Wednesday , April 24, 2024

Kevin Woodward

Kevin's role at Digital Transactions is to write news and features stories for publication on the Web site and in the magazine. He also oversees the digital editorial aspect of the site and the Digital Transactions News daily newsletter.

Five Years On, Is Apple Pay Ready To Bloom At Last?

Five years ago, Apple Inc. laid claim to offering one of the first smart phone-based mobile-payment services, and now some observers say Apple Pay, with an estimated 43% of iPhone owners using the service, may be poised to score a breakthrough. Apple Pay was announced with great fanfare Sept. 9, …

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Southwest Airlines Will Add Apple Pay As a Payment Option

Southwest Airlines will join the roster of merchants that accept Apple Pay, according to an announcement Wednesday from CellPoint Digital and UATP. UATP, the airline-owned payment network, and CellPoint Digital, a travel industry payments specialist, said Dallas-based Southwest will make Apple Pay available across all channels to buy tickets and …

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Not So Fast for Faster Payments, a Survey Finds

Proponents of faster-payment services, which enable real-time or nearly real-time transfers, may need a bit of patience for larger-scale adoption of the technology. Fifty-six percent of attendees at the 2019 Nacha Payments conference in May said it will take at least a year, and possibly more, for their companies to …

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A Plague of Ransomware Targets Texas Cities

More than a score of Texas cities have been hit with ransomware, crippling their municipal computer systems and accounting for one-third of all municipal ransomware attacks so far this year, according to Armor Defense Inc., a cloud-security company. It released a ransomware report Tuesday. Among the latest cities is Borger, …

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Visa Hopes to ‘Flip the Script’ on Fraudsters With an Expanded Suite of Security Products

As merchants, consumers, and financial institutions contend with the aftereffects of unceasing data breaches, Visa Inc. is adding new products to help prevent and disrupt payment fraud. Announced Tuesday, the roster of new products include Vital Signs, which monitors transactions and alerts financial institutions to signs of potential fraudulent activity …

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ETA Picks Software Association Executive as Its Next CEO

The new chief executive of the Electronic Transactions Association will begin work the week of Sept. 3. The Washington, D.C.-based ETA said Thursday Jodie L. Kelley, senior vice president and general counsel at BSA-The Software Alliance, assumes the role vacated in January by Jason Oxman, who left to head up …

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Priority’s Earnings Tempered by Subscription-Billing Merchant Changes

Priority Technology Holdings Inc.’s total merchant bank card processing volume increased 10.9% in the second quarter, from $9.9 billion to $11 billion, but the merchant acquirer continues to deal with the wind-down of some online subscription-billing merchants. Alpharetta, Ga.-based Priority said Tuesday that the wind-down of the subscription merchants stems …

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More Colleges Making Student IDs And Payments Available in Apple Wallet

Apple Inc. says 12 U.S. colleges, with more than 100,000 students, will enable contactless student IDs in Apple Wallet this school year. The students will be able to use their student IDs on iPhones and Apple Watches to enter buildings protected by keycard access, buy meals, and make purchases in college …

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A Rising Tide of Digital Payments Will Bring New Fraud Threats, Says Forrester

As payment companies expand ways for consumers to make digital payments, 62% of North American merchants, bankers, and fintech providers expect more such payments within the next two years, says Forrester Research Inc. in its “Understanding the Evolving Payments Landscape” report released Monday. Commissioned by Visa Inc., the report also found …

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Integrated Payment Volume Continues to Grow at i3 Verticals

Pursuing integrated payments and software developers that facilitate the payment type appears to be paying off for i3 Verticals Inc. The Nashville, Tenn.-based firm said integrated payments accounted for 51% and 49% of its payment volume in the third quarter and nine-month period, respectively. That’s up from 49% in the …

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