Fintech
Payments, banking apps and the infrastructure behind money.
What Is a Credit Score? How It Works and What Counts as Good
A credit score predicts how you will repay credit. What goes into it, what counts as good and how to check it.
What Is a Credit Report? What It Shows and How to Check It
A US credit report lists your accounts, payment history and who has looked at your file.
What Is a Credit Freeze? How It Stops New Accounts in Your Name
A credit freeze blocks new lenders from your US credit file. It is free, does not hurt your score and can be lifted.
What Is a Virtual Card Number? How It Protects Your Card
A virtual card number replaces your physical card details online. Learn where it works, its limits and how to lock it.
What Is a Digital Wallet? Cards, Tokens and Stored Balances
A digital wallet stores the details you pay with. Whether it also holds your money changes what protects you.
How Does Apple Pay Work? Tokens, the Secure Element and Privacy
How Apple Pay keeps your card number from stores: a device-only token, the Secure Element and a one-time code.
How Does Buy Now, Pay Later Work? Payments, Fees and Credit
BNPL splits a purchase into repayments. Check the schedule, fees and credit terms before accepting.
Why an International Transfer Can Take Minutes—or Days
Funding, currency conversion, checks and local payout all affect when a transfer arrives.
A Banking App Isn’t Always a Bank: How to Tell the Difference
The app you use and the institution holding your money may be different organizations.
What Happens After You Tap Your Card?
A successful tap approves the payment; settlement and the merchant's payout happen later.
Fintech explainers on Next F9 cover how money moves behind the apps you use: what happens between tapping your card and the merchant’s payout, why the app you use and the institution holding your money can be different organizations, and why an international transfer can take minutes or days. For dated developments in payments and banking, read Fintech news or visit the Fintech desk.