Financial services was the most impersonated industry by criminals launching phishing attacks during the first half of 2023, according to a report from cybersecurity firm Vade. Financial services accounted for more than 33% of all phishing URLs, followed by the social media (22%) and cloud (21%) industries. Phishing is the …
Read More »Early 2023 Data Breach Volumes Surpass Most Recent Full Years
As digitalization of payments information continues to permeate society, the allure of getting a hold of that data illicitly is unabated. Already, for the first half of 2023, the number of U.S. data compromises is higher than the total compromises for every full year between 2005 and 2020, except for …
Read More »Shopify’s Latest Sales Channel Is Roku
Entertainment-streaming platform Roku says a partnership with Shopify Inc. will provide viewers the ability to purchase products from Shopify merchants directly from their TV through Roku Action Ads. It works like this: When viewing an ad for a Shopify merchant, viewers press OK on their Roku remote to learn more …
Read More »Adyen Adds Tap to Pay on Android And Other Digital Transactions News briefs from 7/11/23
Point-of-sale technology provider Adyen NV has added Tap to Pay on Android, which allows merchants to accept contactless card payments directly on a mobile device with no additional hardware. Adyen is adding the technology initially in the United States and Singapore. Checkout.com launched Identity Verification, a tool based on artificial intelligence that allows …
Read More »It’s Time for Congress to Dump the CCCA And Modify the Durbin Amendment, a Report Argues
With proposals aimed at controlling merchants’ costs for accepting credit cards having re-emerged in Congress, research has been emerging on both sides of the issue this summer as advocates for sellers and card issuers compete to influence any eventual legislation. The latest thrust appeared Monday with a research report arguing …
Read More »Merchant Lynx Acquires National Credit Card Processing; 365 Retail Markets, First American Launch Terminals
Merchant Lynx Services has acquired National Credit Card Processing Group, a provider of B2B payment solutions, for an undisclosed sum. National Card Processing specializes in payment acceptance for the construction and heavy-duty trucking parts and repairs, concrete ready mix, asphalt and aggregate supply, and highway civil construction industries. The acquisition …
Read More »FIS Makes It Official: It’s Selling a 55% Worldpay Stake to GTCR at an $18.5 Billion Valuation
In a fleeting 10-minute conference call, FIS Inc. announced early Thursday a move to sell a 55% interest in its merchant-processing business, which principally consists of the Worldpay unit it acquired four years ago, to the private-equity firm GTCR. The deal is expected to close by the end of the …
Read More »Sabre Acquires Gift Card Platform And Other Digital Transactions News briefs from 7/6/23
Travel-technology provider Sabre Corp. announced it has acquired Techsembly, a gift card and e-commerce platform for hotels. The U.S. Payments Forum published a white paper outlining the impact of the Federal Reserve’s clarification that debit card issuers must enable a choice of two unaffiliated networks for all transactions, including card-not-present payments. The clarification took effect …
Read More »Fed Routing Rule Takes Effect Saturday And Other Digital Transactions News briefs from 6/30/23
On Saturday, a final rule issued in October by the Federal Reserve goes into effect, requiring that all issuers offer a choice of at least two networks for routing online debit card transactions. The update, derived from the 2010 Durbin Amendment, has been a bone of contention for years between merchants and issuers. …
Read More »Square Unveils Its AmEx Card for Merchants as Part of Its Banking Expansion
Fulfilling a promise it made seven months ago, Block Inc.’s Square merchant-acquiring unit on Wednesday announced it will offer an American Express-branded credit card to its sellers that gives rewards in the form of lower processing costs. Square also announced several enhancements to its financial services to get more of …
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