Confirming rumors that the Federal Trade Commission is looking into issues involving debit card transaction routing, Visa Inc. late last week reported the Federal Trade Commission has asked it to voluntarily provide information about its routing practices. In a brief notice in its fiscal 2019 report to the Securities and …
Read More »Could a Move in the German Parliament Break Apple’s Hammerlock on the NFC Chip?
Ever since Apple Pay debuted in 2014, Apple Inc. has kept the near-field communication chip in its devices off-limits to payment apps from other companies. But now legislation has appeared in Germany that may force the computing giant to grant access to that all-important chip, which allows Apple phones and …
Read More »How Bill Pay Could Prove To Be a Tempting Target for the New Google Checking Accounts
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, …
Read More »Facebook Pay Could Dominate Facebook’s Apps, But That’s Not Likely to Stymie Rival Wallets
With Facebook Inc.’s launch Tuesday of Facebook Pay, the social-media giant may feel somewhat assured that many of its 1.6 billion daily users will at least try the new wallet when making purchases in one of the company’s social networks. But that does not mean the rest of the payments …
Read More »U.S. Holiday Sales Could Top $1 Trillion, With Mobile Payments Growing 32%
Research firm eMarketer Inc. forecasted that 2019 U.S. holiday sales will surpass $1 trillion in value for the first time. Cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving, is expected to be the biggest online shopping day and could approach $10 billion in sales. With Thanksgiving falling on the last Thursday of …
Read More »USAT Balks at Investor Move and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 11/11/19
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 …
Read More »Final Arguments Heard in MDL 1720 Interchange Suit and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 11/8/19
U.S. District Judge Margo K. Brodie heard final arguments from lawyers Thursday on the fairness of a proposed settlement in the 14-year-old MDL 1720 credit card interchange case but, as attorneys involved in the case said was probable, did not make an immediate determination from the bench. Brodie in January gave preliminary …
Read More »A Fast-Growing Cash App Highlights How Square Leverages Its Consumer And Merchant Sides
If Square Inc. has made one thing clear in recent months, it’s that the company is determined to tie together two worlds most payments companies see as distinct: consumers on the one hand, and merchants on the other. That strategy took another step forward last month with Square’s announcement that …
Read More »20 European Banks Challenging Card Networks and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 11/6/19
Twenty European banks are working on setting up a pan-European payment system to challenge Visa, Mastercard and technology companies such as Google and PayPal, according to press reports. The project is code-named PEPSI, for Pan European Payment System Initiative.In a development that signals an opening in China’s long-protected payments environment, Chinese mobile-payment giants …
Read More »Consumer Loyalty to Using Credit Cards May Be Swayed by Digital Alternatives
Digital wallets and other forms of digitized payments may be poised to take over the most-favored position for some consumers. Sixty-six percent of consumers, if offered rewards, discounts, and cash-back incentives similar to those offered by credit cards, would switch to alternative ways to pay, finds the 2019 edition of …
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