The Kroger Co. on Friday opened a new front in its battle with Visa Inc. over acceptance costs with an announcement that it will stop accepting Visa credit cards at its Smith’s Food & Drug Stores chain, which operates 134 stores in seven Western states. The ban is set to …
Read More »In Speedpay, ACI Worldwide Will Gain a Bill-Pay Pioneer
With its pending $750 million acquisition of The Western Union Co.’s bill-pay subsidiary Speedpay Inc., payment-software and processing provider ACI Worldwide Inc. will gain control of a profitable operation that made a name for itself in expedited payments. “Speedpay invented the expedited-payments market,” says Richard K. Crone, chief executive of …
Read More »A Year Into His Own Merger, Worldpay’s CEO Offers Advice to Fiserv And First Data
The global processor Worldpay Inc. is beating its own expectations in knitting together the assets combined in the huge merger of Vantiv Inc. and Worldpay plc and is looking to make more acquisitions this year, top executives said Tuesday. Speaking to stock analysts to discuss Cincinnati-based Worldpay’s fourth-quarter and full-year …
Read More »Network Fee Boosts Are Taking a Big Bite out of Merchants’ Durbin Savings, Research Says
A bevy of fees levied by the two major card networks is offsetting much of the fee relief merchants receive from the 7-year-old Durbin Amendment, according to new findings from a payments-research firm that is studying the issue on behalf of the retail industry. While the Durbin caps on debit …
Read More »The Brooklyn Federal Court Gives a ‘Preliminary’ OK to a $6.24 Billion Deal in Interchange Case
The federal court handling the long-running class-action litigation between merchants on one hand and big banks and Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. on the other announced on Friday it has granted “preliminary approval” to a settlement that could award between $5.54 billion and $6.24 billion to merchant plaintiffs. The parties …
Read More »Same-Day Transaction Boom Helps Propel the ACH to a $51 Trillion Year
Same-day automated clearing house transactions more than doubled in 2018 and the value of those payments increased 83% in the first full year of same-day ACH debit service, NACHA reported Tuesday. The same-day volumes helped the sprawling ACH network continue its growth streak, with total payments up nearly 7% and …
Read More »Kroger Pay Launches and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 2/13/19
Grocer The Kroger Co. launched Kroger Pay and the Kroger Rewards debit card. Kroger Pay, available for iOS and Android mobile devices, is a Quick Response code-based mobile-payment service, which also includes digital coupons and personalized offers. Currently, Kroger Pay is available in Columbus, Ohio, with plans for nationwide expansion …
Read More »Mastercard Issuers Jumping on the Contactless Card Bandwagon
So far, Visa Inc. has dominated the headlines regarding the U.S. conversion to contactless payment cards. Mastercard Inc., however, will soon be getting into the act. “In the U.S., contactless momentum continues to grow on both issuing and acceptance sides,” Mastercard president and chief executive Ajay Banga said Thursday. “We …
Read More »PayPal Chalks up a Big Quarter As It Decouples From eBay And Ratchets up Venmo
In reporting its performance for the fourth quarter of 2018 as well as the full year, PayPal Holdings Inc. indicated its dependence on former owner eBay Inc. is down, Venmo monetization is up, and active accounts are surging. Meanwhile, the San Jose, Calif.-based company said it is entering a potentially …
Read More »Oxman Will Leave the ETA to Head up the Information Technology Industry Council
Jason Oxman, chief executive officer of the Electronic Transactions Association since 2012, is leaving to accept a position as president and chief executive of the Washington, D.C.-based Information Technology Industry Council. He is expected to take up his new duties late next month. In his years heading the 29-year-old ETA, …
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