News

January, 2016

• 18 January

  For Acquirers, Federal And State Regulatory Scrutiny Shows No Signs of Abating

  As the payments industry contends with ongoing state and federal regulatory inquiries, the Electronic Transactions Association will release an updated version of its “Guidelines on Merchant and ISO Underwriting and Risk Monitoring” in February. The final edits are being made, says Deana Rich, principal of Deana Rich Consulting Inc., which …
• 15 January

  First Data Unveils Clover Go, an EMV-Capable Card Reader for Smart Phones, Tablets

  First Data Corp. on Friday said it is joining the market for card readers that plug into mobile phones. Its latest entry in its Clover line of point-of-sale technology is Clover Go, a credit and debit card reader that connects to smart phones and tablets via the mobile device’s headphone …
• 14 January

  Samsung Pay Aims at Commerce Tools for Merchants And a Reseller Program for Acquirers

  Samsung Pay, the mobile wallet that uses near-field communication (NFC) and magnetic secure transmission (MST) technology, is developing a set of simple tools merchants can use to create offers and manage loyalty programs. The tools should be available this year. That’s the word from Will Graylin, global co-general manager of …
• 14 January

  Cash Still Dominates in Many Merchant Sectors, ATM Network’s Survey Shows

  In this age of mobile payments, online commerce, and millions of places to use plastic payment cards, cash remains highly relevant and popular with consumers, the nation’s leading retailer ATM network insists. Houston-based Cardtronics Inc. on Thursday released results of a survey showing that consumers use cash far more than …
• 14 January

  Eye on In-Store Commerce: Adyen Comes to the POS; Diebold Eyes Mobile Checkout

  E-commerce processor Adyen Inc. announced on Thursday it is now offering payments capability for physical stores in the United States, a move that follows the company’s success in providing a payments gateway for a number of prominent digital clients, including Facebook, Uber, Airbnb, and Netflix. Also on Thursday, ATM maker …
• 13 January

  Sweden’s Klarna Racks up Some Big Gains in the Early Going of Its U.S. Debut

  Sweden’s online-payments firm Klarna started operations in the United States only four months ago, but already it is making itself felt in the highly competitive business of serving U.S. e-commerce merchants. Nearly 20 retailers have signed up for the company’s streamlined checkout service, including big sellers Overstock.com and Shoes.com. That’s …
• 12 January

  Royal Canadian Mint Sells Digital-Currency Platform MintChip

  Toronto-based loyalty-services and payments start-up nanoPay Corp. has acquired the MintChip digital-currency platform from the Royal Canadian Mint, the organizations announced Tuesday. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed, but nanoPay says it could be revealed at a later date. MintChip gained fame in 2012, just as Bitcoin and other virtual currencies …
• 12 January

  Struggling With Mobile Services, Banks Risk Losing Customers to Non-Bank Rivals

  Consumers using mobile-banking sites or apps make only sporadic use of their ability to pay bills, send money to other individuals, or load a prepaid card, finds new research from Javelin LLC, a Pleasanton, Calif.-based payments-research firm. In the “2015 Mobile Banking, Smartphone, and Tablet Forecast” released Tuesday, Javelin found …
• 11 January

  Local Deals Go to School As Mega-Campus Arizona State University Opts for Apriva App

  The more than 72,000 students and faculty members of Arizona State University have a new app to help them find deals from local merchants. Dubbed ASU Deals, the app, available for iOS and Android mobile devices, enables users to search for local deals and receive notifications from merchants. Developed by …
• 11 January

  The In-App Channel Is Vital For Apple Pay, But Activity Overall Remains Weak

  The crucial role in-app payment plays in mobile-wallet usage emerged in high relief Monday in a report showing that almost one-third of all Apple Pay credit card transactions made in the last five months by surveyed consumers occurred within a merchant app rather than in a store. Over the same …