Acquiring

• Former Heartland Payment Systems Inc. chief executive Bob Carr has returned to the payments industry with Beyond, a payments provider. Announced Monday, Beyond, on its Web site, says it will provide payment processing, integrated payments, lending services, and business-management services. Carr had been the leader of Heartland, which Global Payments Inc. acquired for …

Merchants like programs that cover their credit card acceptance costs. So do ISOs and acquirers, some of which see a big opportunity in programs that help merchants with surcharging. Surcharging for credit card transactions or offering a cash discount may have obvious benefits for merchants, but these programs also carry …

Restaurants have been slow to bite on EMV. To get adoption percolating, vendors are introducing methods that let customers add a tip after making a payment or pay with tabletop devices. Paying with EMV cards has been an adjustment for the average U.S. consumer. Cards are no longer swiped. They …

Consulting firm The Strawhecker Group is out with its 2016 rankings of U.S. merchant acquirers, and they show that 240 acquirers and independent sales organizations processed more than $5 trillion in payment volume. The 10 biggest acquirers accounted for 80% of that volume. Topping the list is JPMorgan Chase & …

• Apple Inc. is once again talking to payments-industry players about launching a person-to-person payment service, according to a report on Recode.net, which cited “multiple sources familiar with the talks.” The sources say the service would allow iPhone users to send money to each other. Recode also reports Apple is talking to …

• Opponents and proponents of repealing debit card interchange controls known as the Durbin Amendment prepared for a hearing on the Financial CHOICE Act Thursday with dueling press releases. The National Retail Federation, as reported earlier this week by Digital Transactions News, led a meeting of retailers interested in keeping the …

• Processor Total System Services Inc. (TSYS) reported its revenues grew 60.2% year-over-year in the first quarter, to $1.2 billion from $739.4 million. Net income attributable to common shareholders was $105.9 million, up 16.8% from $90.6 million. For 2017, the company is raising its total revenue and net revenue guidance by …

Pay with Venmo, a fledgling merchant-payments service from PayPal Holdings Inc., is advancing to a broader testing stage with merchants, PayPal chief executive Dan Schulman said during a conference call with analysts to discuss the company’s first-quarter results Wednesday. Announced in 2016, One Touch is PayPal’s rapidly growing checkout service …

• Merchant processor Elavon Inc. announced it has added online storefront technology from 3dcart for e-commerce merchants and online-ordering capability for the talech point-of-sale tablet. • Peer Ledger, a Canadian blockchain company, said a study it conducted shows digital identity can be tied to the blockchain, the technology underlying cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. …

• Payment technology provider ACI Worldwide Inc. said it will make its UP Immediate Payments service available to financial institutions and credit unions of all sizes. • Merchant processor Global Payments Inc. renewed its contract with Caesars Entertainment Corp. • In a Mastercard Inc. promotion, consumers who use a Mastercard credit, debit, or prepaid card at a …