The Electronic Transactions Association joined seven other financial trade groups in opposing a Republican-backed bill in the House of Representatives that would levy a 5% tax on cross-border money transfers to fund President Trump’s proposed border wall. Introduced in January by U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., H.R. 85 would require …

With its pending $750 million acquisition of The Western Union Co.’s bill-pay subsidiary Speedpay Inc., payment-software and processing provider ACI Worldwide Inc. will gain control of a profitable operation that made a name for itself in expedited payments. “Speedpay invented the expedited-payments market,” says Richard K. Crone, chief executive of …

For all the talk about financial-technology firms and non-bank processors encroaching on banks’ turf, acquiring banks still outdo the upstarts when it comes to having satisfied merchant customers, according to J.D. Power’s first in-depth study of the merchant-acquiring industry. The online study of 3,500 small businesses nationwide last October and …

Puerto Rico-based payment processor Evertec Inc. suffered along with the rest of the island when hurricanes Irma and especially Maria swept through in September 2017 and destroyed homes, businesses, and the electrical grid, but now Evertec’s payment volumes are surging as the island recovers. Puerto Rican transaction volumes were up …

It was a rough 2018 for leading ATM network operator Cardtronics plc, but the company’s top management predicted Thursday that 2019 will be better. Houston-based Cardtronics early last year muddled through the end of its long-standing relationship with its biggest customer, 7-Eleven Inc., which is pulling down year-on-year comparisons. At …

Green Dot Corp.’s diversification from a pure prepaid card management company into banking and other financial-services niches is driving direct deposits into its card accounts and spurring revenue-generating payment volume, according to the company’s latest financial report. Pasadena, Calif.-based Green Dot said Wednesday that fourth-quarter purchase volume on its cards …

Same-day automated clearing house transactions more than doubled in 2018 and the value of those payments increased 83% in the first full year of same-day ACH debit service, NACHA reported Tuesday. The same-day volumes helped the sprawling ACH network continue its growth streak, with total payments up nearly 7% and …

Two ATM trade groups said Monday they are working together to assure their members get access to banking services in what the associations believe is a risk-averse financial climate. The National ATM Council Inc. and the ATM Industry Association said they signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a …

New Jersey’s legislature this month passed a bill requiring merchants to accept cash at the point of sale, and several big cities, including New York, are considering similar measures. But does cash really need legal protection from payment cards and mobile wallets? That’s the question public officials as well as …

The number of U.S. merchant locations accepting EMV chip cards grew nearly 15% in 2018 while EMV payment transactions rose 27%, according to new data from Visa Inc.  In its latest report on the conversion of U.S. general-purpose payment cards from magnetic stripes to EMV chips, Visa says 3.1 million …