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The use of mobile wallets skyrockets to 31.2% among consumers, with Apple Pay leading the way

According to a report from PYMNTS Intelligence, the use of virtual wallets in stores has reached 31.2% among consumers as of September, nearly triple the rate recorded three years ago. This growth indicates a notable trend towards the digitalization of payments at the point of sale, with Apple Pay leading the market in the United States. The Apple empire Apple Pay has established itself as the dominant mobile wallet with an estimated sales volume of $450 billion, representing 6% of all in-store purchases. However, its competitors, such as […]

According to a report by PYMNTS Intelligence, the use of virtual wallets in stores has reached 31.2% among consumers as of September, nearly triple the rate recorded three years ago. This growth indicates a notable trend towards the digitization of payments at the point of sale, with Apple Pay leading the market in the United States.

The Apple Empire

Apple Pay has established itself as the dominant mobile wallet with an estimated sales volume of $450 billion, representing 6% of all in-store purchases. However, its competitors, such as PayPal, Cash App, and Google Pay, are growing at a faster pace. These platforms have intensified their strategies by implementing promotions, BNPL (buy now, pay later) financing, and integrated point-of-sale offers to attract more users and capture a larger volume of transactions.

Despite Apple Pay’s strong position, its advantage could be eroded due to antitrust lawsuits forcing the company to open its NFC technology to competitors. This could allow rivals, who are currently on the rise, to further increase their market share.

With approximately 60% of consumers using iPhones and 85% of merchants accepting Apple Pay, the company benefits from a robust ecosystem. However, both PayPal and Cash App and Google Pay are outlining innovative tactics to gain market share, which could make the competition even more intense.

The features that allow users to manage their financial and non-financial lives, such as subscription management and order tracking, will be essential for creating more attractive wallets. As competition for consumer loyalty intensifies, these additional services could be the key to increasing usage volume and retaining customers.

Steam is experiencing a case of coordinated censorship by an anti-pornography group

Collective Shout, an Australian group known for its activism against pornography, has celebrated the recent removal of numerous sexually explicit games from Steam, as well as the implementation of new stricter moderation guidelines. According to Valve, the company behind the platform, this action was motivated by pressure from payment processors like Visa and PayPal, highlighting the influence that commercial regulations can have on content moderation in games. Their principle is to censor everything they don’t like, and they don’t like anything. The campaign by Collective Shout included a call to […]

Their principle is to censor everything they don’t like, and they don’t like anything

The Collective Shout campaign included a call to users to contact credit card companies, asking them to cease transactions on platforms that host video games they consider offensive. More than 1,000 people supported this initiative, sending emails and making calls to urge payment processors to cut ties with Steam and other similar platforms.

The group also issued a statement on July 18, declaring victory after the removal of hundreds of games that address controversial topics such as rape and incest. However, they have pointed out that there are still 82 games remaining on the platform and that they will continue their fight for their removal. This controversy has sparked mixed reactions in the gaming community, with some accusing the group of censorship and others supporting their mission.

The situation became complicated when Waypoint removed articles that reported on the links between Collective Shout and the changes on Steam, leading to accusations of self-censorship. The author of these articles, Ana Valens, has defended the quality of her work and expressed her desire for other journalists to investigate the issue more thoroughly. This scenario suggests that the controversy over content regulation on video game platforms may not have come to an end.

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This Emmy-winning series has been canceled and the video confirming it will break your heart

The program The Tiny Chef Show has been canceled by Nickelodeon, surprising its protagonist, Tiny Chef. The unexpected news left the charismatic character, originally created with stop-motion technique, in disbelief and sadness. In an emotional video shared on social media, Tiny Chef expressed his shock after receiving the news, asking, “Canceled? What do you mean by canceled?” His reaction has resonated with followers, who have shown empathy and sadness online. A video as cute as it is extremely sad Despite many not having seen the series, fans have expressed an emotional connection […]

The Tiny Chef Show has been canceled by Nickelodeon, surprising its protagonist, Tiny Chef. The unexpected news left the charismatic character, originally created using stop-motion technique, in disbelief and sadness. In an emotional video shared on social media, Tiny Chef expressed his shock upon receiving the news, asking: “Canceled? What do you mean by canceled?”. His reaction has resonated with fans, who have shown empathy and sadness online.

A video as cute as it is extremely sad

Despite the fact that many had not seen the series, fans have expressed an emotional connection with the character, a testament to the positive impact that The Tiny Chef Show had on its audience, both young and old. The series was recognized with the prestigious Emmy Award in 2025 as the Outstanding Preschool Animated Series, in addition to receiving two Annie Awards that highlight its quality in animation.

The creators of the program, committed to continuing the story of Tiny Chef, have launched a crowdfunding campaign through their official page. In their call to action, they expressed: “Many of you have said you would die for Tiny Chef, but we don’t need that much, just your support!” The page includes links to join a fan club, as well as options to make donations via Venmo or PayPal, hoping that the community will come together to help the little chef keep cooking.

As the news of the cancellation spreads, the show’s followers have begun to mobilize, expressing their desire to support Tiny Chef in this difficult time, yet another testament to the connection it managed to establish with its audience throughout its short but successful career.

SkyShowtime DOWNLOAD

SkyShowtime is a streaming platform from which you can stream series, movies, and entertainment programs in video on demand (VOD) format. It is an ambitious project by SkyShowtime Limited, available in Spain and 20 other countries in the European Union and its area of influence, such as Norway or Bosnia and Herzegovina. SkyShowtime aims to carve out a niche in the market thanks to its very competitive prices. Thus, they will compete with services like Netflix or Disney +, two similar platforms that have increased their prices recently.

More mass layoffs: PayPal lays off 2,500 employees

The technology industry continues to go through difficult times, as can be seen by PayPal’s new decision. The company will carry out 2,500 layoffs after announcing drastic cuts, which means that 9% of the entire workforce will stop working for the company. With this, there have already been countless announcements of layoffs by major technology companies.

PayPal, a well-known application for many years for being a highly secure payment tool and associated with a multitude of digital commerce, will thus adopt a new, more austere strategy, seeking to “optimize” existing resources with 2,500 fewer employees on the payroll.

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9% of PayPal’s workforce laid off

Just as Bloomberg has recently announced, PayPal is joining the companies that are cutting employees in 2024 by laying off a total of 2,500 workers, a harsh measure that affects 9% of the company’s employees. This means that Alex Chriss, its CEO appointed in September 2023, has a clear path for cost-cutting for the company in 2024.

Chriss justifies these cuts as a necessary measure to adjust the size of the company after having had downward trends in recent quarters. Additionally, he also points out that it is easier for them to make decisions with a less complex corporate structure.

The employment crisis in the technology industry

The current trend in the technology industry regarding layoffs is quite striking, as there hasn’t been any specific event that can be directly related to this wave of layoffs in the industry as a whole. However, in 2023 there were already tens of thousands of layoffs in a supposedly growing segment, and this 2024 seems to be heading in a similar direction, considering the trend among large companies and the number of layoffs announced in January alone.

And it is that, as can be seen, companies are determined to continue destroying jobs in an industry that, for decades, has not stopped growing. In fact, the volume of layoffs that have been carried out since 2023 increasingly leaves a panorama more similar to the dot-com crises at the beginning of this century than to a scenario of prosperity and growth.

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How to link a bank account in PayPal

PayPal is an easy and safe way to purchase things online. Make it even faster by linking your bank account to your PayPal account. In a couple of steps and a couple of days, you can easily pay for items online via your bank.

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How to link a bank account in PayPal

To get started, head over to PayPal and sign in. Click “Wallet” at the top of the screen.

Here you can “Link a debit or credit card” or “Link a bank account.” In this case, we’ll click the bank option.

Now, choose your bank from the list:

Is your bank missing? Click “I have a different bank” if you don’t see yours listed. If that’s the case, enter in your routing and bank account number at the prompt to connect your bank and PayPal.

If your bank is on the list, choose it. Some banks will let you instantly connect by using your bank login information. You would use your user ID and the password for your online bank account, not your PayPal login information, for instant confirmation.

Otherwise, select “Checking” or “Savings,” and enter in your account number and your bank’s routing number. If you have a check lying around, here’s where to find those numbers:

The routing number contains nine numbers. Double check the numbers you entered. Then, select “Agree and Link.”

In a couple of days, take a look at your bank statement. You should find two small deposit amounts that range between $.01-$.99. Then, you will see a third amount that has added the numbers and withdrawn it. To connect your bank and PayPal, you must enter in the two deposit amounts.

If your bank has only deposited one lump sum from PayPal, you will need to call PayPal to confirm the information or you can turn to instant confirmation and input your info.

If you have two separate deposit amounts, click on “Wallet” at the top of the PayPal page. Choose the bank you want to confirm. Next, carefully enter the exact amount deposited into your account. Submit the information.

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Is your bank confirmed? If not, PayPal shares a few things to keep in mind when linking accounts.

The bank account must be a U.S. bank.
The bank account can’t be linked to more than one account at a time.
The bank account can’t be linked if it has already been linked to 3 previous PayPal accounts.
The name on the bank account must match the name on the PayPal account.

Your accounts, connected

Connecting your bank account to PayPal is a simple way to streamline your online shopping. There’s no reason not to get your accounts connected.

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