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Every corporate merger presents risks to the companies involved and their owners, employees, and customers. Leading U.S.-based point-of-sale terminal maker VeriFone Systems Inc.’s planned takeover of smaller rival Hypercom Corp. is no exception: a recent regulatory filing detailing VeriFone’s merger plans devotes 26 pages to a host of risks. Of …
Read More »Visa Commits to a Two-Tier Debit Card Interchange Structure
In an apparent effort to calm its smaller debit card issuers, Visa Inc. says it will develop a two-tier interchange schedule, one with regulated rates arising from the Dodd-Frank financial-reform law and the other with unregulated rates applicable to banks and credit unions with fewer than $10 billion in assets. …
Read More »Android’s Surge Creates a Three-Way Market for Payments Developers
As developers of applications for smart phone-based payments and incentives map their plans for what promises to be a breakthrough year in mobile financial services, evidence continues to pile up that they will have to reckon with a market split between three main operating systems. “The race for the lead …
Read More »United Bank Card Raises the Bar in Free POS Equipment
United Bank Card Inc., a big independent sales organization that touched off the so-called free-terminal trend seven years ago, has begun offering merchants full-blown point-of-sale business-management hardware and software at no charge. It is also offering its outside sales representatives a $300 commission per terminal sold. Many merchant-acquiring industry observers …
Read More »TSYS Cements Strategic About-Face with Takeover of First National Merchant Solutions
Total System Services Inc. on Tuesday brought to an end a short-lived joint venture with First National Bank of Omaha by buying the 49% of FNBO unit First National Merchant Solutions LLC it didn’t already own. In the deal, TSYS paid FNBO $169.6 million for the remaining stake, implying a …
Read More »Treasury Department Likely To Be in Driver’s Seat on Prepaid Card Program
The final rule from the U.S. Treasury Department mandating electronic payment of Social Security and other benefits, which was announced on Tuesday, is likely to greatly expand a federal prepaid card program that has already racked up impressive results. It could also lead Treasury to look for more features and …
Read More »Takeover Buzz Subsides As Ingenico Rejects a $1.9 Billion Bid
It’s all over but the shouting, at least for now. France’s Ingenico S.A., which sells point-of-sale terminals in North America and elsewhere around the world, on Sunday rejected a suitor that had offered $1.9 billion for the company. Bloomberg had reported on Friday that the suitor was Danaher Corp., Washington, …
Read More »NFC Phones Poised for a Worldwide Boom, But U.S Mobile Payments Will Lag
The global market for smart phones with near-field communication technology (NFC) will heat up in 2011, opening the way for contactless payments via mobile phones, according to a new report from Mercator Advisory Group Inc. But while the U.S. is poised to be a breakout market for NFC at some …
Read More »Sales to Gas Stations Help Fuel Revenue Gains for VeriFone
Already big inside the convenience stores at thousands of gas stations, point-of-sale terminal maker VeriFone Systems Inc. is making headway at gas pumps. VeriFone on Thursday reported that petroleum-industry revenues grew 58% in its fourth fiscal 2010 quarter ended Oct. 31 over the year-earlier period. The strong petroleum results helped …
Read More »Why an Online PIN-Debit Provider Expects a Lift from Dodd-Frank
Most of the chatter about who will win or lose when the Federal Reserve Board releases its debit card interchange regulations and related rules mandated by the Dodd-Frank financial-reform law centers on card issuers, payment networks, and merchants. But technology vendors are likely to be affected too. One company that …
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