Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
Several payments-industry vendors are making product and services announcements in conjunction with the National Retail Federation’s annual Big Show convention this week in New York. Verifone unveiled the PayWare Mobile e355, a mobile point-of-sale terminal that accepts magnetic stripe, near-field communication (NFC), Europay-MasterCard-Visa (EMV), and Apple Pay transactions. Available in …
Read More »Hard Times at Softcard: Mobile-Payments Venture Lays Off 60 Employees
Softcard, the mobile-payments venture of Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA, has laid of 60 employees in a restructuring, according to media reports. The layoffs raise questions about the future of Softcard, formerly known as Isis, which has had trouble gaining consumer and merchant acceptance for its near-field communication-based …
Read More »BluePay Acquisition Bolsters Integrated POS Efforts As New Exec Takes Over
Merchant-services company BluePay Processing Inc. has bought CDI Technology Corp., which provides e-commerce software and payment services for companies that use business-management software such as Oracle JD Edwards and SAP. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Lombard, Ill.-based CDI integrates e-commerce and payments into business-management software, often called …
Read More »ISO Startup Blue Star Hopes Ties to NFL’s Dallas Cowboys Will Boost Its Prospects
The National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys organization is lending its name recognition to a new merchant-services company, Blue Star Payment Solutions. Frisco, Texas-based Blue Star intends to build its brand based on its affiliation with the Dallas Cowboys as one of the companies owned by the Jones family, says Jerry …
Read More »Latest Stats Show the ACH Growing Steadily As Players Mull Faster-Payments Proposal
Traffic on the automated clearing house network continues to climb at a steady clip as financial institutions and other users of the system mull over a proposal to speed up payments from next-day to same-day settlement. In the quarter ended Sept. 30, overall volume on the ACH grew 4.15% year …
Read More »COMMENTARY: How 2015 Could Be a Watershed Year for Digital Banking
According to the 2014 World Retail Banking Report from Capgemini and Efma, less than 40% (a decrease from 41.6% in 2013 to 39.5% in 2014) of customers globally reported having positive customer experiences with their bank. The main reason for this dissatisfaction is the bank’s failure to develop a comprehensive …
Read More »ISO Merchant Warehouse Rebrands as Cayan in Effort to Better Reflect New Business Focus
Merchant processor Merchant Warehouse announced Monday it has changed its name to Cayan LLC. The 17-year-old Boston-based company’s rebrand takes effect immediately and is reflected on a redesigned Web site that includes a new tag line, “The Payment Possibilities Company.” It will also be promoted at next week’s National Retail …
Read More »Google Becomes Latest Major Player to Sue Card Networks After Settlement Opt-Out
Two days before Christmas, Google Inc. quietly filed a federal lawsuit against Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., alleging the card networks violated antitrust law by setting “supracompetitive” interchange rates from 2004 to 2012. The unusually sparse, three-page suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, asks …
Read More »New York City Seeks Ideas About Paying Parking Violations Through Mobile Devices
Mobile payments in New York City soon could get access to a large amount of raw material for transactions if a proposal by the city’s Department of Finance becomes reality. The DoF recently issued a request for information (RFI) from vendors about developing a mobile-payments system for paying parking violations. …
Read More »Payments Exec Tom Wimsett in Gateway Deal With Private-Equity Firm
Former National Processing Co. chief executive Tom Wimsett, now head of consulting firm Wimsett & Co. LLC, has teamed up with private-equity firm Thompson Street Capital Partners to buy EchoSat Communication, a payment-gateway company. EchoSat, based in Lexington, Ky., targets petroleum marketers and convenience stores. According to EchoSat’s Web …
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