Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals

NCR Corp. entered into a definitive agreement Monday to acquire ATM network operator Cardtronics plc for $39 a share in an all-cash transaction valued at $2.5 billion, including debt. The deal, which NCR plans to finance with cash on hand and financing from Bank of America N.A., is projected to …

The remittance giants haven’t been shy over the last two years in adopting card-network technology and local payments services to close the last mile for fast transfers directly to users’ mobile devices. And MoneyGram International Inc. on Friday played its latest card in this market with an arrangement that will …

Growing numbers of consumers continue to grab their debit cards when shopping, with the overall U.S. spend made with debit cards up 25% for the week ending Jan. 17, compared to the week of Jan. 19, 2020, according to the PSCU Tracking Transaction Trends report issued Monday. Credit card spend was up …

Mindbody Inc., a provider of payments services and wellness software to the health and fitness industry, is adding a direct-to-consumer virtual membership program. Dubbed Mindbody Flex, the subscription service offers virtual access to more than 450 independent studios offering virtual fitness and wellness classes. Pricing starts at $39 per month …

As the payments business moves toward faster settlement, verifying payor accounts becomes crucial, yet for non-card payments, “there’s a gap there,” notes Patricia Hewitt, principal at PG Research & Advisory Services LLC, a Savannah, Ga.-based payments consultancy. On Thursday, Checkbook Inc., a San Mateo, Calif.-based startup, announced a step toward …

Fintech Rellevate Inc. announced a multiyear licensing and distribution agreement with Richard Petty Motorsports for gift and reward cards depicting NASCAR icon Richard Petty. The cards will be issued by Sutton Bank.CommentSold, a 3-year-old social e-commerce site, said it added 2,000 merchants in 2020 and saw record growth in gross merchandise value …

Discover Financial Services reported mixed results Thursday for the fourth quarter of 2020. Despite a 4% decline year-over-year in revenue, which totaled $2.82 billion, Discover’s net income rose 13% to $799 million.  Payment Services volume totaled $70.1 billion, up 6% year-over-year, with all four legs that comprise the division—the Discover …

For the nation’s automated clearing house network, payments trends already under way before the coronavirus pandemic are still unfolding—only faster.  ACH payments initiated on the Web to pay bills and make other transfers totaled 2.1 billion in 2020’s fourth quarter, a 15.2% increase year-over-year, Nacha reported Thursday. Herndon, Va.-based Nacha …

Nuvei Corp. said a wholly owned subsidiary has been approved to process sports-betting transactions in Tennessee, where sports wagers have been legal since 2019. Previously, Nuvei received approval to process sports betting in Colorado, Indiana, and West Virginia.Point-of-sale system provider Revel Systems said majority owner Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe made another investment …

In a new twist on prepaid cards in Canada, Vancouver-based Peoples Trust Co. is extending eligibility for deposit insurance from the Canadian Deposit Insurance Corp. to general-purpose reloadable prepaid cards and payroll cards issued by the financial institution.  The CDIC ruled in 2020 that prepaid cards can be eligible for …

Much has been written over the years about the seemingly unending succession of data breaches involving credit card and other personal payment data. But little is known about the so-called dark Web, the sites where these data thieves set up shop to sell what they’ve pilfered. It turns out these …

Transaction volume for hotels and restaurants fell between 40% and 50% in December compared to December 2019, according to numbers released by payments provider Shift4 Payments Inc. Retail and e-commerce businesses, on the other hand, saw a year-over-year increase in volume last month for the first time since the pandemic set in.Xformative …

Walmart Inc. is adding money-transfer services from The Western Union Co. to its more than 4,700 U.S. stores this spring, the giant retailer announced Tuesday. Western Union will be the third money-transfer provider to be offered at Walmart stores, joining MoneyGram International Inc. and Ria, a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide …

Payments provide PPRO Financial Ltd. announced a $180-million funding round valuing the company at more than $1 billion.AeroPay, a payments provider specializing in the cannabis industry, said it is working with Blackbird, a cannabis software and delivery company, to process online ordering for cannabis businesses.U.S. payments provider WEX Inc. announced it will process …

As consumers pivoted in droves to digital channels for purchases and financial services at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, criminals pounced on the trend to perpetrate more fraud and identity theft, according to data from credit-reporting agency TransUnion LLC. Between March 11 and April 28, 2020, when the first …

Professional Datasolutions Inc., which provides software, including payments services, to convenience stores and gasoline wholesalers, announced Monday it has reached an agreement with c-store and gas-station operator EG Group to expand the use of its payment technology to about 1,700 EG Group sites across the United States. The agreement builds …

The numbers are in, and it turns out the holiday shopping season was not only better than expected, but also better than the one in 2019, weeks before the coronavirus pandemic struck in the United States. Retail sales in November and December totaled $789.4 billion, up a healthy 8.3% over …

The Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority in Reading, Pa., will launch its Go Mobile payment app Jan. 26, allowing riders to use a mobile device to pay for bus fares and passes. The app was developed by Modeshift Inc., a specialist in technology for transit agencies.Bestpass, a processor of toll payments for …

Payments provider Pineapple Payments announced Friday it has acquired 1st Payment Systems, a provider of private-label payment processing and omni-channel payment technology for integrated software vendors (ISV) in the powersports and health-care industries. Terms were not disclosed.  The acquisition strengthens 1st Payment’s ability to service its customers by leveraging Pineapple’s Transax …

Online account debiting has grown in usage and prominence as consumers and businesses turn to e-commerce in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. But now many businesses are reckoning with a rule that will take effect in March that requires sellers using the automated clearing house to perform more rigorous …