Payments provider The OLB Group Inc. said its SecurePay gateway can now support cryptocurrency transactions and settlement of funds for merchants, putting crypto on par with credit and debit payments.PayActiv Inc., a provider of earned-wage access technology, said Hancock Whitney is the first financial institution to offer the company’s service.In related news, …

Mobile marketing specialist Vibes said brands sent 400% more mobile messages for buy online pickup in store and buy online pickup at curbside services in the 2020 fourth quarter than they did in the 2019 fourth quarter. Vibes predicted that both pickup options will continue to grow 45% in 2021.London-based digital payouts …

ACI Worldwide Inc. said its ACI Payments Inc. unit will support an Internal Revenue Service initiative to allow taxpayers, including those who are unbanked or underbanked, to make cash payments through a new digital barcode feature from ACI and InComm Payments’ VanillaDirect Pay unit.P97 Networks Inc., a provider of mobile payments …

Buy now, pay later specialist Klarna AB raised $1 billion in an oversubscribed equity funding round that pegged the company’s valuation at $31 billion. Major U.S. clients include Macys, Etsy, Sephora, Ralph Lauren, and Urban Outfitters.In related news, BNPL provider Splitit Payments Ltd. announced its merchant sales volume increased almost 180% in 2020 to …

Switched transactions dipped 1% for the week ended Feb. 21 for Mastercard Inc. compared to the same week last year, the card network reported. It is the first weekly year-over-year dip in switched transactions for Mastercard so far this year and reflects a swing from 4% growth in the week ended Feb. …

Payments provider Clearent LLC and Transaction Services Group, a New Zealand-based software and integrated payments provider, will merge and form Xplor Technologies, TSG announced. Terms were not disclosed. Both companies are part of investor Advent International’s portfolio. The combined company will serve more than 82,000 businesses that processed more than $27 billion …

In 2020, mobile-wallet usage exceeded that of cash for in-store payments for the first time, according to the annual Global Payments Report by Worldpay from FIS. The report, which canvassed 46,000 consumers worldwide, found cash usage fell 10 percentage points to account for 20% of all face-to-face transactions.Inspriration4, the civilian-crewed space mission …

Gateway provider NMI said it acquired USAePay in a deal that will strengthen NMI’s coverage in verticals, including retail and restaurant, where USAePay has had success. The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, also will help create a stronger omnichannel capability for NMI. The combined company had more than $100 billion in annual …

The planned Inspiration4 project, the first space flight with an all-civilian crew, added its second crew member, Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant in Memphis. Crew commander is Shift4 Payments Inc. chief executive Jared Isaacman.Credit union service organization PSCU said spending made with debit cards increased 12.5% for the week ending Feb. 14 compared to …

Promise Network Inc., a startup specializing in government-related payments such as utilities, child support, and parking tickets, said it has raised more than $20 million in a Series A funding round led by Kapor Capital and XYZ Venture Capital.A survey by payroll platform Everee Inc. of 400 U.S. independent contractors found that …