Consumers turned to debit cards in increasing numbers in the first quarter, finds the inaugural Galileo Debit Spend Index. Released Thursday, the report found that consumer use of debit cards at both fast food and sit-down restaurants increased more than 18% in the quarter, a reversal of a downward trend …

Experian plc, most known among consumers as a credit-reporting agency, says it is collaborating with processor Fiserv Inc. on Experian Link, a service to make it easier for merchants to verify a consumer’s identity with debit card ownership data. Announced Wednesday, the cooperative endeavor will see Fiserv’s proprietary debit card …

Magnolia Soap & Bath Co. will adopt the Square point-of-sale system for its 50 locations, including a module designed for franchises. Founded in 2016, Magnolia uses the franchise model to expand and has stores in 17 states. It will use Square for Retail, a service that includes branded micro-sites for …

As cryptocurrency for payments continues to emerge, two digital currency companies separately are broadening uses for their products. Bitget Wallet, which bills itself as an “everyday finance” app, is expanding its QR code payments to Argentina, Colombia, and Bolivia. Bitget Wallet says it will be integrated with national payment systems …

Fraud and scam bad actors are adapting again to changes in technology and consumer behavior, but so, too, are organizations charged with preventing their misdeeds. In its “Spring 2026 Biannual Threats Report,” Visa Inc. points to four shifts in the second half of 2025 as fundamentally changing how criminals interact …

Point-of-sale commerce platform Lightspeed Commerce Inc. added approximately 3,200 new locations in its fiscal fourth quarter, as it marks a year into its U.S. retail and Europe hospitality focus. Montreal-based Lightspeed, which embarked on the two-pronged POS-based plan more than a year ago, says the location total was up by …

Square, the point-of-sale arm of Block Inc., is adding restaurant chain The Hat to its customer list. In related news, 88% of convenience store operators and fuel retailers surveyed by Vontier Corp. report they have experienced a payment outage at least once in the prior 12 months. The Hat, with …

Just as legitimate transactions are a certainty in payments, so too, are fraud and scams. That doesn’t mean payments companies and their vendors need to just accept that. Now, Mastercard Inc. says it is countering fraud and scams with a new service, Mastercard Merchant Trust Services, to help clients identify …

Eyewear retailer EZContacts is the latest merchant to add Klarna AB’s buy now, pay later payment option. Klarna hopes to displace some credit card transactions, saying vision care is a plannable expense where credit cards remain the default payment option. Klarna says EZContacts customers will be able to use its …

Finix Payments Inc. is leaning into the unattended payments arena with the launch of its Android-based point-of-sale terminal designed for self-service payments. In related news, Deluxe Corp. formed a merchant services partnership with Dollar Bank. San Francisco-based Finix says its new POS terminal is meant to meet demand for contactless, …