Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals

Among debit card issuers Apple Pay made up 77% of mobile-wallet transactions, Auriemma Consulting Group said in an analysis of mobile wallets. Samsung Pay and Google made up 17% and 6% of transactions, respectively. Rich Consulting and Double Diamond Group launched a suite of services to aid acquirers, independent sales …

While the Federal Reserve Board mulls an entry into the business of real-time payments, a major competitor is already racking up impressive gains among U.S. financial institutions. The Clearing House Payments Co. L.L.C., the New York City-based company that, among other services, operates one of only two switches for the …

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday unveiled a proposal to facilitate real-time settlement of faster payments. The Fed said it is not committed to any specific action on its plan, but banks and private-sector payment processors are watching for any infringement on their turf. “Over the past year, we have undertaken …

Payments and software provider SpotOn Transact LLC  acquired EmaginePOS, a vendor of point-of-sale software for restaurants and bars. Terms were not announced. Business-services provider CSG Systems International Inc. bought Forte Payment Systems Inc., an independent sales organization, for an undisclosed amount. Credit and debit card information of more than 28,000 …

The EMV liability shift for fuel dispensers may still be two years away, but some are not waiting to get their EMV-compliant products and services installed in convenience stores and fuel stations. Gas Pos launched a service Wednesday that puts EMV-compliant card readers in fuel dispensers and in stores, all …

The national trend of merchants passing on their credit card fees continues to accelerate, aided last week by a federal court striking down Texas’s “no-surcharge” law as unconstitutional. The Texas ruling follows the defeat of no-surcharge laws in Florida and California, but it is a unique milestone: Texas is the …

P97 Networks Inc., the Houston-based company behind mobile wallets from Gulf Pay and Phillips 66, will work with data-security provider ControlScan Inc. on controls for mobile-payment services. Announced Tuesday, the deal is targeted at convenience stores and fuel retailers, quick-serve restaurants, and related merchants. Alpharetta, Ga.-based ControlScan will be tied into …

NACHA reported Monday that it has acquired the non-profit Business Payments Directory Association, a move that deepens the presence of the U.S. automated clearing house network’s governing body in business-to-business payments and provides an entrée into blockchain-based payments. Herndon, Va.-based NACHA said the BPDA will operate as a self-governed group …

PayPal Holdings Inc. announced a partnership with the National Basketball Association’s Phoenix Suns that makes PayPal a payment option on some point-of-sale terminals in the Suns’ arena. The PayPal logo also will adorn players’ jerseys beginning Oct. 17, when the NBA season starts. Free Speech Systems LLC, the company behind …

The debit interchange controls of the Durbin Amendment went into effect seven years ago Monday, and to mark the occasion the Electronic Payments Coalition issued its latest salvo in what appears to be a never-ending feud over that law. According to survey results released by the EPC, 52% of registered …

In what may be a boon for ATMs, Visa Inc. will allow dynamic currency conversion for consumers using international ATMs beginning April 13, 2019, says Euronet Worldwide Inc. The Leawood, Kan.-based processor, which operates more than 41,000 ATMs globally, says the rule change enables acquirers and ATM operators to offer …

Unattended payments provider USA Technologies Inc. reported that it was unable to file its overdue annual report for fiscal 2018 to the Securities and Exchange Commission within the 15-day extension it asked for in September. The company said it is still investigating certain contractual arrangements that prompted it to ask …

The word “regulation” generates little enthusiasm in the merchant-acquiring industry, but it’s more palatable when “self” is the operative adjective rather than “government.” Thus, the Electronic Transactions Association is pushing its new Self-Regulation Program for acquirers, independent sales organizations, and payment facilitators. Launched early this month, the voluntary program requires …

Biometric authentication may be coming into its own as a tool to aid financial institutions and payments companies in serving their customers. At financial institutions, as much as $20.75 million is saved annually using biometric authentication instead of SMS one-time password services, says Reston, Va.-based Daon Inc., a biometric-services company, …

Few businesses have been more targeted by the trend toward integrated payments than restaurants, and late on Thursday that trend unfolded further with Global Payments Inc.’s agreement to lay out $490 million in cash for Sicom Systems Inc., a Lansdale, Pa.-based developer of both front- and back-of-the-store management systems for …

A new micropayment platform called Qoins has just closed a first round of funding for $1 million. The app allows users to pay off debt by rounding up purchases to the nearest dollar and sending the excess to the creditor, with a focus on credit card and student debt. Qoins …

For nine years, PayNearMe has focused on enabling consumers without access to payment cards to make cash payments for online goods at point-of-sale terminals in what has grown to a network of some 27,000 merchant locations. On Thursday, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said it now can process credit, debit, and …

Over the last decade, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed $4.3 billion in civil money penalties. But did you know that businesses other than banks received 81% of these fines last year? Yes, OFAC violations are costing U.S. businesses hard-earned cash. Since the attacks of Sept. 11, …

BNY Mellon has become the first bank client to sign a reseller agreement with Early Warning Services’ Zelle person-to-person payment network for tokenized disbursements to consumers. Zelle indicated earlier this year it would expand into disbursements as a potential field for fee-based payment services. Zelle also announced Dollar Bank now offers Zelle …

The world currently has 40 real-time payments systems versus only 25 just a year ago, payment processor Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) reported Wednesday. What’s more, five such programs are under development, and another 16 should be live in 12 months to 18 months, Jacksonville, Fla.-based FIS says in …