Issuing/Originating

Circle Internet Group Inc. has launched a public test for its Arc blockchain, with participation from more than 100 companies. Circle announced Arc in August for cross-border payments using cryptocurrency. A report from Money20/20, “How will North America’s money move in the future?” forecasts total cross-border payments volume from the Americas will grow …

Banking and payments platform Klarna AB announced early Monday a global membership program featuring Premium and Max rewards levels and offering cash back and benefits related to travel. The new program is starting out in Europe but “expansion to the U.S. is planned for the coming weeks,” the payments company …

Early Warning Services LLC announced early Friday its Zelle payments network will expand internationally by using stablecoins for cross-border transactions.  Many details of the new initiative, such as expected volumes and fees, were not immediately available, but the move is aimed at offering faster international payments capability “to Zelle customers …

Attorneys for plaintiffs and defendants in the lawsuit challenging the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act presented oral arguments Wednesday on plaintiff’s motion for Summary Judgment in the case. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that the preliminary injunction against the IFPA be broadened so that all financial institutions are exempt from …

Payments-technology provider Finzly announced early Wednesday its launch of technology that allows financial institutions to create AI agents to automate payment processing and operational workflows, and make informed decisions on the bank’s behalf in seconds. The launch, what Finzly calls Agentic Galaxy, comes at a time when financial institutions are …

Flexa Network Inc., a payments provider based on digital currencies, has agreed to support in-store cryptocurrency acceptance at Bealls Inc., operator of more than 660 stores in 22 states under Bealls and other brand names. The move, announced Monday afternoon, represents one of the largest planned deployments of in-store crypto …

Worldpay Inc. will operate as the exclusive processor for the grocery company Kroger under an agreement announced early Monday. The agreement embraces in-store, online, and mobile transactions for Kroger, which operates more than 2,700 stores across 35 states. Worldpay is in the process of being acquired from FIS Inc. by Global Payments …

MoonPay USA LLC has launched MoonPay Commerce, a platform that enables merchants to accept cryptocurrency for products, services, and subscriptions. MoonPay built the platform using technology from its acquisition of Helio earlier this year. Developers and merchants can integrate MoonPay Commerce, which is already being used by 6,000 merchants, using …

American Express Co.’s new campaigns to build more intimate relationships with restaurants and refresh its top-end Platinum card are starting to show signs of paying off, the card company said early Friday. The initiatives come as the company reported revenue growth of 11% year-over-year for the September quarter. The effort …

Faster payments on the automated clearing house network and on real-time payments systems are gaining momentum, according to statistics released Thursday by Nacha, the standards body for the automated clearing house system, and by the Real Time Payments network, operated by 22 of the world’s biggest banks. The total value …