Germany news and trends

Consumers and Smaller Businesses Form an Untapped Embedded Lending Market in Germany
SMBs // September 26, 2024

Embedded lending is growing in popularity around the world. It promises convenient, streamlined access to financing for specific expenses from within merchant, business and other platforms. This is true for individuals and microbusinesses and small businesses (MSBs) that want to align their cash flow and...

Ex-Wirecard CEO Ordered to Pay $155 Million Over Unpaid Loans
Legal // September 05, 2024

Former Wirecard CEO Markus Braun’s legal troubles are reportedly worsening. A judge ordered Braun and two other executives from the defunct German payments company to pay $155 million in damages related to loans to a company in Singapore that were never repaid, Reuters reported Thursday...

Amazon and Santander Launch Visa Card in Germany
Credit Cards // August 12, 2024

Amazon teamed with Santander to launch a new Amazon Visa card in Germany. The card lets users earn rewards while shopping on and off Amazon’s Germany website, according to a Monday (Aug. 12) press release. Rewards are redeemable from Amazon. “Cardholders can pay for their...

German Prosecutors Charge 2 Former Wirecard Executives With Embezzlement
Security & Fraud // August 06, 2024

Four years after the collapse of online payments company Wirecard, German prosecutors have reportedly charged two more of the firm’s former executives. Wirecard’s former finance chief, Alexander von Knoop, and its former board member for product development, Susanne Steidl, have been charged with several counts...

Interviews & Exclusives
Consumers and Smaller Businesses Form an Untapped Embedded Lending Market in Germany

September 26, 2024
Embedded lending is growing in popularity around the world. It promises convenient, streamlined access to financing for specific expenses from within merchant, business and other platforms. This is true for individuals and microbusinesses and small businesses (MSBs) that want to align their cash flow and expenses. In Germany, 14% of consumers and 10% of MSBs […]

New Data: Germany’s Baby Boomers Flip the Script on Digital Wallet Usage

August 01, 2024
Consumers in Germany are embracing their digital wallets for payments. Nearly half (47%) use them for online shopping for example. Surprisingly, baby boomers and seniors in Germany are more likely...

How the World Does Digital: Germany Lags in Digital Engagement

July 18, 2024
As the largest economy in the European Union, Germany surprisingly ranks near the bottom in digital engagement among the 11 countries studied in PYMNTS Intelligence’s “How the World Does Digital”...

EPI CEO Says Europe Ready for One Digital Wallet

May 08, 2023
As regulators push for the development of instant payments, European Union countries continue to leverage preexisting economic relationships to advance faster payments across the region.  It’s a trend that has...

Quick Reads
Microsoft’s Omnipresence Catches Eye of German Antitrust Watchdog

September 30, 2024
Microsoft’s size and scope has gotten the attention of Germany’s antitrust regulator. The Federal Cartel Office announced Monday (Sept. 30) that it was placing the tech giant under closer scrutiny in the form of a five-year “extended abuse control” measure. The effort comes as Microsoft’s products have become “omnipresent” and “indispensable” among businesses, consumers and […]

Ex-Wirecard CEO Ordered to Pay $155 Million Over Unpaid Loans

September 05, 2024
Former Wirecard CEO Markus Braun’s legal troubles are reportedly worsening. A judge ordered Braun and two other executives from the defunct German payments company to pay $155 million in damages...

Amazon and Santander Launch Visa Card in Germany

August 12, 2024
Amazon teamed with Santander to launch a new Amazon Visa card in Germany. The card lets users earn rewards while shopping on and off Amazon’s Germany website, according to a...

German Prosecutors Charge 2 Former Wirecard Executives With Embezzlement

August 06, 2024
Four years after the collapse of online payments company Wirecard, German prosecutors have reportedly charged two more of the firm’s former executives. Wirecard’s former finance chief, Alexander von Knoop, and...