PYMNTS Intelligence

Why the Labor Economy Turns to Credit to Keep Spending

Why the Labor Economy Turns to Credit to Keep Spending
Why the Labor Economy Turns to Credit to Keep Spending
January 21, 2026  |  Economy

The U.S. Labor Economy may sit at the lower end of the wage scale, but it punches far above its weight in economic impact. Roughly...

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Tariffs Test Margins While Companies Invest to Protect Profitability, Study Finds
Tariffs Test Margins While Companies Invest to Protect Profitability, Study Finds
January 21, 2026  |  Business

Tariffs remain a moving target for U.S. businesses, and the constant recalibration of trade policy has turned what was once episodic disruption into a standing...

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Power Users Show Businesses How Agentic AI Goes Mainstream
Power Users Show Businesses How Agentic AI Goes Mainstream
January 21, 2026  |  Artificial Intelligence

The technical progress in artificial intelligence (AI) is real. The consumer readiness, particularly for autonomous and agentic solutions, is far less uniform. Get the Full...

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BNPL Becomes a Lifestyle Tool as 53% Use It for Experiences
BNPL Becomes a Lifestyle Tool as 53% Use It for Experiences
January 21, 2026  |  BNPL

Americans are no longer just spreading payments over time. They are spreading risk, timing and lifestyle choices as rising costs reshape how discretionary spending actually...

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Study Finds Most Paycheck-to-Paycheck Households Expect Tariffs to Worsen Financial Strain
Study Finds Most Paycheck-to-Paycheck Households Expect Tariffs to Worsen Financial Strain
January 20, 2026  |  Consumer Finance

The latest round of tariff threats tied to global trade tensions, lobbed this weekend over Greenland, arrives at a moment when millions of U.S. households...

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Banking, Retail and Tech Leaders Align on AI Agents’ High-Impact Use Cases
Banking, Retail and Tech Leaders Align on AI Agents’ High-Impact Use Cases
January 20, 2026  |  Artificial Intelligence

At first guess, one might think the agentic AI boom would splinter into a thousand use cases. Retailers automating inventory. Banks unleashing robo-analysts. Manufacturers fine-tuning...

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82% of Merchants Plan to Expand Digital Wallet Adoption
82% of Merchants Plan to Expand Digital Wallet Adoption
January 20, 2026  |  Digital Payments

Back-office payments are starting to look a lot more like consumer checkout, and that shift could determine which firms see their cash position clearly and...

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Credit Unions See AI’s Promise, but Readiness Lags Adoption
Credit Unions See AI’s Promise, but Readiness Lags Adoption
January 20, 2026  |  Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to help credit unions scale personalization, improve fraud detection and streamline operations, but only if the foundations beneath those...

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