News

September, 2023

• 1 September

  Bitcoin Depot Adds Merchants Where Consumers Can Buy Crypto at The Point of Sale

  

  Bitcoin Depot Inc., a Bitcoin ATM operator, has expanded the footprint of its BDCheckout program to more than 400 retail locations in Iowa and Louisiana. BDCheckout enables consumers to fund digital wallets with cryptocurrency at checkout through Bitcoin Depot’s network of merchants. Consumers can access BDCheckout at 246 convenience stores …
• 1 September

  Commentary: With Quantum Computing, Time is Short. Start Preparing Now

  

  In somewhat simple terms, quantum computing uses quantum mechanics – an area of physics that examines the behavior of particles at a microscopic level – to solve complex problems more rapidly than on conventional computers. It includes elements of physics, computer science, and mathematics.   For the purpose of this …
• 1 September

  Vet Platform Otto Secures $43 Million in Financing And Other Digital Transactions News briefs from 9/1/23

  

  Otto, a business and payments platform for veterinary practices, announced a $43-millon Series B equity-financing round. The company, formerly called TeleVet, now claims more than 8,000 clinics. Nexo introduced its Nexo Card, a Mastercard-branded card that allows holders to use as either a credit or debit card on each transaction, with …

August, 2023

• 31 August

  Debit Is Consumers’ Preferred POS Payment Method, Well Ahead of Credit Cards

  

  Debit cards are the most widely used form of payment, while credit cards rank a distant third, a new study from J.D. Power says. Some 78% of consumers use debit cards at the point of sale, followed by cash (74%) and credit cards (66%), according to the survey. Other forms …
• 31 August

  Eye on POS: Elavon Builds Out POS Terminal Suite; Payroc And Ingenico Target Unattended Payments

  Small businesses and unattended-payments merchants are getting some attention from point-of-sale terminal sellers with updates from Elavon and Ingenico. First, Elavon, the acquiring arm of U.S. Bank, launched the talech Terminal, a mobile POS device that complements its talech Register, which debuted in 2022. Talech is a software developer acquired …
• 31 August

  Investors React to Expected Interchange Updates And Other Digital Transactions News briefs from 8/31/23

  

  The shares of Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. reached all-time highs Wednesday following a report from The Wall Street Journal that the two major card networks plan to raise interchange and network fees in October and April. Visa closed at $246.23 per share, and Mastercard at $413.91. The networks have historically introduced new pricing …
• 30 August

  Consumers Are Paying Record High Out-of-Network ATM Withdrawal Fees

  

  ATM owners are charging consumers a record high $3.15 per transaction for making out-of-network withdrawals, up slightly from $3.14 a year ago, according to Bankrate.com. The new high is also the 22nd time in the last 25 years that out-of-network fees levied by ATM owners have hit a new high. …
• 30 August

  Eye on P2P Payments: Hallmark Adds Venmo Gifting; Zelle Second Quarter Volume up 10%  

  

  Sending cash with birthday cards in the mail is risky, but now Hallmark Cards Inc.’s service with Venmo makes it easier and presumably safer. The new Hallmark + Venmo line of cards includes a QR code inside the card that recipients scan to receive the funds to their Venmo accounts. …
• 30 August

  70% Prefer In-Person Shopping And Other Digital Transactions News briefs from 8/30/23

  

  Sixty-three percent of consumers in a survey of U.S., U.K., and German shoppers say they prefer to shop in person rather than online, with 70% of U.S. shoppers saying so. The results, released by payments platform Digital River, stemmed from a canvass of 3,000 consumers across the three countries. Garmin launched its …
• 29 August

  To Grow Sales, Merchants Are Diversifying Into New Lines of Business, Square Finds

  As consumers seek greater value from what they purchase, merchants are responding by diversifying their products and services to know their consumers better and grow sales, research from Square, Block Inc.’s merchant-processing unit, says.   One way merchants are engaging consumers on a deeper level is through subscription services, which …