Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals

Card-based biometric authentication took a step forward with an announcement early Wednesday that a technology from Fingerprint Cards AB has complied with reference specifications set by Mastercard Inc. The compliance is a first for fingerprint authentication on a card, according to Sweden-based Fingerprints and Fime, an organization that consults on …

The top 50 originating institutions for automated clearing house transactions accounted for 23.1 billion payments in 2020, up 8.6% over 2019 and nearly 93% of all commercial ACH payments, according to Nacha, the governing body for the ACH. The 50 largest receiving institutions controlled 61.2% of volume with 16.4 billion payments, …

Continuing its push to make cryptocurrency a mainstream payment option, PayPal Holdings, Inc. on Monday announced that it will accept cryptocurrency at checkout.  The move builds on PayPal’s strategy of increasing the utility of cryptocurrency so it can become a mainstream payment option. PayPal took the first step in that …

As payments providers ramp up fast-payment capabilities that don’t depend on existing card-payment rails, pressure has mounted on the dominant U.S. card networks to enable quick transfers from senders to accounts held by receivers worldwide. Visa Inc. on Tuesday, for example, announced Visa Direct Payouts, which allows users to send …

The Walgreens pharmacy chain said it will launch a bank-account offering through payments provider InComm Payments that will also feature a MetaBank-issued Mastercard debit card that will allow users to earn rewards through the Walgreens loyalty program. The pharmacy chain will also re-launch its gift card program through InComm.In related news, InComm …

Seeking to reduce merchant-account fraud, also known as merchant bust-out fraud, and provide merchants with a way to authenticate consumers, payments-technology provider On The Fly POS is adding Ipsidy Inc.’s Identity as a Service (IDaaS) biometric identity-verification technology to its platform. Ipsidy’s app validates a merchant’s identity by comparing a …

Visa Inc. reported early Monday that after a year of preparation it has completed the first transaction involving direct settlement with a so-called stablecoin, USD Coin. The transaction, which involves a stablecoin that mirrors the U.S. dollar, allowed Crypto.com, a platform for the trading of digital currencies, to send transactions …

Amadis, Advanced Mobile Payment Inc., and Texas Engineering Consulting Systems and Services said they launched the jointly-developed EMVMadeEZ, a pre-certified EMV migration product for automated fuel dispensers. The product enables convenience store operators, small chains, and single gas station owners with an EMV-at-the-pump service.Payments-technology provider AEVI International GmbH said it is …

Fiserv Inc. is adding more muscle to its payments-processing business, particularly with respect to integrated payments and relationships with independent software vendors. The big financial-services technology company announced Thursday afternoon it has agreed to acquire Pineapple Payments, a 5-year-old payments processor, for undisclosed terms. The deal is expected to close …

Ternary Developments Inc. has joined the Stripe Partner Program, which enables clients to accept online payments via Stripe Inc. Ternary provides a cloud-based platform for Discord social-engagement communities.Appetize Technologies Inc., a provider of management software for the food-and-beverage industry, announced integrations with payments processor Paytronix Systems Inc., gift card provider Givex Inc,, …

Veteran payments practitioners will recall that, “in the beginning,” issuers paid interchange to merchants to incent them to accept credit card payments from the incipient Visa and Mastercard networks.  By the inception of electronic draft capture (circa 1980), that acceptance was growing to a critical-mass level nationwide, and by the late …

News late Wednesday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is inquiring into a newly popular alternative for going public comes as payments firms increasingly turn to the method in lieu of a traditional public offering. Reuters reported late Thursday the SEC is contacting Wall Street financial institutions to ask …

Shift4 Payments Inc. said it will process all payment transactions at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. The deal follows Shift4’s expansion into stadiums and other venues through its recent acquisition of VenueNext Inc.Payments provider SignaPay Ltd. announced a partnership with Valor PayTech to provide Valor’s countertop, handheld, and PIN pad equipment …

The now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t shuffle of interchange-rate changes planned for April may have betrayed a rare introspective moment at the payment networks—which are long used to imposing their fees and rules on the rest of the payments ecosystem at will. And that makes it hard to resist wondering what might be …

As criminals continue to target e-commerce transactions, online retailers are tasked with employing advanced methods to thwart them. Paay LLC, an authentication-services provider, and OpenPath Inc., an Irvine, Calif.-based payment-services company, are developing a universal 3-D Secure plugin to help with that. Slated to be available in the second half …

After the pandemic struck a year ago, stores scrambled to install technology to support a wide range of payment options, including tap-and-pay, to reassure skittish consumers. But now a new report indicates those efforts may not have gone as far as many have assumed, particularly in the area of contactless …

Focus POS released its @Table service that enables customers to scan a QR code on the table that pulls up a menu on the device. They then can select and order items and receive confirmation their order is being prepared. They service can keep the tab open until the customer is …

Great American Ball Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds, will offer a contactless mobile payment service called Reds Pay this baseball season.  Reds Pay uses a white-label service from Tappit, a United Kingdom-based payments-technology company. April 1 is the opening day for MLB games. Major League Baseball’s San …

The Covid-19 pandemic sent shock waves through nearly every industry—not least the global supply chain. Every piece of the supply chain was impacted, from manufacturing and production to fulfillment. And because supply chains are the backbone of commerce, the implications radiated beyond supply-chain hubs and essential workers to also impact …

Nuvei Corp. said it will integrate Mastercard Send push payments into its payment technology platform. Send enables speedy funds disbursement for use cases like payroll, insurance claims, and refunds.Agilysys Inc., a provider of point-of-sale software for the hospitality industry, rolled out Agilysys Digital Marketing, which allows managers to send personalized messages …