Friday , January 16, 2026

Competitive Strategies

Cannabis Payment App Debuts and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/9/19

CannaTrac, a cashless-payment service for the cannabis industry, released the CannaCard App, a mobile-payment service that enables users to upload funds from a checking account, debit card, or cash at select partner locations. A 95-cent fee applies to each funds loading. The app, available for Android and iOS devices, is …

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COMMENTARY: Why Cryptocurrencies Are a Solution in Search of a Problem

When you look at the benefits that cryptocurrencies offer, it’s somewhat surprising that they aren’t an established method of payment yet. They are cheaper than other payment methods, they allow fast global money transfer, and they provide built-in security and encryption. However, cryptocurrencies haven’t really taken off and are more …

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New York Credit Card Surcharges Get a Green Light as Merchants and the State Agree To Dismiss Lawsuit

Merchant plaintiffs and the state of New York filed motions Tuesday in a federal appellate court to dismiss the merchants’ challenge to New York’s law banning credit card surcharges. As a result, surcharges will be allowed when the merchant posts total prices for credit card purchases in dollars and cents. …

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Visa Teams Up With SiriusXM in the Latest Connected-Car Development

The new year is only a week old, but it’s already looking to be a strong one for dashboard payments. On Monday, Visa Inc. and SiriusXM Connected Vehicles Services Inc. said they plan to offer the SiriusXM e-wallet to auto manufacturers that deploy SiriusXM’s connected-vehicle services.  The Visa-SiriusXM announcement followed …

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Paya Makes Another Integrated-Payments Play With a Deal for First Billing Services

Paya Inc. said on Tuesday is has acquired First Billing Services, a Dayton, Ohio-based billing processor for municipalities, utilities, and multifamily housing units. The $57.5 million deal, which Paya chief executive Jeff Hack says was consummated minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve, represents the Reston, Va.-based payments provider’s second …

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Phillips 66 Links With Honda in a Push for Dashboard Commerce

Phillips 66 Co., which has long been a leading player among petroleum companies in digital payments, has taken a step into in-car commerce in a tie-up with Honda Motor Co. Inc. that will allow customers to find the nearest station, claim a pump, and pay for gas from the infotainment …

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The Name-Dropping Network: Mastercard Erases Its Name From Its Logo

At first glance, a press released headlined “Mastercard Drops Its Name” might lead one to believe Mastercard will be the anonymous payment network going forward. But no, Mastercard Inc. is simply removing its name from its familiar interlocking circles logo, the company announced Monday. The name-drop marks the second time …

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The Unicorn Herd Enrolled Yet More Fintech Members Last Year Following an Active 2017

The financial news has been full of dire stories about the beating tech stocks have been taking lately, but less well publicized is the action in private equity—specifically the creation of new payments-related unicorns. According to data from New York City-based CB Insights, which tracks private valuations, at least half …

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Mitek Notes More Suitors and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/4/19

Remote deposit capture software provider Mitek Systems Inc. said in a regulatory filing “that it has received expressions of interest from multiple parties” and thus is considering various “strategic alternatives” to maximize shareholder value. The only suitor the filing identified is ASG Technologies Group Inc., a portfolio company of the …

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Processor Stocks Eke Out a 2018 Gain Despite a Bloody Fourth Quarter

It was a nasty December and fourth quarter, but transaction-processor stocks still beat the major market indexes in 2018, according to an analysis by Barrington Research Associates Inc. Twenty-six publicly traded processor stocks posted a mean return of 3.01% for the year versus a negative mean return of 6.24% for …

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Digital Transactions