Issuing/Originating

U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.) planned this week to introduce bills that would bar tech firms from developing their own cryptocurrencies and make it more difficult for non-financial firms to obtain charters for industrial-loan corporations, a form of a bank, according to Politico. Garcia’s office did not immediately respond to a request …

Now that Google Inc. is making a play for the heart of payments—the checking account—some observers see the strategy’s first fruit as likely to be a move into a massive market long controlled by banks and service providers. “It’s huge,” Krista Tedder, director of payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, …

The Federal Trade Commission has started a preliminary inquiry into whether Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc., and large debit card issuers are blocking merchants from routing transactions over PIN-debit networks, the Bloomberg Law news service reported, citing anonymous sources. FTC investigators reportedly have contacted merchants and their trade groups, Bloomberg Law said. Spokespersons for …

Boost Payment Solutions Inc., an acquirer for commercial card transactions, said it is collaborating with JPMorgan Chase & Co. to process payments and automate delivery for Chase’s Single Use Card Accounts and other commercial cards.Cardlytics Inc., which derives marketing intelligence from purchase data, reported a 116% year-over-year increase in monthly …

Unattended-payments specialist USA Technologies Inc. held its first quarterly earnings call in more than a year following the resolution of accounting issues. In it, USAT reported first quarter fiscal 2020 revenue of $42.1 million, a 25.7% increase from $33.5 million a year ago. Its net loss for the quarter was $12.8 million, …

Thanks to an influx of technological advancements, individuals now have more choices than ever to save and manage their money. But ensuring that financial tools are best serving consumers takes cooperation among regulators, policymakers, and the private sector. Recently, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Jelena McWilliams said the agency will …

USA Technologies Inc. said a solicitation from Hudson Executive Capital LP, the unattended payments provider’s largest shareholder, to call a special shareholder meeting is invalid under the company’s bylaws. HEC wants to take control of USA Technologies’ board of directors with its own slate of director nominees.The Singles Day shopping event on …

Prepaid-program manager Green Dot Corp. will launch a marketing campaign with talk-show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres. DeGeneres’s celebrity will be used to promote Green Dot Bank, Steve Streit, Green Dot founder and chief executive, said during a conference call with analysts Thursday. DeGeneres is host of the popular TV …

A U.S. District Court jury in Marshall, Texas, awarded USAA $200 million in damages after finding that Wells Fargo & Co. infringed on two patents held by USAA related to mobile check deposit. USAA filed the suit in June 2018. USAA in August 2018 filed a separate suit in the same court against Wells …

Fueled by such scams as business email compromise, phishing frauds are staging a dramatic comeback. The total number of attacks reached 266,387 in the third quarter, according to the latest report from the Anti-Phishing Working Group, a security-industry organization that tracks the crime. That’s the highest level of phishing activity …