The U.S. small-business economy is stuck in neutral, with any improvement coming from customers buying more rather than from a boost in foot traffic, according to a key performance index calculated by the big transaction processor Fiserv Inc. The company’s Small Business Index registered at 145.3 for July, up 1.6% …

Pressure on Fiserv Inc. has mounted in recent weeks, and now an activist investor is calling on the big Milwaukee-based processor to divest assets that lie well beyond its two debit networks. In an open letter to Fiserv’s board on Thursday, Jana Partners Management LP urges Fiserv’s board “to take …

As payments executives wrestle with fast-moving trends in AI-driven commerce and in cryptocurrency, particularly stablecoins, card networks are gearing up to win more business in both markets. And network executives see those trends accelerating, creating opportunities to grab market share if they act fast. “Agentic commerce is the next evolution …

Verifone Inc. announced early Thursday it has been awarded a U. S. patent on technology that protects point-of-sale terminals and unattended payment devices from card skimming. The move comes as estimates indicate skimming losses grew 5% last year, reaching approximately $1 billion in the U.S. market. In skimming attacks, bad …

Stablecoins have been on payments companies’ radar screens for years, but only recently has the digital currency gained the credibility needed to move processors, merchants, and users toward using stablecoins for everyday payments. The latest example of this emerged early Tuesday with an announcement from Mesh, a San Francisco-based crypto …