As retail analysts crunch incoming data from 2021 Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, early reports indicate digital commerce may be up by more than 10 percent from last year, largely driven by consumer preference and supply chain and in-store safety concerns, according to Alon Livneh, content writer and podcaster at Riskified.

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Small Business Saturday is just a few days away: Nov. 27. But even without a national program urging them to do so, consumers seem intent on spending at least some of their holiday shopping time at local small businesses, according to recent research.

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Expectations of robust holiday spending have prompted reminders from security analysts, service providers and financial institutions about secure shopping in stores, online and with mobile apps. In addition to the usual threats of phishing, malware, identity theft and compromised log-in credentials, experts have identified new threats stemming from emerging payment technologies and discussed ways to safeguard payments while also making them more convenient for shoppers.

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Amazon is taking on Visa over interchange fees. The ecommerce giant declared on Nov. 17 that it will no longer accept Visa credit cards issued in the United Kingdom as of Jan. 19, 2022. "The cost of accepting card payments continues to be an obstacle for businesses striving to provide the best prices for customers," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement provided to The Green Sheet.

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In response to escalating cryptocurrency adoption, which has reportedly grown from a market of $200 billion in January 2020 to an estimated $3 trillion in November 2021, the Joint Economic Committee held a Nov. 17, 2021, hearing to explore regulatory approaches to bitcoin and various other cryptocurrencies. Noting that combined digital assets have lost $400 billion in the last seven days, JEC Chair Don Beyer, D-Va., expressed concerns about price volatility.

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On the threshold of the 2021 holiday season, experts are reporting that technology advancements, universal standards and subscription-based models are bringing point-to-point encryption (P2PE) and tokenization to a broader segment of retailers.

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Changes in consumer shopping and payment habits, ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic, are here to stay. "Upwards of 80 percent of the shift to digital will be permanent," said Emilie Kroner, senior vice president, retail and commerce at Mastercard.

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The fourth quarter of 2021 has been chock-full of opportunities for global fintech stakeholders to meet in person and online. Money20/20 USA and the National ATM Council's annual gathering drew thousands to Las Vegas in October, with corporates relaxing post-pandemic travel restrictions.

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Recent studies by Deloitte and JRNI reflect cautious optimism among retailers and consumers as peak shopping season draws near. The 2021 Deloitte holiday retail survey, published for the 36th consecutive year on Oct. 19, 2021, found waning pandemic anxiety and rising holiday budgets will likely lead to a 15 percent increase over last year’s holiday spend.

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November 2021 ushered in Crypto Literacy Month, marking a new era in cryptocurrency's journey from emerging to mainstream technology. The initiative, designed to promote education and awareness of this digital commerce option, was the brainchild of CryptoLiteracy.org, a consortium of industry insiders Coinme, CoinDesk and Digital Currency Group. Neil Bergquist, CEO and co-founder of Coinme, described the initiative as a way to champion equal access to digital currencies.

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In an Oct. 27, 2021, media briefing, The National Retail Federation forecast strong holiday sales for online and brick-and-mortar retailers exceeding last year’s holiday spend by as much as 8.5 to 10.5 percent and revenues of $843.4 to $859 billion, according to NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay.

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If you can't join them, compete with them. That seems to sum up the latest move by data aggregator Plaid. The company just heralded a new "ecosystem" of payments partners that will make it easier for consumers and businesses to make digital payments funded by their bank accounts.

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