of this through PYUSD,” the company’s stablecoin.

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