The Monday Roundup: what we are watching this week | September 26th
By Gaia Lamperti
The Monday Roundup sets the scene for the week’s biggest news stories, industry deals, and upcoming events. For Prime subscribers only.
BNPL worldwide
Amazon and Affirm are extending their BNPL partnership to Canada, following the rollout of the service in the US last year. Canadian customers who select Affirm as a payment option during checkout on Amazon.ca will go through a quick, soft credit check that won’t impact their credit score but will determine available payment options for each customer. If approved, eligible customers will be able to split their purchases of $50 or more into monthly payments. “We’re always looking to enhance the paying experience for our customers, including how and when they can pay for their orders,” says David Williams, VP, Amazon Payment Products.
One in seven users of credit from BNPL providers in Australia, such as Afterpay or Zip, had more than 20 loans last year, according to new data from consumer group Choice. The survey also found that consumers were using BNPL services to cover essential bills, with one in six using short-term loans to cover supermarket purchases and 14% to pay for power. BNPL has boomed in popularity in Australia but most of the companies offering it have struggled to turn a profit and the sector faces a looming regulatory crackdown over concerns about consumer debts.
What they say about crypto…
Digital assets continue to act as risk assets, falling as global interest rates rise, Bank of America said in a research report Friday. Still, positive signs of recovery have been referred to stablecoin inflows, especially last week when they jumped to $490 million, 58% higher than the previous week, the report said, as “real world use cases like payments/remittances are adopted and real-world data providers like decentralized oracle networks increase functionality.”
JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon compared cryptocurrencies to Ponzi schemes, in a testimony to Congress earlier this week. He himself a “major skeptic on crypto tokens” and elaborated that cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, had been used frequently for “illicit purposes” and are “decentralised Ponzi schemes, and the notion that it is good for anybody is unbelievable.” The JPMorgan executive has criticised cryptocurrency before, for example in an interview with CNBC, calling Bitcoin a “terrible store of value.”
Where is the buzz
IBSi FinTech Journal

- Most trusted FinTech journal since 1991
- Digital monthly issue
- 60+ pages of research, analysis, interviews, opinions, and rankings
- Global coverage
Other Related News
February 05, 2025
Tap, pay, spend: How digital payments are surging in Southeast Asia & India
Read MoreRelated Reports

Sales League Table Report 2024
Know More
Global Digital Banking Vendor & Landscape Report Q4 2024
Know More
NextGen WealthTech: The Trends To Shape The Future Q4 2023
Know More
IBSi Spectrum Report: Supply Chain Finance Platforms Q4 2023
Know More