Competitive Strategies

As cyber attacks grow more vicious, investors are pouring more money into startups whose technology is aimed at thwarting online thieves. Funding deals for private cybersecurity firms reached 139 in the first quarter, the highest quarterly number recorded over the past five years by CBInsights, a New York City-based research …

TransferWise started out as an upstart processor enabling international remittances, but now it’s expanding into a much bigger arena. On Tuesday, it announced the availability of virtual accounts that let small businesses pay and receive payments internationally as if they had a local account. The service, called Borderless Account, covers …

USAA, a pioneer in developing remote deposit capture, said it is “inviting” banks and credit unions to license the patent rights to its RDC technology, for which the financial-services giant holds approximately 50 patents. Launched in 2006 as a way to enable USAA’s customers, many of whom are in the …

Like it or not, Bitcoin has momentum behind it. On Saturday, the digital currency breached the $2,000 level for the first time ever, and by Monday morning it was trading just shy of $2,200, according to CoinDesk, an online service that tracks cryptocurrency. That represents a quintupling in value since …

• Universal Secure Registry LLC, a developer of computer-security and mobile-payment services, alleges in a federal lawsuit that Apple Inc. and Visa Inc. infringed on its patents for electronic payments and identity authentication as they developed their mobile-payment services. Apple and Visa did not immediately respond to requests for comment. • The …

Consumers may like the leading payment brands, especially Visa, but they don’t connect with them on an emotional level, according to new research findings from payments-industry consulting firm The Strawhecker Group. Asked if they “have any emotional connection” to any of the brands, some 77% of TSG’s respondents said no. …

Cayan’s new Genius Mini card reader may look like any number of headphone-jack or Bluetooth devices meant to connect to a smart phone or tablet to enable payment card acceptance. That’s because it’s the software the Genius Mini uses that distinguishes it from similar devices. The device is designed to …

Recruiting massive processor First Data Corp. and existing partner PayPal Holdings Inc., the Google unit of Alphabet Inc. on Wednesday announced critical extensions of its Android Pay mobile-payment service into both physical and online commerce. In an arrangement that will become available to merchants and developers later in 2017, Atlanta-based …

Two powerhouse independent sales organizations are joining together. North American Bancard Holdings LLC is buying Total Merchant Services Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Woodland Hills, Calif.-based TMS processes more than $12 billion in annual transactions, which when added to NAB will result in more than $50 billion in annual processing …

• Processor First Data Corp. unveiled its First Data Global PFAC service for payment facilitators, which includes a single integration interface that enables merchants to authorize, settle, and fund transactions in more than 40 countries and 17 currencies. • Payment processor Clearent LLC is offering Visa Inc.’s Quick Chip technology to software vendors as …