Stimulus news and trends

UK Watchdog: $1B of COVID Relief Loans Were Fraudulent
Security & Fraud // January 05, 2023

Recent analysis from the U.K. finds more than $1 billion in COVID relief loans involved irregularities such as fraud. An October report by the U.K. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) estimates that the government gave out 990 million pounds (or $1.1 billion) in...

Boston Fed Study Ties Kids to Consumption During Economic Downturns
Economy // December 06, 2022

Despite the holiday cheer, American consumers are growing increasingly anxious about the economy. It’s gotten to the point where even those consumers whose wages and wealth have kept pace with inflation are becoming more cautious about what they buy. While barely a week goes by...

Secret Service: Chinese Hackers Swiped $20M in COVID Relief Funds
Fraud Attack // December 06, 2022

Federal authorities say Chinese hackers have stolen $20 million in COVID relief money since 2020. The U.S. Secret Service has identified the group behind the theft as a hacking team known as APT41 or Winnti, according to media reports. “Of the more than 1,000 ongoing...

IRS Says US Unemployment Comp Hit $405B During Pandemic
Economy // November 20, 2022

Unemployment compensation in the U.S. jumped by 1,794% between 2019 and 2020 as Americans were hit by a wave of layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to a report by the Internal Revenue Service showing that unemployment compensation rose to $405 billion in 2020,...

Interviews & Exclusives
Visa: Digital-First Governments Use Payments Data to Improve Policy and Financial Access

March 09, 2023
Three years ago, we got a sense of how governments could leverage technology in times of crisis — using digital pipes to get aid to people who needed stimulus payments and assistance the most. As the pandemic hit home across the globe, government agencies disbursed trillions of dollars in aid to citizens. Rajiv Garodia, SVP […]

Mastercard Partners Up To Advance Digital Economy Via Financial Inclusion

April 01, 2021
While the third round of stimulus payments have been steadily pouring into bank accounts across the country, there are still a portion of Americans who have not received their much-needed...

The Government’s Push To Make Stimulus Payments Digital

December 08, 2020
Stimulus payments are again in the headlines and on the horizon. But how consumers will get those payments — hundreds of millions of payments, covering hundreds of billions of dollars...

This Week In Payments: Vulcan Capital’s Rick Roberts Talks Overcoming Inertia, Stabilizing SMBs and Contextualizing...

August 06, 2020
It’s been another busy week in the world of payments and commerce as the U.S. recovery shifts into rockier territory amid an uptick in infections that has some regions shifting...

Quick Reads
UK Watchdog: $1B of COVID Relief Loans Were Fraudulent

January 05, 2023
Recent analysis from the U.K. finds more than $1 billion in COVID relief loans involved irregularities such as fraud. An October report by the U.K. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) estimates that the government gave out 990 million pounds (or $1.1 billion) in “irregular” grant payments. In the report, first noted Wednesday (Jan. […]

Secret Service: Chinese Hackers Swiped $20M in COVID Relief Funds

December 06, 2022
Federal authorities say Chinese hackers have stolen $20 million in COVID relief money since 2020. The U.S. Secret Service has identified the group behind the theft as a hacking team...

IRS Says US Unemployment Comp Hit $405B During Pandemic

November 20, 2022
Unemployment compensation in the U.S. jumped by 1,794% between 2019 and 2020 as Americans were hit by a wave of layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to a report...

US Plans $10B in Funding for SMB COVID Aid

January 09, 2022
The U.S. will give out $10 billion in aid to new companies in an attempt to spur business in disadvantaged companies and broaden the recovery from the pandemic, The Wall...