One of the country’s biggest merchant associations on Monday joined a growing chorus of voices arguing fee increases planned by the major card networks for this month will exacerbate inflation. “American consumers are struggling under the worst inflation in four decades, and these increases would only make the situation worse,” …
Read More »Lawmakers May Be Smarter About Payments, But Providers Can’t Let Their Guard Down
Be careful what you wish for. For years, payments processors have contended that state and local lawmakers and regulators would enact better regulations if they were better-informed about how payments work. The good news is that’s now happening, said Kim Ford, senior vice president of government relations at Fiserv Inc. …
Read More »Often Overlooked, Checkout Is Assuming New Significance in Payments, Experts Say
Customer checkout, whether online or at a store, can be taken for granted by merchants and payments firms alike. That’s a big mistake, according to a panel of experts who spoke Wednesday about new opportunities—and threats—lurking in checkout buttons. For one thing, checkouts can represent a battleground in which players …
Read More »Data Breaches Soar, Remaining on the Rise For the Third Consecutive Year
After setting an all-time high in 2021, data breaches show no signs of slowing down in 2022. The number of known data breaches in the United States during the first quarter of 2022 totaled 404, a 14% increase from the same period a year earlier, according to the Identity Theft …
Read More »The Absence of Interest Charges Is What Tweaks Consumer Interest in BNPL Services
The buy now, pay later trend continues to solidify into a permanent part of the payments arena, thanks to consumers who readily adopt the installment-payment service. Now, new research finds that many—82%—are drawn to it because they do not have to pay interest for the installment-payment benefit. New research from …
Read More »Another FI Picks Zelle and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/13/22
Fiserv Inc. said Arkansas Federal Credit Union now offers the Zelle peer-to-peer payment service via Fiserv.Till Payments, an Australia-based payments-technology provider, said it is marking its official debut in the North American market at this week’s Electronic Transactions Association conference in Las Vegas. In January, Till acquired Zips, the payment-processing unit …
Read More »Block’s Square Unveils a Revamped Square Stand As Merchant Needs Evolve Fast
To help merchants manage their business through a single device in a rapidly changing payments landscape, Block Inc. on Monday introduced the next generation of Square Stand, the countertop device that converts an iPad into a point-of-sale system. It is the first redesign of Square Stand since its launch in …
Read More »E-Commerce Is on a Tear, But How Much of That Volume Stems From Roaring Inflation?
It’s a well-known fact that the pandemic drove consumers to e-commerce for goods they might otherwise have shopped for in stores, but now evidence is emerging that some of that increase in online spending is a result of steadily rising inflation. Consumers spent $83.1 billion online last month, up 7% …
Read More »There’s More to Lose in Not Offering BNPL Than in Offering It, Providers Warn
The buy now, pay later trend may have come under scrutiny lately by regulators, but companies enabling BNPL warn sellers and payments providers risk losing merchant volume and younger consumers if they don’t offer the installment option online and at the point of sale. “You’ll see volume attrition without merchant …
Read More »Wyre’s Sale Terms Inaccurate and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/11/22
Ether Capital Corp. issued a statement correcting media reports that its portfolio company, cryptocurrency startup Wyre Payments Inc., has agreed to be acquired by payments fintech Bolt Financial Inc., for $1.5 billion. There has been no disclosure of the proposed transaction terms, Ether said.American Airlines Center, home of the National Basketball Association’s …
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