Bitcoin ATM deployer Bitcoin Depot said its network now includes more than 500 machines worldwide, with more than 100 in the Atlanta area. The company projects it will have more than 1,000 Bitcoin ATMS by the end of 2020.Lael Brainard, a Federal Reserve Board governor, said in a Wednesday speech that the Fed, …
Read More »Debit Routing Uncertainty Down Under and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 2/5/20
Australian financial regulators might intervene to stop banks from automatically routing contactless debit card payments to the Visa and Mastercard networks and instead give merchants the option of using the country’s EFTPOS network, Reuters reported.RevSpring Financial Services, a provider of collections-support services for health-care firms and other companies, debuted eVokePay, a payment …
Read More »A Hedge Fund’s Green Dot Stake and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 2/4/20
Activist hedge fund Starboard Value LP has taken an approximately 9% stake in prepaid card and banking services provider Green Dot Corp., according to a regulatory filing. Green Dot issued a statement saying it “welcomes transparent, constructive feedback regarding the common goal of enhancing long-term shareholder value.” In the wake of a big …
Read More »Cornerstone Purchases Move Your Mountain and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 2/3/20
Cornerstone Payment Systems announced the acquisition of Move Your Mountain, a crowd-funding platform. Terms were not disclosed.Digital cross-border payments provider Remitly Inc. launched Passbook by Remitly, a mobile app aimed at immigrants in the United States that features a no-fee account from Sunrise Banks N.A. and real-time transfers via Visa Inc.’s Visa Direct …
Read More »As Ransomware Spreads, Ransoms Balloon And Attacks Grow More Sophisticated
The criminals behind ransomware attacks are becoming dramatically bolder. The average payment demanded in fourth-quarter attacks reached $84,116, more than double the average sum in the third quarter, according to the latest data from Coveware Inc., a Westport, Conn.-based cybersecurity firm that tracks data from cases it has handled. Worse …
Read More »BMO Harris Bank Adds Zelle for B2C Payments and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/23/20
BMO Harris Bank has made Zelle person-to-person payments available to its commercial clients, which can use Zelle to pay individuals without requiring banking information needed for ACH transactions. BMO Harris Bank says it is one of only eight banks to offer Zelle as a business-to-consumer service.Commerce Bank said insurer Progressive will use CommercePayments PreferPay for …
Read More »Another Libra Departure and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/22/20
British telecommunications giant Vodafone Group Plc has become the latest Libra participant to withdraw from the controversial digital-currency project initiated by Facebook Inc., Reuters reported. Other early participants that have withdrawn include Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Stripe, and eBay.With an eye on expanding its Bitcoin services, merchant processor Square Inc. said it is developing what it calls …
Read More »Ria Makes bpost Deal and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/20/20
Ria Money Transfer, a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide Inc., said it has an agreement with Belgian Postal Service group (bpost) to offer international money-transfer services through bpost’s network of 600 post offices.Restaurant The Crack Shack Enterprises LLC issued a data-breach notification for its Encinitas, Calif., location. Payment card information, including names, card …
Read More »2019 Holiday Sales Increased 4.1% and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/17/20
The National Retail Federation reported 2019’s holiday retail sales grew 4.1% over the same period in 2018 to $730.2 billion. Online and other non-store sales rose 14.6% to $167.8 billion and are included in the totalE-commerce services and payments provider Shopify Inc. is offering new businesses what it calls “starter loans” of $200 through …
Read More »In Libra’s Wake, Experts Begin Planning Digital Money Controlled by Central Banks
When Facebook Inc. last year floated the idea of a digital currency called Libra, the notion of a currency backed by a powerful corporation with global reach stimulated some experts to begin thinking about digital money that could be issued not by private companies but by central banks. On Thursday, …
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