Transaction Processing

As the U.S. payments industry prepares to adopt real-time payments, supporters are readying their services. The latest entry is the duo of Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) and The Clearing House Payments Co. LLC, which announced Tuesday an incubator in which banks and credit unions can take their first …

• Merchant processor Elavon Inc. announced it has added online storefront technology from 3dcart for e-commerce merchants and online-ordering capability for the talech point-of-sale tablet. • Peer Ledger, a Canadian blockchain company, said a study it conducted shows digital identity can be tied to the blockchain, the technology underlying cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. …

• Payment technology provider ACI Worldwide Inc. said it will make its UP Immediate Payments service available to financial institutions and credit unions of all sizes. • Merchant processor Global Payments Inc. renewed its contract with Caesars Entertainment Corp. • In a Mastercard Inc. promotion, consumers who use a Mastercard credit, debit, or prepaid card at a …

Firms and financial institutions that have been using the automated clearing house network’s new same-day settlement system are generally upbeat about it, but the new regime is being implemented in phases, and the next phase, due in September, brings with it some misgivings. That’s when ACH debits will start to …

While entities such as the Federal Reserve and the automated clearing house work out methods for faster payments, financial institutions are also investigating the blockchain for real-time money movement. That concept took a step toward reality with an announcement Friday by Spain’s BBVA that it had completed what it says …

• Santander Bank N.A. announced it is now supporting Apple Pay for its Mastercard credit and debit cards. • Healthy Solutions for Pets, a pet-supplement company, has hired Orderhouse to build an e-commerce store. Orderhouse’s services include technology, fulfillment, and payments. • Vantiv Inc. will provide ATM and debit and credit card processing …

Still smarting from the loss of its big cobranded card and acceptance relationship with Costco Wholesale Corp. last June, American Express Co. managed to beat analysts’ earnings estimates in the first quarter and said it has planted the seeds for future growth. As an example, AmEx said its efforts to …

Are so-called bots the future of commerce? The digital gadgets took another step in that direction Tuesday with a flurry of announcements at a Facebook conference regarding new bot launches on the social network’s massive Messenger app. Mastercard Inc. said it has enabled its Masterpass digital wallet for use with …

U.S. Bancorp, owner of the big merchant acquirer Elavon Inc., generated 36% of its first-quarter non-interest income from payments, according to the Minneapolis-based company’s first-quarter earnings report released Wednesday. U.S. Bancorp reported $849 million of its total $2.33 billion in non-interest income came from payment sources such merchant fees, interchange …

• Wireless payments specialist Apriva announced a new vending payment product for Canada that enables contactless payments and chip card transactions. • Point-of-sale equipment and services distributor POS Portal announced that it and processor Vantiv Inc. have simplified the equipment-distribution process for merchants, value-added resellers, and independent software vendors using the processor’s services. • Credit-union …