Five At Five: Square’s New Payments Program

Welcome to Five at Five,  your late look the day’s payments and commerce news. Today’s coverage includes a look at Square’s newest merchant offering, along with SoftBank’s newest potential investment in ride sharing. U.S. regulators are leaders on penalties, a scooter-sharing firm expands and AMC reports progress in subscription commerce.

Square Debuts Merchant Installment Payments

Square said the new payment method gives customers the freedom to pay for big purchases by splitting it into easy, fixed monthly payments.

SoftBank Near Deal To Invest $500M In Grab

Grab is aiming to raise money to become a technology group that offers everything from rides to mobile payments in Southeast Asia, which is among the fastest-growing markets in the world.

US Regulators Lead Pack In Penalties On Firms And Individuals

In the rundown of how individual countries rank, in terms of regulators levying fines on people and corporations, the United States tops the list.

Scooter-Sharing Co Expands Its Offerings With ‘Bird Zero,’ ‘Bird Delivery’

In partnership with Okai, Bird designed and manufactured Bird Zero scooters, which have 60 percent more battery life — as well as better ride stability and durability — than the company’s original model. There’s also an integrated digital screen to display your speed.

AMC Movie Ticket Subscribers Top 400K

The program gives customers up to three movies per week, along with the other benefits of AMC Stub Premiere, for $19.95 a month.