The Big Issue, a 30-year-old U.K.-based publication that employs homeless street vendors, is incorporating QR code payments to increase sales.

Bill.com, which reports earnings this week, is reportedly on the cusp of acquiring expense-management startup Divvy, which was recently valued at $1.6B.

Card issuing and processing startup Marqeta is reportedly on pace to move forward with a June IPO, making the paperwork public in May.

Banking technology company Fiserv, which owns point-of-sale payment system Clover, entered into a partnership with PayPal to allow QR code payments using PayPal and Venmo apps at business checkouts.

Southwest Airlines has struck a partnership with ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) provider Uplift, a company that focuses on point-of-sale financing for travel.

As consumers get more comfortable with cashless payment methods as the pandemic enters its second year, Amazon is launching a new biometric payment method called Amazon One at Seattle Whole Foods stores.

San Francisco-based Affirm, which offers ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) financing for consumer purchases, announced that it will acquire Returnly, a returns platform that allows customers to get instant store credit even before a return is processed.

Payments giant Mastercard plans to acquire Ekata, a 2-year-old Seattle based company that focuses on APIs and SaaS digital-identity solutions that help more than 2,000 businesses and partners combat cyberfraud.

As digital business payments surge during the pandemic, Citibank is helping its clients gain more visibility into payment paths, reminiscent of the process to track shipments of physical goods.

Bank of America has acquired Santa Barbara, California-based Axia Technologies, which is also known as AxiaMed. The 6-year-old payments technology company focuses on healthcare.

Point-of-sale lender Affirm is moving past retail shopping and into vacation property rentals. The company, which went public earlier this year, announced a limited-time partnership with vacation rental marketplace Vrbo.

Google’s head of payments says he’s leaving the company for a yet-to-be-announced “new mission.” His last day at the company is April 30.

As Stripe reaches a $95B valuation, its talent is being sought out by newer startups looking to scale. This week, Ramp, a two-year-old corporate card startup, hired Colin Kennedy, Stripe’s former global head of partnerships, as its chief business officer.

Stripe, a company whose tools allow merchants to accept payments, says it’s growing its European operations amid a $600M Series H fund raise.

While the bulk of stimulus payment cards are going out through direct deposit, a significant number will be sent via MetaBank-issued prepaid cards.