Mobile Commerce

Block Inc.’s Cash App unit perked up in the first quarter, as the company reported that usage and instant-deposit volume for the digital wallet both increased during the period. With Bitcoin activity excluded, revenue for Cash App in the quarter grew $203 million, a 38% jump, compared to the first …

Bank of America Institute reported that credit and debit card spending by BofA credit and debit cardholders increased 13% in April compared to the same month in 2021. Credit card dollar volume rose 22%, while spending on debit cards was up 6%. Combined transactions increased 8%.Some 43% of consumers would use …

Lightspeed Commerce Inc. early Thursday announced the launch of Lightspeed Retail. The new platform, which pulls features from platforms of other companies the Montreal-based processor has acquired, combines point-of-sale, payments, and e-commerce solutions.  The platform also leverages so-called headless commerce technology, which is an e-commerce architecture where front-end applications are decoupled …

The Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Senate heard testimony Wednesday from witnesses both for and against regulation of credit card interchange. Speakers represented a supermarket chain, merchant groups, Mastercard and Visa, and a bank. The hearing showed that “while more Democrats than Republicans likely would support greater intervention in the …

The big payments fintech Stripe Inc. extended its reach into the world of open banking late on Wednesday with the launch of Stripe Financial Connections, an application that allows businesses to establish direct connections with their customers’ bank accounts. The new application will enable businesses to verify accounts for payments …

There’s a bit of apparent good news when it comes to chargebacks. The chargeback-to-transaction ratio decreased from 1.94% in 2020 to 1.52% in 2021, and is also down from the remarkable 3.76% seen in 2017. That’s according to the fourth annual “The Year in Chargebacks Report” from Midigator LLC, a …

Processor Fiserv Inc. announced it is adding buy now, pay later services from Affirm Inc. to its Carat operating system. Affirm joins Bread, Synchrony, and Zip as current providers. Affirm said its service will be the first fully-integrated BNPL provider with Carat.Payments provider Rapyd Financial Networks Ltd. launched Virtual Accounts, intended to allow businesses anywhere globally …

Some processors are ready to put the pandemic behind them, but FIS Inc. may have already done it. The big payments processor and banking-services provider early Tuesday reported its merchant revenue increased 15% year-over-year in the first quarter, a number that exceeded the company’s expectations, chief executive Gary Norcross told …

Buy now, pay later provider Afterpay said retailer Rite Aid now accepts the installment payment option online and intends to offer it in-store in coming months.MoneyGram International Inc. rebutted claims by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that the company is a “repeat offender” with respect to “consumer harm,” citing the fact that the …

Global Payments Inc. Monday morning reported continued recovery from the pandemic’s impact along with new developments the Atlanta-based company says will deepen its ventures in buy now, pay later, cryptocurrency, and support for banks overseas. Global chief executive Jeff Sloan also said the processor has exited its operations in Russia in …