Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals

At a time when the payment card industry continues to struggle with the consequences of data breaches, the last thing acquirers and issuers need is a slowdown in merchant compliance with critical data-security rules. Yet that is what’s going on, warn the Merchant Acquirers Committee and ControlScan Inc. in survey …

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 …

Liberal members of the U.S. Supreme Court sharply questioned American Express Co.’s lawyer during oral arguments Monday for a major case involving a challenge to AmEx’s anti-steering rules for its merchants, Reuters reported. A group of 11 states led by Ohio alleges the rules violate antitrust laws and is challenging …

Discover Financial Services cardholders will be able to make point-of-sale contactless purchases with wearables and Internet of Things devices that use FitPay Inc.’s FitPay Payment Platform under an agreement announced Monday by the two companies. The new service will provision payment credentials using the Discover Digital Exchange, Riverwoods, Ill.-based Discover’s …

Point-of-sale equipment maker Ingenico Group said it has begun integrating Google Pay Smart Tap into its POS terminals in the United Kingdom, enabling Google Pay users to transmit their loyalty information, coupons, and offer redemptions in a single tap along with the payment. Ingenico said this is the first step …

For years, the change in card credentials that occurs when issuers send out replacement plastic has caused heartburn for cardholders and merchants alike. New card numbers, expiration dates, or three-digit card-verification values can help thwart fraud when cards are lost or stolen, but they also wreak havoc with unaware merchants, …

As Apple Pay’s global user base climbs to an estimated 127 million individuals, a mystery about why even more consumers don’t use Apple Inc.’s mobile-payment service confounds one researcher. Loup Ventures, a Minneapolis-based venture-capital firm, on Thursday released its annual Apple Pay review. Among its findings is that the estimated …

Some 27% of executives with responsibility for their organization’s mobile devices said their firm had experienced a security incident in the past year involving the loss of data or system downtime in which mobile devices played a key role, according to new findings from Verizon Communications Inc. In addition, 32% …

Some 2.7 million merchant locations, or 59% of U.S. storefronts, were accepting EMV chip cards as of December, according to the latest update from Visa Inc., issued Friday. That’s up from 392,000 locations in September 2015, just before the major card networks began enforcing a mandate for chip card acceptance. …

In the wake of the Florida school shooting, First National Bank of Omaha has said it will not renew an agreement it has with the National Rifle Association to issue a cobranded Visa card. American Express Co. said its cardholders can now use their Membership Rewards points to order items …

Visa Inc. launched Token Management Service, a service it says will make it easier for users to manage tokenized payment card data from multiple sources and across multiple channels, the card network announced Thursday. Designed to complement the Visa Token Service, the new program provides a way for merchants to use …

The number of Apple Pay users globally increased an estimated 104.8% in a year, from 62 million in 2016 to 127 million in 2017, Loup Ventures, a research-driven venture-capital firm, said. Only an estimated 16% of global iPhone users have activated Apple Pay, the firm said, which added that it is …

It doesn’t get a lot of attention in these days of EMV, mobile payments, and digital currency, but carrier billing, one of the oldest forms of digital payments, is poised for growth. Total payment volume globally will triple by 2022, rising from $2.9 billion last year to $9 billion, according …

A new guide from the U.S. Payments Forum outlines the considerations for selecting a mobile-wallet program and draws upon lessons from past successful and unsuccessful mobile wallets launches. In its white paper, “Mobile and Digital Wallets: U.S. Landscape and Strategic Considerations for Merchants and Financial Institutions,” the Princeton Junction, N.J.-based …

Some 124 new data breaches have become known this year as of Feb. 16, the Identity Theft Resource Center reports. And the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors issued a study last week pegging the cost of malicious cyber activity to the economy in 2016 at $57 billion on the …

ATM network owner and operator Cardtronics plc said fourth-quarter 2017 ATM operating revenues rose 18% year-over-year to $346.2 million, but net income declined 36% to $16 million. The company also said more than 100 financial institutions and 6 million cards were added to its Allpoint surcharge-free network in 2017. Fleet-fueling …

Shift4 Payments LLC has made another acquisition. The acquiring player behind the Harbortouch brand purchased Melville, N.Y.-based CurvePay, which was backed by IRN Payment Systems, Shift4 announced Tuesday. Terms were not disclosed. It was only two weeks ago that Allentown, Pa.-based Shift4 Payments finalized acquisitions for three hospitality point-of-sale providers, …

Network Merchants LLC has agreed to acquire Creditcall, a United Kingdom-based payment gateway provider, processor, and vendor of EMV kernel software. Terms of the deal, including a price and an estimated closing date, were not disclosed in NMI’s official announcement. Roy Banks, NMI’s chief executive, tells Digital Transactions News the …

After announcing a coming rebranding for its Android Pay mobile and online payment service in January, Alphabet Inc.’s Google subsidiary on Tuesday formally unveiled the new Google Pay. But the rebranding, centered on a new mobile app for Android devices, is a work in progress, with more changes and new …

NthCard LLC, a prepaid gift card processing and distribution firm, launched nthPOS, an app for Android, iOS, and Windows 10 devices that enables merchants to activate, redeem, and reload gift cards using a mobile phone or tablet. Fraud-management vendor Giact Systems LLC announced it and Advanced Fraud Solutions are offering a …