Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
For the nation’s automated clearing house network, payments trends already under way before the coronavirus pandemic are still unfolding—only faster. ACH payments initiated on the Web to pay bills and make other transfers totaled 2.1 billion in 2020’s fourth quarter, a 15.2% increase year-over-year, Nacha reported Thursday. Herndon, Va.-based Nacha …
Read More »A Look at the Dark Web Shows How Thieves Market Payment Data—And the Prices They Get
Much has been written over the years about the seemingly unending succession of data breaches involving credit card and other personal payment data. But little is known about the so-called dark Web, the sites where these data thieves set up shop to sell what they’ve pilfered. It turns out these …
Read More »Despite Covid, Holiday Retail Sales Beat Expectations Handily, the NRF Says
The numbers are in, and it turns out the holiday shopping season was not only better than expected, but also better than the one in 2019, weeks before the coronavirus pandemic struck in the United States. Retail sales in November and December totaled $789.4 billion, up a healthy 8.3% over …
Read More »With a New ACH Rule Looming, Open Banking Takes on Added Urgency
Online account debiting has grown in usage and prominence as consumers and businesses turn to e-commerce in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. But now many businesses are reckoning with a rule that will take effect in March that requires sellers using the automated clearing house to perform more rigorous …
Read More »How Its Deal for Kount Lets Equifax Reinforce Its Capabilities Against Online Fraud
With consumers and businesses flocking to online commerce, companies of all sizes are reinforcing their technology for accepting transactions and rating them for risk. The latest example is the giant credit-reporting company Equifax Inc., which on Friday said it is paying $640 million to buy Kount Inc., a 14-year-old Boise, …
Read More »Bitcoin’s Notorious Volatility Clouds Optimism As the Digital Currency Zooms Past $40,000
One week into the new year, Bitcoin’s dizzying rise is prompting questions about what’s fueling it and how long it can go on before yet another crash. One factor, as it turns out, could be greater clarity concerning Bitcoin’s potential to enter the mainstream of retail payments after a dozen …
Read More »Covid—And a New Partnership—Help Push ParkMobile Into the Garage
The pandemic has in a few months’ time brought changes to the payments business that otherwise might have taken years—even in mundane environments like parking. One big development emerged Thursday with the announcement that TIBA Parking Systems, which manages access to more than 1.9 million parking spaces in the United …
Read More »A Last-Minute Presidential Ban on China-Based Payment Apps Puzzles Payments Experts
An executive order by President Donald Trump banning a pair of major Chinese payments apps comes in the waning days of his administration and may leave more questions than it answers, observers say. The order, issued Tuesday, prohibits transactions on eight China-based apps, including the hugely popular Alipay and WeChat …
Read More »PayPal Lines up Early to Help Stimulus Recipients Turn Their Checks Into Ready Cash
With a second round of federal stimulus payments having passed Congress, payments firms are lining up to help recipients speed the funds’ availability. PayPal Holdings Inc., for example, said late Tuesday it will waive the fees for stimulus recipients that it normally charges consumers to cash checks using its app. …
Read More »Texas Grocer H-E-B Offers SNAP Acceptance for Curbside Pickup And Home Delivery
The confluence of digital payments and economic hardship during the Covid-19 pandemic has led another major supermarket chain to offer SNAP EBT acceptance through its mobile app and on its Web site for curbside pickup and home-delivery orders. H-E-B, with 329 stores in Texas and another 55 in Mexico, said …
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