Financial technology firms, many of which command significant positions in the payments business, can now apply to become national banks. Moving on a proposal it’s had under consideration for months, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced on Tuesday it will begin accepting bank-charter applications from fintech firms. …

Long an afterthought in payments, peer-to-peer transfers are top-of-mind in the industry just now, and this week three reports emerged to show just how fast the payment type is growing for bank and nonbank networks alike. The bank-owned Zelle network processed 100 million transactions totaling $28 billion in the three …

Person-to-person payments are hot these days, and PayPal Holdings Inc. has one of the hottest products in the market with its Venmo service. But as PayPal revealed Wednesday, Venmo can create some friction for its parent even as it vitally expands its payments business. PayPal reported $14.2 billion in payment …

When it comes to the potential for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to be a real-world payment method, users, investors, and blockchain executives have a somewhat mixed view on the matter. Asked whether they think more merchants will start accepting crypto this year, 49% agree and 23% strongly agree that they …

Alipay, the China-based mobile and online payments service, has been active over the past year signing up U.S. merchants, and on Tuesday it announced its latest addition: apparel seller Guess? Inc., which will accept Alipay at more than 50 of its stores in New York City, Las Vegas, and California, …

Issues like price volatility, pokey transaction times, and sheer reputational risk have left many processors and independent sales organizations on the sidelines when it comes to cryptocurrency acceptance. Many, but not all. The latest entrant, and the largest so far, in this nascent market is Payroc LLC, which later this …

After weeks of listless trading, Bitcoin has rallied over the past 24 hours, shooting up from the high-$6,000s to the mid-$7,000s in a move that has brought new energy to other leading cryptocurrencies. Coincidentally, Mastercard Inc. on Tuesday was awarded a patent for a system that could allow users of …

Payments gurus for years have touted benefits like faster transactions, improved security, and associated rewards when it comes to mobile payments. Now a study released Tuesday indicates converting off-the-books cash payments to digital methods could also boost a nation’s gross domestic product and augment the flow of tax revenues to …

Online travel agency CheapAir.com says it has found a workaround that will let it continue to accept cryptocurrency, and Payroc LLC has become the latest payments provider to offer crypto to merchant clients. Calabasas, Calif.-based CheapAir notified customers on Friday that it has found a new provider for Bitcoin acceptance …

Two of the nation’s largest banks on Friday released some details about their payments businesses indicating robust growth despite their size. JPMorgan Chase & Co., which operates one of the nation’s biggest merchant-processing centers, reported its merchant volume grew 12% in the quarter ended June 30, to $330.8 billion. For …