The number of Apple Pay users globally increased an estimated 104.8% in a year, from 62 million in 2016 to 127 million in 2017, Loup Ventures, a research-driven venture-capital firm, said. Only an estimated 16% of global iPhone users have activated Apple Pay, the firm said, which added that it is …

ATM network owner and operator Cardtronics plc said fourth-quarter 2017 ATM operating revenues rose 18% year-over-year to $346.2 million, but net income declined 36% to $16 million. The company also said more than 100 financial institutions and 6 million cards were added to its Allpoint surcharge-free network in 2017. Fleet-fueling …

NthCard LLC, a prepaid gift card processing and distribution firm, launched nthPOS, an app for Android, iOS, and Windows 10 devices that enables merchants to activate, redeem, and reload gift cards using a mobile phone or tablet. Fraud-management vendor Giact Systems LLC announced it and Advanced Fraud Solutions are offering a …

BuyerDocs has been formed to secure wires for down payments made by home buyers from hacking, phishing, imposters, and spoofing. Wire fraud plundered approximately $1 billion from the real-estate industry in 2017, the company says. The Smart Payment Association and payment card manufacturer CPI Card Group Inc. announced that CPI …

The cryptocurrency Litecoin was still riding high Friday morning following a mid-week announcement that a new entity called LitePay Inc. will provide merchant processing in 41 countries, including the United States, starting Feb. 26. As of mid-morning, Litecoin traded at $220, up 38% from $160 at noon Tuesday. Also this …

The Accredited Standards Committee X9 Inc. and the PCI Security Standards Council announced they will jointly develop a unified PIN-security standard. Currently each organization maintains a separate standard for PIN use, which could result in an entity being subject to one or both of the existing standards. The joint effort …

Fourth-quarter hardware sales for ATM and banking and retail-payment equipment manufacturer Diebold Nixdorf Inc. fell 11% year over year to $473.2 million, but software and services revenues rose 19% and 7%, respectively, the company reported. Credit card balances hit $834 billion in the fourth quarter, up 7% from $779 billion …

Fresquez Companies, operator of nine restaurants at the Albuquerque International Sunport airport, announced it is replacing its vending machines with unattended kiosks for food and other products that use weight-sensing shelves from ShelfX Inc. to determine a consumer’s product selection. Consumers swipe a payment card to unlock the kiosk. Payment …

Card-data analytics company Cardlytics, which went public Friday, was trading at nearly $16 a share at mid-morning Monday, up 18% on the day to that point. The stock is up 30% since its debut. YapStone, which processes payments for apartment and vacation rentals, announced the first closing in a Series …

The National Retail Federation predicts total industry sales this year will increase 3.8% to 4.4% over 2017’s levels, with online and other non-store retail sales rising 10% to 12%. A startup called WeTravel, which streamlines travel planning, booking, and payments for small businesses, has closed a $2 million funding round. …