Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals

April, 2024

• 9 April

  Eye on Check Fraud: 61% Still Write Checks, But Face Fraud; DataVisor Picks Mitek Check Fraud Tool

  

  Despite a severe drop-off in check use, 61% of consumers continue to write paper checks and continue to face the threat of check fraud, says Abrigo, a financial-crime prevention and risk-management services provider. Released Tuesday, Abrigo’s survey of 1,059 U.S. consumers also found that 45% of respondents reported being a …
• 9 April

  Mastercard Realigns Units and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/9/24

  

  Mastercard Inc. announced an organizational realignment that centers on core payments, commercial and new payment flows, and services. Jorn Lambert will lead core payments as chief product officer. Raj Seshadri will head commercial and new payment flows as chief commercial payments officer. Craig Vosburg becomes the chief services officer in charge …
• 8 April

  Consumers Don’t See Any Benefit from the Credit Card Bill, a Bankers’ Group Contends

  

  Merchants and credit and debit card issuers have controlled the bulk of the narrative, pro and con, about the proposed Credit Card Competition Act since the legislation was reintroduced last year. But now a recent poll from Independent Community Bankers of America says that most consumers feel they would not …
• 8 April

  Eye on Fraud: Oracle Puts AI to Work Against Laundering, While the UK Works to Stop Misdirected Checks

  

  Payments fraud takes many forms, forcing banks and processors to adopt fresh tactics. But sometimes the technology to prevent fraud can be expensive enough to wipe out any near-term expectation of return.  Early Monday, Oracle Corp. launched Oracle Financial Services Compliance Agent, a platform it says can leverage artificial intelligence …
• 8 April

  Busey Enlists Corserv for Card Program and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/8/24

  

  Corserv, a payments provider for banks and fintechs, said it will work with Busey Bank to launch a credit card for the bank’s commercial clients. Synchrony Financial said BRP US Inc., a powersports and marine products maker, said it will Synchrony’s installment finance service to its dealers. The big France-based processor Worldline said …
• 5 April

  Eye on AI:  PayBlox Enlists AI for Statement Reviews; Colleen AI Tackles Rentals with Voice AI

  

  The promise of lower credit and debit card processing fees is a big attraction for merchants to switch merchant providers. Statement reviews are a key part of that process and now PayBlox, a merchant services referral site, has enlisted artificial intelligence to help. With the debut of its Statement Spy …
• 5 April

  Mobile Wallets and Contactless Payments Growing in Popularity, NFC Forum Says

  

  Consumers are not only favoring contactless payments more, they are relying more on their mobile wallets to initiate payments, according to the NFC Forum’s bi-annual Near Field Communication Usage and Adoption study. The study, conducted by ABI Research, reveals that 95% of respondents have left their physical wallets at home …
• 5 April

  Skipify Working with Visa’s Digital Commerce Program and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/5/24

  

  Checkout fintech Skipify said it is working with Visa Inc.’s Digital Commerce Program on initiatives, among them letting Skipify users link Visa Click to Pay cards to a Skipify’s Connected Wallet. This move speeds recognition of Skipify users on e-commerce sites to more quickly show the users’ available cards. PSCU/Co-op Solutions, a …
• 4 April

  Klarna Launches a Web Page to Rebut the Idea That BNPL Burdens Consumers With Debt

  

  Looking to dispel criticism that buy now, pay later loans are predatory-lending products, BNPL provider Klarna AB has launched Wikipink, a Web page that details information about its BNPL business, such as repayment rates, late fee rates, and consumer demographics. “By publishing our facts and figures with full transparency, including …
• 4 April

  PayPal And Ripple Launch Stablecoin Initiatives As Crypto Values Rise And Plummet

  

  The wild—and somewhat unpredictable—swings in value that beset digital currencies have begun to lead major payments players to consider a promising alternative: stablecoins, so named precisely because their values are pegged to a national currency, such as the U.S. dollar. Early on Thursday, PayPal Holdings Inc. and Ripple Labs Inc. …