Competitive Strategies

By Jim Daly@DTPaymentNews The notion of the federal government auctioning off Bitcoin seized in drug busts and other actions looks like it’s an idea with some staying power. The U.S. Marshals Service on Monday scheduled yet another auction of the virtual currency in the wake of the four it conducted …

By John Stewart @DTPaymentNews It’s no secret the U.S. point of sale is undergoing perhaps the most extensive overhaul in its long and storied history, but now there’s evidence that a crowd of technology startups are sharing in the bounty that sweeping modernization is generating. Point-of-sale startups will likely reap …

By Kevin Woodward@DTPaymentNews Consumers using near-field communication (NFC)-enabled payment cards and smart phones enabled with mobile wallets soon will be able to use them to pay for transit rides operated by the Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works, Cubic Corp. recently announced. The contract is valued at $33 …

• The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index found that checks, at 90%, and cash, at 72%, continue to reign as the top payment methods accepted by small businesses. A printed check from a bill-pay service was next, at 53%, followed by credit or debit card at a point-of-sale terminal, 42%, …

• Processor Fiserv Inc. will market Early Warning LLC’s clearXchange person-to-person real-time payments network to its financial-institution clients under a new agreement. The deal follows a similar arrangement the companies reached last year for real-time bill payments and deposits. Fiserv also said adjusted second-quarter revenues in its payments segment increased nearly 11% …

By Jim Daly @DTPaymentNews Square Inc. reported Wednesday that its payment volume grew 42% in the second quarter to $12.5 billion, and, while still reporting a loss, the merchant processor edged toward profitability as its adjusted revenues jumped 54%. Square, which began signing merchants in 2010, also raised its financial …

By Kevin Woodward@DTPaymentNews Early Warning Services LLC announced Tuesday that both Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. are now part of its clearXchange peer-to-peer network. The addition of the two largest card brands means customers of participating financial institutions will be able to send money to others using a U.S.-issued debit …

• International Business Machines Corp. reportedly is in early talks to acquire iPad-based point-of-sale technology provider Revel Systems Inc., according to Bloomberg. • Investment firm Battery Ventures said it reached an agreement to acquire Bluepoint Solutions Inc., a privately-owned image-capture and document-management firm, and will merge it with Alogent, a …

By Jim Daly@DTPaymentNews Most of First Data Corp.’s cylinders fired on cue in the second quarter, but its U.S. small and mid-size business customers again proved to be drag on revenue growth. In response, the giant payment processor is holding off on merchant price increases and ramping up service, its top brass …

• FinTech Acquisition Corp. announced it has completed its acquisition of processor CardConnect LLC, which has become a wholly owned subsidiary. Renamed CardConnect Corp., the company began trading Monday on the NASDAQ under the symbol “CCN.” • Epson America Inc. launched the Envision mSelect Partner program to help mobile point-of-sale …