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NewsBriefs

Plaid reveals new payments 'ecosystem' industry, as we continue to work through both the
changing behaviors of consumers, as well as the changes
Plaid launched a new "ecosystem" of payments partners brought about by the pandemic, and any evolving external
devised to make it easier for consumers and businesses issues, related to supply chain, workforce, inflation and
to make digital payments funded by their bank accounts. others,” Shay said.
The news comes less than a year after the U.S. Department
of Justice put the kibosh on Plaid's sale to Visa. Visa Crypto initiatives reflect rising momentum
withdrew its $5.3 billion offer after the U.S. Department of
Justice opposed the deal on antitrust grounds. November 2021 ushered in Crypto Literacy Month,
marking a new era in cryptocurrency's journey into the
In challenging the combination, DOJ lawyers argued that mainstream.
Visa had a "monopoly" on online debit payments, and that
Plaid was developing a payments platform that the Visa The initiative, designed to promote education and
acquisition was apt to sideline. Plaid's ecosystem will use awareness of this digital commerce option, was the
the ACH and third parties to exchange account-to-account brainchild of CryptoLiteracy.org, a consortium of industry
payments rather than using the card networks. insiders Coinme, CoinDesk and Digital Currency Group.
Neil Bergquist, CEO and co-founder of Coinme, described
NRF predicts healthy holiday spend the initiative as a way to champion equal access to digital
currencies. "Our industry needs to do more to improve
The National Retail Federation is predicting strong holiday crypto literacy throughout the world," Bergquist said.
sales for online and brick-and-mortar retailers exceeding
last year’s holiday spend by as much as 8.5 to 10.5 percent On another front, oline gift card provider GiftChill
and revenues of $843.4 to $859 billion, according to NRF disclosed Nov. 1, 2021, that customers can now buy gift
president and CEO Matthew Shay. cards with cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin. Company
representatives stated that transactions are secure and
“We all know it's been another historic year in terms customers can receive weekly offers on popular cards.
of transformation and incredible growth in the retail