Bitcoin is far from a mainstream payment method, but most merchants that accept the cryptocurrency are online sellers. On Monday, the Atlanta-based processor BitPay Inc. announced an update intended to bring Bitcoin and its recently hatched cousin, Bitcoin Cash, to more brick-and-mortar merchants. BitPay introduced its Checkout app, which works …
Read More »RealPage Buys ClickPay and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/20/18
RealPage Inc., a vendor of software and data analytics to the real-estate business, has agreed to buy ClickPay, a payments processor for rent and other housing receivables, for $218.5 million in cash and stock. The deal is expected to close within the next six months. Infinicept, a company that offers services to …
Read More »Developers Work To Combine NFC With Blockchain for POS Transactions
So far, neither near-field communication nor blockchain has been a blockbuster technology for payments in the U.S. market, but now developers are working on combining the two in a way they hope will give cryptocurrencies a big boost at the point of sale. The idea is to create a standard …
Read More »Coinstar in Bill-Pay Deal and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/12/18
The Electronic Transactions Association joined with more than 100 other groups spanning a variety of industries in signing a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee expressing concern about tariffs proposed by the Trump Administration on Chinese imports. The ETA’s concern is that a proposed tariff on cash registers …
Read More »Apps Will Be a Major Force in Payments For Years to Come, a Report Argues
Payments companies wondering how digital payments will evolve and what impact today’s younger consumers might have as they age may want to consider the role of apps, suggests the “Future of Money Study 2018” from Koski Research Inc. San Francisco-based Koski, in research that included 1,000 U.S. adults and a …
Read More »Bitcoin’s Costs Have Plunged In Recent Months, But Its Volatile Value Could Scare Merchants
When the price of Bitcoin spiraled to dizzying heights last year, so did its costs for those who wanted to exchange the digital currency rather than hoard it. Places that accepted Bitcoin, some of them for years, announced they would stop taking it. Since December, Bitcoin’s price has famously slid …
Read More »New York Asks Card Brands About Gun Sales and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/5/18
New York’s comptroller, who oversees the state’s public pension funds, last week sent letters to the four general-purpose card networks, three of the nation’s biggest banks, and First Data Corp. and Worldpay Inc. asking them to assess whether gun sales should be considered restricted high-risk purchases, Bloomberg reported. New York’s letter comes …
Read More »Litecoin Founder Charlie Lee: ‘We’re Targeted Toward Payments’
Lately, the cryptocurrency craze has raised any number of questions, but probably the most pressing one for the payments business is whether any of these hundreds of tokens can ever succeed as an actual payment device. But while fluctuating trading values plague all of the digital currencies, one stands out …
Read More »NFC Specialist NXT-ID Reports an Encouraging 2017 And Promises More Products for 2018
NXT-ID Inc., a provider of authentication and contactless-payment technology, reported on Monday that its revenue tripled last year compared to 2016 while its adjusted earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes, and amortization swung positive. The Melbourne, Fla.-based company is best-known in the payments market for its Fit Pay Inc. unit, which …
Read More »Eye on Digital Currencies: Request Network Goes Live; Top 5 Currencies Take a Dive
The Request Network, a decentralized payment network built on the Ethereum digital currency, says it is now live on the main network used by Ethereum. This development enables requesting and sending cryptocurrency payments for goods, services, or as peer-to-peer payments, Request Network says. These initial digital-currency payments are available only …
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