Insights
Why Do Bitcoins Have Value?
Currency is usable if it is a store of value, or, put differently, if it can reliably be counted on to maintain its relative value over time and without depreciating. In many societies throughout history, commodities or precious metals were used as methods of payment because they were seen as having a relatively stable value. Rather…
Read More
ETA: Celebrating Women’s History in Payments
Women’s History Month celebrates the contributions of women to our culture, history, workplace, and society. This month, we at ETA and in the ETA Network have been reflecting on the increasingly pivotal role women play in supporting the payments ecosystem at all levels and the continued potential for growth in diversity, equality, and inclusion. In honor of…
Read More
ACH Network Sees Record Growth in 2020 to 26.8 Billion Payments
The 26.8 billion payments made on the ACH Network in 2020 is an increase of 8.2% over 2019, while the value of those payments, $61.9 trillion, is up 10.8%. A record of more than 2 billion new payments were added in 2020, and the growth rate is the highest since 2007. The 2020 results also mark…
Read More
A Guide To Contactless Payments
Contactless payments offer consumers a way to “tap” to pay for their goods at the point-of-sale, allowing them to potentially avoid contact with surfaces that could be contaminated with COVID-19. The payments industry has been powering secure contactless payments in the U.S. and across the world for years, but the technology is still new to…
Read More
Contactless Payments Are To Replace Metrocard by 2023
The use of contactless cards and mobile wallets for payments has experienced expedited growth during the pandemic thanks to consumers’ wish to avoid grimy POS terminals. Mercator Advisory Group data finds that consumers have been switching to contactless as a new way to pay and those who used contactless prior to the onset of the global pandemic are…
Read More
What Is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that you can buy, sell and exchange directly, without an intermediary like a bank. Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, originally described the need for “an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust.” Each and every Bitcoin transaction that’s ever been made exists on a public ledger accessible…
Read More
How Small Business Can Recover In 2021
If the pandemic was hard on major retailers who have doors and customers nationwide along with a strong internet presence, small businesses weren’t about to get a pass. And like the big box stores, the independent stores, and micro chains had to learn to adapt if they wanted to stay alive. “What we’ve seen is those merchants…
Read More