Linda Punch   A product of its acquired Revolution Money program, Serve is American Express Co.’s entrant into the increasingly competitive mobile, online, and person-to-person payments market. Will it deliver?   When an industry heavyweight like American Express Co. throws its hat into the digital-payments ring, people sit up …

  Federal banking regulators on Tuesday updated their 2005 guidance about authentication for Internet banking. Officially a supplement to the original guidance, the new document addresses social media, malware, and other security issues that have cropped up in recent years. It also allows financial institutions about seven months to comply. …

  n Mike Martinez, co-owner of Ben White Florist Inc. in Austin, Texas, says the lack of NFC-enabled smart phones in the U.S. is not an issue for him. He notes the rapid technological evolution of smart phones and the frequent upgrade cycles of consumers. “It will take some time, …

While the payments industry awaits stringent new rules concerning debit card transactions, some processors and technology players are starting to exploit what they see as opportunities in the new regulations. Acculynk Inc., for example, released last week a statement calling on Internet merchants to sign up now for online PIN …

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  All Signs Point to Credit Cards’ Recovery   After getting KO’d in the recession, credit card usage is back on its feet. While card issuers are more cautious than they were a few years ago, consumers who have credit cards are using them more frequently, and they are spending …

  Karen Epper Hoffman Outmaneuvered and outgunned by merchants, banks lost a key interchange battle last year with the passage of the Durbin Amendment. But lately they’ve gone back on the offensive in an all-out push to delay—and maybe kill—the new law. The passage of new card interchange fee rules …

  Canada seems to have found a workable formula for rolling out EMV technology.   Can the U.S. learn from it?   By Peter Lucas   Payment card executives in the United States looking to follow a model for how to roll out EMV cards and terminals need look no …

  Jim Daly   The odds may be growing that Internet poker and possibly other forms of online gambling will become legal. That would mean new transaction and revenue opportunities for payment processors.   Just say the words “online gambling” to payments-industry executives, and most run for cover. Next to …

  Kevin Barry   Finding another, unaffiliated PIN-debit network is now mandated by law, but it also makes sense strategically and tactically. Issuers must act quickly, though, to realize the full advantage of the move.   In the past, card issuers have largely partnered with debit networks and promoted authentication …