Same-day and same-shift payouts are changing how transactional workers judge jobs and manage cash flow. As platforms compress the gap between work completed and wages received, employers and payments providers are confronting a labor market where timing matters as much as pay.

PicPay’s U.S. IPO marks a shift toward credit-driven growth built on wallet data, underwriting discipline and deeper customer engagement.

As blockchain heads into 2026, the conversation is shifting from big promises to hard realities. In the latest episode of “From the Block,” PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster chats with Citi Treasury and Trade Solutions Global Head of Digital Assets Ryan Rugg about why the year ahead will be defined by whether digital assets can integrate into the operational, regulatory and risk frameworks of mainstream finance.

In a PYMNTS podcast, leaders from Ingo Payments and WorkWhile explain how fixing “Bill Pay Roulette” could stabilize workers and economies.

Rubail Birwadker of Visa says agentic commerce will only scale if identity, permissions and risk controls are built into the transaction.

WorkWhile Chief Economist Alan Armen says wage shocks move through hourly workers’ budgets in weeks, not quarters, because income becomes spending almost immediately. The latest Wage to Wallet™ findings show platforms supplying 15% to 30% of income as workers try to address declining wages.

CFOs at emerging enterprises are redesigning and adding speed to their cash cycles. As a PYMNTS panel with insights from Bottomline, Coupa and FIS tells Karen Webster, automation, AI and stronger onboarding are the keys to faster liquidity. Together they outline how better data, improved processes and real-time tools will define time-to-cash performance heading into 2026.

Meet the Fortune 5 Million. It’s how BILL CEO René Lacerte describes the US small business community. As AI agents push the financial back office toward full autonomy, Lacerte says the shift will spark nothing short of a creative payments renaissance as it eliminates the grind of financial operations. He believes it will unleash the agility that has long differentiated small businesses.