Issuing/Originating

UnionPay, an international payment card network based in China, said it is now accepted in 183 countries and regions, with issuance outside the Chinese mainland exceeding 230 million cards in 81 countries. Issuance outside Mainland China commenced in January 2004. Consumer-finance and card issuer Synchrony said it is testing a browser extension …

Visa Inc. said it has closed on its acquisition of Pismo, a card-issuing and banking platform operating in Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe. The announcement follows Visa’s agreement in June to acquire Pismo for $1 billion in cash. Payments-technology company Brightwell said it will implement Visa Direct to enable payouts to eligible bank accounts and …

Nuvei Corp. said it has agreed to process e-commerce transactions for Galeries Lafayette UAE, a unit of French Department Stores LLC. Linnworks, an e-commerce inventory and order-management software provider, said it is working with Lightspeed Commerce Inc. to enable Linnworks clients to connect to Lightspeed Retail. Fintech Varo Bank N.A. announced it is offering a …

On Nov. 20, 2023, Mastercard Inc. announced that its Chinese joint venture with Netsunion to process domestic payments had been approved by the People’s Bank of China and the National Administration of Financial Regulation. Was it a victory for, or a mockery of, free trade? If this landmark approval were …

The battle between merchants, on one hand, and financial institutions and payment networks, on the other, over the Credit Card Competition Act continues to heat up. The Merchants Payments Coalition on Thursday sent a letter to Congress signed by nearly 2,000 merchants, including hundreds of small businesses, calling on legislators …

BitPay Inc. said Tuesday it will start adding dozens of cryptocurrencies to its platform this week in a move that includes a revamp of the company’s payments service. The Atlanta-based company, which has been processing crypto-based payments for more than 10 years, said it will start supporting more than 100 …

The Electronic Payments Coalition has come out swinging in the new year as it intensifies its fight against the Credit Card Competition Act. The EPC, which lobbies on behalf of financial institutions and payments networks, late Monday announced it is launching an ad campaign aimed at federal lawmakers. The campaign …

Alchemy Pay, a payment gateway allowing users to exchange cryptocurrency and fiat money, launched its Crypto Card, a “mini app” backed by the user’s cryptocurrency. The promotion offers vouchers reducing the application fee to a penny from a dollar for a limited time. Fintech at Cornell has published “Cornell Convenes: Toward …

Digital-payments provider Wirex says it is working with ZeroFox Holdings Inc., a provider of cybersecurity technology, to incorporate ZeroFox’s Dark Web Monitoring app into its platform. Wirex’s blockchain-based service enables consumers to buy, sell, send, spend, and store fiat and crypto currency through the Wirex digital wallet. ZeroFox’s Dark Web …

Having taken aim at credit card late fees and interest rates, and having targeted non-bank digital wallet providers, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra has now indicated his regulatory agency is turning its attention to credit card acceptance costs. Chopra’s comments Thursday came as the Credit Card Competition Act, …