Acquiring

The National Retail Federation predicts total industry sales this year will increase 3.8% to 4.4% over 2017’s levels, with online and other non-store retail sales rising 10% to 12%. A startup called WeTravel, which streamlines travel planning, booking, and payments for small businesses, has closed a $2 million funding round. …

A July 1 PCI Security Standards Council deadline is prompting payments providers to act well before then, with many establishing their own compliance deadlines in February. What has provoked this eagerness? It could be that noncompliance with the PCI mandate could halt merchant transactions that rely on the Internet. The …

Fresh from its $85 million acquisition of Cantaloupe Systems Inc., USA Technologies Inc. reported Thursday that it added 311,000 net new connections to its network of vending machines and other unattended card-accepting merchant locations in the quarter ended Dec. 31. Approximately 270,000 of the new connections came from Cantaloupe, a …

Payment-processing hardware and software provider VeriFone Systems Inc. said the Apptizer mobile order-ahead app is now integrated with its Verifone Carbon point-of-sale devices. In related news, VeriFone said Helsinki-based Euroloan Group Plc’s Mash application is now integrated into the Verifone Connect system, enabling consumers to select a pay-later option when …

Criminals target signature-based debit cards for fraud attempts far more than any other payment method, according to new findings from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Fed’s survey last summer, which garnered responses from 283 banks and credit unions across the country, found that more than 90% of …

ProPay, a unit of Total System Services Inc. (TSYS), announced the debut of the ProPay Payment Network Wednesday. The service targets software-as-a-service providers and aims to make it easier for them to make payments among merchants, marketplaces, affiliates, consultants, and partners. TSYS says it does that through a single point …

Point-of-sale products seller General Credit Forms Inc. said it purchased Paper Systems Inc., a manufacturer of paper rolls for POS and ATM systems. Paper Systems will continue to operate as PSI. Terms were not disclosed. Euronet Worldwide Inc., which is based in the United States but operates ATM and other …

Shift4 Payments LLC, owner of the Harbortouch point-of-sale service, announced Tuesday it purchased three POS brands specializing in hospitality payments. Restaurant Manager, POSitouch, and Future POS are now part of Shift4 Payments. Terms were not disclosed. The acquisitions add 90,000 merchants to Shift4 Payments’ portfolio, and include customers such as …

Data-services provider Womply announced Womply Engage, a customer relationship management service for small businesses that enables merchants to create and manage email marketing programs. In an effort to address data breaches in the financial-services industry, the Accredited Standards Committee X9 Inc. said it is seeking experts for an initiative to create …

In an effort to streamline operations, Interac Association, Canada’s nationwide debit network, and its corporate cousin Acxsys Corp. have reorganized into a single entity known as Interac Corp., the company announced Monday. “This is an important milestone for Interac and a critical step in our continued success as one of …