Issuing/Originating

Restaurant chain Steak ’n Shake says it has reduced its transaction fees by nearly 50% compared to credit card acceptance costs, while at the same time increasing sales by 15%, since it began accepting bitcoin last May. Steak ‘n Shake has nearly 400 locations in the United States. Steak ‘n …

The Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) was dead in the water. Most of Congress would have preferred to leave it that way, avoiding a vote in which they would have to take sides between two powerful interests: banks and merchants. But President Trump, with a single Truth Social post on …

The stablecoin hype is real. The pitch sounds irresistible: instant settlement, lower costs, fewer intermediaries. So, will the world move on from cards to stablecoins? Nope. Why not? Because it’s more nuanced than that. Stablecoins and cards aren’t competing for the same job. Rather, they solve different problems in the …

[Aug. 12] Stablecoin giant Circle Internet Group Inc. early Tuesday unveiled Arc, a new payments platform aimed at major money flows, including foreign exchange. The new service, part of the existing Circle Payments Network, will speed up foreign exchange while offering what the company calls “sub-second instant finality” in settlement, the …

Currys, a United Kingdom-based technology retailer, formed a new partnership with Stripe Inc. that will see Stripe point-of-sale terminals installed in the merchant’s nearly 300 stores. The global credit card market is forecasted to grow in transaction value from $14.83 trillion in 2025 to $17.73 trillion in 2030, according to a report from Mordor …

[Aug. 8] With merchants prevailing in their long-running legal battle to overturn debit rate caps set by the Federal Reserve, the largest debit card issuers could wind up the biggest losers, while Capital One Financial Corp. emerges as the big winner. U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota …

Dec. 31 will be the last day on which mass transit users can buy or refill a MetroCard for use on New York City’s subway system, as the card is being replaced by OMNY, a system that allows riders to tap a card or mobile device to pay a fare. MetroCard was introduced …

In an effort to appeal to travelers from abroad, China’s dominant UnionPay payments card network announced early Wednesday a new platform designed to simplify everyday transactions for international visitors. Dubbed Nihao China, the new app offers a range of capabilities, including cross-border and person-to-person payments, according to 23-year-old UnionPay, which …

FICO’s latest scoring models now factor in buy now, pay later repayment data, a milestone many hoped would bring these plans into the mainstream credit system, giving lenders more visibility into consumers’ total debt and payment behavior.  However, despite billions flowing through installment-payment platforms, lenders still can’t see the full credit picture. …