Competitive Strategies

Cross-border payments provider Veem announced it now offers working capital to merchants through a deal with merchant-financier BlueVine. Payments provider Bluefin Payment Systems LLC said its services will be available to users of practice-management software from Rev360 that is designed for use in eye-care practices. Payments provider Century Business Solutions …

The search by online-payments kingpins for avenues into physical-world stores reached a new milestone with the acquisition by Stripe Inc. of point-of-sale technologist Index Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, according to an Index spokesperson, who added the company has no immediate comment on the transaction. A Stripe …

Merchants wondering whether it’s worth it to invest in improving the consumer experience on their mobile Web sites or mobile-shopping apps may want to consider the findings of Worldpay Inc.’s “Mobile Payment Journey” survey. In the survey, released this week, 37% of U.S. consumers said they would spend more for …

The newbie bank-controlled Zelle person-to-person payments service already is a major player on the P2P scene, but it could win even greater adoption through clear messaging, a mobile-first orientation, more emphasis on its underutilized request feature, and an appeal beyond Millennials. Those and many other recommendations and observations are included …

Mobile-payment and -loyalty provider LevelUp announced an integration with Gusto Point of Sale, a vendor of Web, kiosk, and mobile technology for restaurants. Under a settlement between the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and The Bancorp Bank, the prepaid card issuer is to pay a $2 million fine and nearly $1.3 …

The number of debit cards compromised at ATMs and merchant terminals increased 10% in the United States last year, according to antifraud-technology vendor FICO. Newtek Business Services Inc., owner of Newtek Merchant Solutions and Premier Payments LLC, says its payments unit processed $6.1 billion in volume last year. Point-of-sale terminal …

Payments provider Paysafe is the first reseller of VeriFone System Inc.’s Verifone Connect service among independent sales organizations, VeriFone announced Tuesday. Verifone Connect is a suite of point-of-sale services, such as payment acceptance, point-of-sale terminal management, and business-management tools, that works with VeriFone’s Carbon and Engage devices. London-based Paysafe is …

The cryptocurrency world often gets feverish upon news that an established power in payments or financial services has turned its attention to matters of Bitcoin or its cohorts. Such was the case Monday when reports surfaced that PayPal Holdings Inc. had applied for a patent for a so-called “expedited virtual …

Amazon.com Inc.’s interest in launching a checking-account-like product, reported Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal, could have deep roots in its strategy both for payments in general and for Amazon Pay, the payment wallet it operates for non-Amazon sites, expert observers say. Talks between the Seattle-based retailing colossus and banks …

Point-of-sale software maker GiftLogic said its product now supports the Ingenico iCMP wireless POS terminal with Vantiv Integrated Payments. Prepaid and gift-card specialist Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. said it will supply the gift card products for Wells Fargo’s Go Far Rewards program. Blackhawk is managing the gift card reward element …