Prepaid program manager Green Dot Corp. logged a strong quarter and now looks forward to big results from fresh deals with Apple Inc. and Intuit Inc., chief executive Steven W. Streit told stock analysts on Tuesday. Speaking on the same day Apple released a so-called public beta version of its …
Read More »Blackhawk Network Plans To Sell its Cardpool Gift-Card Exchange Business
Prepaid card services provider Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. disclosed Wednesday that it plans to sell its struggling Cardpool business. That news came as Pleasanton, Calif.-based Blackhawk reported a loss of $7.8 million for its third quarter ended Sept. 9, bigger than the $5.1 million loss in 2016’s third quarter. Third-quarter …
Read More »Consumers Pull Back on Buying Prepaid Cards, Survey Finds
Prepaid cards are still popular with Americans, but not quite as popular as in some recent years, according to new findings from Mercator Advisory Group Inc. A Mercator online survey of 3,011 U.S. adults in June found that 56% of respondents had purchased a prepaid card in the preceding 12 …
Read More »Looking to Extend Its Digital Gift Card Business, Blackhawk Snaps up CashStar
Blackhawk Network Inc., a major player in merchant-branded prepaid cards, just gained an even bigger foothold in that market with its $175-million, all-cash acquisition of CashStar Inc., a 10-year-old firm specializing in digital gift cards. Announced Wednesday morning the dealbrings to Pleasanton, Calif.-based Blackhawk a platform enabling mrchants to market …
Read More »AmEx Exits Prepaid Card Program Management With Platform Sale to InComm
The pending sale by American Express Co. of its Serve technology platform to prepaid card program manager InComm moves AmEx more toward the model used by most other general-purpose prepaid card issuers and still keeps the upscale AmEx brand involved in a business mostly oriented toward moderate- and lower-income consumers, …
Read More »Payments Players Urge Further Delay of the CFPB’s Huge Prepaid Rule Until 2019
While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is working toward an April 1, 2018, effective date for its massive rule for prepaid accounts, prepaid card industry advocates are urging the agency to further delay the rule by another year. In a comment filed this week with the CFPB, which regulates all …
Read More »Green Dot Provides Some Details About its Role in the Upcoming Apple P2P Service
Prepaid specialist Green Dot Corp. released more details about its role in Apple Inc.’s upcoming person-to-person service in its Messages app. Apple announced the new feature in June and is expected to make it available this fall with an update to its iOS software for iPhone and iPads. Pasadena, Calif.-based …
Read More »With High and Low Spots, Open-Loop Prepaid Loads To Top $353.6 Billion by 2020: Report
Overall, the forecast is strong for open-loop prepaid cards—loads are expected to reach $353.6 billion by 2020—but not every segment will partake in the growth. That’s the assessment in a new report from Mercator Advisory Group Inc. Open-loop cards, which can be used at most merchants and carry a major …
Read More »First Data and Fleetcor Technologies Scuttle Their Planned Prepaid Pair-Up
Citing possible regulatory hurdles, payment processor First Data Corp. and commercial payments provider Fleetcor Technologies Inc. disclosed Thursday that they have canceled the planned joint venture they announced in March to consolidate their gift card businesses. “While both companies believe the proposed joint venture would provide significant benefits to customers …
Read More »Blackhawk’s Loss Narrows and other Digital Transactions News briefs
Prepaid card provider Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. said its revenue for the second quarter ended June 17 totaled $463.1 million, an 18.4% increase from $391.2 million in the same period in 2016. The company’s loss of $6.4 million improved from the $11.3 million loss last year. Blackhawk said Target Corp. will be …
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