Fraud & Security

With the Covid-19 pandemic still imposing a huge financial weight on the nation’s small businesses and families, many legislators are understandably eager to pursue policies they feel will ease that burden. But lawmakers must be careful that they are looking at policies that really will help. Unfortunately, some sectors—in this …

By linking directly to UnionPay’s SecurePlus two-factor authentication application, digital-commerce platform provider Merchant e-Solutions Inc. expects to significantly reduce decline rates for UnionPay debit card transactions in the United States.  Decline rates are an especially nettlesome issue for UnionPay debit card holders, who account for about 60% of UnionPay’s 9 …

All eight hotels in The Kessler Collection will accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies under an agreement with digital-currency processor BitPay Inc. Guests will receive an email, from which they may pay using their crypto wallet.Personas Social Inc. launched its Paysonas payment-processing platform, which supports online real-time debit and Bitcoin.Menufy, a provider of online-ordering …

Some 47% of U.S. adults have reported identity theft over the past two years, while the fraud’s toll ballooned to $712.4 billion in 2020, up 42% from 2019, according to a report released Tuesday by Aite Group, a Boston-based research and consulting firm, and sponsored by Giact, an Allen, Texas-based …

Point-of-sale technology provider Handpoint has agreed to adopt the i-Accept technology from MagicCube Inc. The technology allows merchants to accept card transactions on off-the-shelf mobile devices.Citcon, a provider of mobile-wallet acceptance at the point of sale, has agreed to integrate its technology with that of Agilysys Inc., a vendor of point-of-sale technology …

Building on its strategy to support cryptocurrency, PayPal Holdings Inc. announced Monday that it has agreed to acquire Curv Inc., a provider of cloud-based infrastructure for digital-asset security, for an undisclosed sum. Once the acquisition is completed later this year, Tel Aviv, Israel-based Curv will become part of a PayPal …

Payments provider Priority Technology Holdings Inc. announced it has agreed to acquire Finxera Holdings Inc., a provider of banking-as-a-service technology. Terms were not announced for the transaction, which is expected to close in the third quarter.Mastercard Inc. said it is expanding its Engage platform to digital first deployment, assistance and training through the …

Payments provider The OLB Group Inc. said its SecurePay gateway can now support cryptocurrency transactions and settlement of funds for merchants, putting crypto on par with credit and debit payments.PayActiv Inc., a provider of earned-wage access technology, said Hancock Whitney is the first financial institution to offer the company’s service.In related news, …

In an effort to move automated clearing house transactions closer to real-time, E-Complish, a New York City-based payment processor, announced Monday it has teamed with data network Plaid Inc., to validate a bank account, and the funds in it, for ACH transactions. The service makes it possible for E-Complish customers …

Buy now, pay later specialist Klarna AB raised $1 billion in an oversubscribed equity funding round that pegged the company’s valuation at $31 billion. Major U.S. clients include Macys, Etsy, Sephora, Ralph Lauren, and Urban Outfitters.In related news, BNPL provider Splitit Payments Ltd. announced its merchant sales volume increased almost 180% in 2020 to …