Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals

Artificial intelligence tools may still be in development, but their utility for acquirers is quickly becoming apparent. “A lot of people think it’s a ‘nice to have,’ but it’s no longer a ‘nice to have,’” Sebastian Builes, cofounder and chief executive at Arcum, a merchant-retention firm that uses AI, told …

Marqeta Inc. early Thursday said it has become the first card-issuing platform to adopt technology announced earlier this year by Visa Inc. that lets cardholders toggle among a variety of payment methods for a single card rather than be restricted to the payment type indicated by the card itself. Oakland, …

Growth in contactless and peer-to-peer payments, e-commerce, and value-added services were among the highlights discussed with stock analysts late Tuesday during Visa Inc.’s third-quarter earnings call for the card company’s fiscal year 2024. Visa’s Tap-to-Pay contactless payments technology has penetrated multiple markets, accounting for 80% of all face-to-face Visa transactions …

U.S.-based digital banking and payments platform i2c Inc. said it will work with Beyon Money Business, a banking-technology provider, to launch a corporate expense card program for small and mid-size companies, first in Bahrain and later more widely. Ackroo Inc., a point-of-sale technology provider and gift card platform, announced revenue for the …

Block Inc.’s Cash App announced it will be a payments option on Google Play, an Android-based e-commerce store offering apps and other content and accessed by more than 2.5 billion users monthly. Payments provider Repay Holdings Corp. said borrowers will be able to pay mortgage servicers with debit cards through an integration by Repay …

Two British regulatory agencies will examine the practices and policies of digital wallets offered by technology firms, according to a report on SeekingAlpha.com. Specifically, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Payment Systems Regulator want to know the benefits and risks of digital wallets. Restaurant reservation platform OpenTable said it will offer eligible Visa Inc. …

Point-of-sale technology company MagTek Inc. has lined up payments provider ExpiTrans as a reseller of its QwickPAY POS software. Meanwhile, Visa Inc. says its technology is ready for the start of the summer Olympics in Paris in two weeks. Seal Beach, Calif.-based MagTek says ExpiTrans will market its software to …

U.S.-based embedded-finance platform Inswitch announced it will issue and process Visa debit cards locally and internationally for n1co Technologies, a fintech based in El Salvador. Online travel agency Expedia Group Inc. signed a multiyear agreement with Wells Fargo Co. and Mastercard Inc. to launch two new cobranded credit cards. Digital-payments platform Billtrust said Visa Inc. has …

Issuer-provided installment plans, such as American Express Plan It, My Chase Plan, and Mastercard Installments, are on par in popularity with in-store installment offers, finds Auriemma Group’s The Payments Report. American Express Co. was among the first issuers offering its own buy now, pay later plan, having launched it in …

Consumers may be well acquainted with the concept of overdraft protection when writing checks, but early Monday Discover Financial Services said it is extending the service to its debit cards. Cardholders who hold the company’s Cashback Debit Checking account are eligible for the new service, called Balance+. “With Balance+ we …

Decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court are supposed to settle matters, but a verdict the high court delivered early Monday has the potential to stir up debit card pricing questions for some time to come, some observers say. The justices, in a 6-3 decision, ruled a case brought by a …

Contactless transactions were supercharged by the pandemic, and now slightly more than half of U.S. cardholders are using the technology when they pay with either cards or wallets, according to Mastercard Inc. research. With that kind of momentum behind them, researchers are looking at ways to expand near-field communication technology, …

Payments and commerce platform Nayax Ltd. is tapping the cloud to enable its EV CloudPay service designed for payments at electric-vehicle charging stations. Announced Monday, EV CloudPay enables motorists to pay for EV charging with a credit card, debit card, or mobile wallet via a physical payment-processing kiosk at charging …

The iconic ad slogan “don’t leave home without it” may have had its heyday in the 1970s, but its message still rings true for many consumers, especially when they travel. Among North American consumers, 58% prefer to use a credit card when traveling, found a new report from TSG, a …

The number of identity-theft cases fell last year, but criminals are getting savvier about how to win their victims’ confidence, with more of them relying on newer tools like artificial intelligence. And credit cards and other financial products remain a top target. That’s the mixed message from the Identity Theft …

Contactless payments are forecasted to surge 113% in value by 2029, reaching $15.7 trillion by 2029, up from $7.4 trillion this year, predicts a new report from Juniper Research. Ticketing and soft point-of-sale applications will be significant drivers of this growth, United Kingdom-based Juniper says. “As access becomes more widespread, …

The Canada-based processor Nuvei Corp. said it has received approval for a retail-services license from the central bank of the United Arab Emirates, laying the groundwork for an expansion into the UAE market. Fast-food chain Long John Silver’s said it is working with multiple technology vendors to update its digital and in-store ordering experience …

Paze, the online checkout platform backed by some of the nation’s biggest banks, is barreling through a state-by-state rollout that could culminate in nationwide coverage by late summer or early fall, according to James Anderson, the platform’s general manager who has spearheaded the project since Early Warning Services LLC announced …

Samsung Next has invested an undisclosed sum in Curve UK Ltd, developer of a U.K.-based digital wallet, bringing Curve’s total raised funds to more than $250 million. ECS Fin, a developer of payment-processing technology, said Zenus Bank has adopted its IMS Payments capability to integrate Visa B2B Connect, a platform for …

Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. announced a promotional agreement with Visa Inc., involving benefits and offers for holders of Block Inc.’s Visa-branded Cash App debit card. CasaPerks Technologies Inc. has launched CasaCash, a rewards program that can be offered by property owners to renters as an alternative to a program based on credit …