No other bidders emerged during a so-called go-shop period that expired earlier this month, so Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. reported Tuesday that its planned $3.5 billion buyout by two investment firms remains on track to close at mid-year. The Pleasanton, Calif.-based provider of gift cards and other prepaid card services …

The prepaid market can expect to grow more than 7% annually over five years, but unlike its early days in which plastic gift cards and government payments dominated, much of the growth will come from new virtual uses for prepaid products, according to a new Aite Group LLC report. Boston-based …

Financial-services providers experienced a 105% increase in the fraudster attack rate from 2015 through 2017, reports ThreatMetrix Inc., an authentication and fraud-mitigation provider, in its “Cybercrime Report 2017: A Year in Review,” released on Tuesday. E-commerce merchants, too, experienced greater fraud, with the log-in attack rate growing by 170% from …

Traditional card-based loyalty programs, like those offered at local grocery stores, car washes, and restaurants, can drive consumer loyalty simply because many people are already familiar with them. But if brands want to improve the depth of the consumer experience, evolving to a digital-based loyalty program can provide consumers with …

The ATM turned 50 this year, and while its usefulness is expanding with new mobile and cardless capabilities, cash remains its strongest suit. Fifty years ago, the Summer of Love wasn’t the only cultural phenomenon taking place. Across the pond in England a new age in consumer banking was dawning …

Digital versions are steadily increasing their share of the gift card market. Could they breathe new life into mobile wallets? If the standard knock on gift cards is that they’re too easy, too quick, too thoughtless with respect to the recipient, then the same could go double for digital cards. …

Amazon.com Inc. is recruiting outside software developers and merchants to create functions that work with its Alexa voice-command system and the Amazon Pay service so that consumers can make purchases using their Amazon payment credentials at both physical and online merchants. Seattle-based Amazon made the announcement at its big Amazon …

Mobile technology has enabled people to be connected virtually anywhere and use their smart phones for pretty much anything, including gaming, photography, GPS navigation, and online shopping for both big and small purchases. However, there is one element of smart-phone technology that isn’t being utilized to its fullest extent. Adoption …

This malware is a nuisance to many, but could mean big trouble for payments companies. Criminals, much like legitimate businesses, know that the real money is in volume. They would rather have their malicious software on millions of computers than on just a few thousand. The wider the net, the …

Acquiring TIO Networks gives PayPal an all-important launchpad for reaching consumers underserved by banks. How will it leverage that asset? PayPal Holdings Inc.’s $233-million acquisition of Vancouver-based processor TIO Networks Corp., which was finalized in July, does more than make the digital-payments system an immediate player in the bill-payment market. …