Despite rampant inflation and supply-chain shortages that have made certain products hard to come by, gift cards, whether they are physical or digital, remain popular with consumers. Indeed, 58% of consumers plan to purchase more gift cards as an alternative to tangible products due to inventory shortages in 2022, according …
Read More »Payfare Lines up Visa Direct and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/29/22
Payments provider Payfare Inc. announced it is adding Visa Direct to its platform to enable real-time payouts to gig workers.Cloud-based payments provider Volante Technologies said it is working with the consulting firm KPMG to offer banks cloud technology for real-time payments, along with an advisory service.Mastercard Inc. is working in the United Kingdom with Temenos, …
Read More »A Sezzle Survey Says Consumers Expect To Make Even Greater Use Of BNPL This Year
Two years after the Covid-19 pandemic helped make buy now, pay later loans popular with online shoppers, BNPL remains a highly attractive payment option, according to a study by BNPL provider Sezzle Inc. Of the 1,153 online shoppers surveyed by Sezzle, 60% of BNPL users plan to use BNPL more …
Read More »Eye on the Sky: CellPoint Signs Virgin Atlantic, And Garmin Unveils a New Smart Watch
The return of travel following the impact of the pandemic is testing airlines in various ways, not the least of which is their openness to payment methods beyond cards in what for them is a global market. That new emphasis, combined with a need to work with multiple acquirers, is …
Read More »Payapa in Cross-Border Payments Play and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/28/22
Papaya Global Ltd., a specialist in payroll, said it has agreed to acquire Azimo Ltd., a cross-border payments platform. Terms were not announced.Canada-based processor Nuvei Corp. said it will provide acquiring and gateway services, along with support for more than 530 alternative payment methods, for Aircash, a mobile wallet based in Croatia.In …
Read More »As Regulators Examine BNPL, A Payments Industry Group Advises Caution
With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau investigating the impact of buy now, pay later programs on consumers, the Electronic Transactions Association early Friday released a letter it hopes will help clarify the issues and help allay the regulator’s concerns about key issues such as debt accumulation, regulatory arbitrage, and data …
Read More »Sightline Payments Selects J.P. Morgan Payments and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/25/22
Sightline Payments said it has chosen J.P. Morgan Payments as its primary merchant acquirer and processor for Sightline’s Play+ service, which works with more than 80 companies to support sports betting, lotteries, and online and physical casinos in more than 40 states. Play+ has more than 1.5 million accountholders.In related news, J.P. …
Read More »COMMENTARY: How Artificial Intelligence Is Helping BNPL Providers Stay Secure
Lax credit checks, minimal personal data requested, and fast loan approval. What’s not to love about buy now, pay later (BNPL) options if you’re a cybercriminal? From creating fake identities to exploiting flaws in providers’ data-management tools, bad actors have been quick to take advantage of these fast-growing, convenient finance …
Read More »Ransomware Payments up 78% and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/24/22
Ransomware payments exploded last year, with the average payment rising 78% year-over-year to $541,010, according to data compiled by cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks.Blackbaud Inc., a cloud software company serving nonprofits, said clients of its Blackbaud Merchant Services unit can now accept payments via both PayPal and Venmo in the United …
Read More »Group Shines Spotlight on Online Debit Routing Choice and Security
The popularity of debit cards for card-not-present transactions, particularly online payments, is surging, and a new proposal from an industry trade group could expand that popularity while preventing fraud and facilitating merchants’ transaction-routing choices. The proposal is contained in a white paper released Tuesday by the U.S. Payments Forum, an …
Read More »