Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals

Short-message service, or SMS, is coming to the aid of fraud managers looking to verify the identity of persons on the receiving end of payments transactions. The technology, which undergirds the well-known texting function between users of mobile phones, can be harnessed to stop fraud, according to security firm DataVisor …

Payments platform FreedomPay has agreed to offer Citi Pay, a provider of point-of-sale financing and a unit of Citi Retail Services, to its merchant clients. Payment processor 100Group announced an expansion in motorsports with an agreement to process transactions for Tony Stewart Racing. SimplePin Inc., a payments platform specializing in the insurance industry, has …

With real-time payments perhaps on the cusp of becoming an essential payment service, Navy Federal Credit Union, which rung up $2.7 million in real-time deposits on its first full day on the RTP network from The Clearing House Payments Co. LLC, is using Alacriti to connect to the network. Bridgewater, …

With Congress scheduled to adjourn Dec. 15, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., made a last-minute push on the Senate floor late Thursday, calling for a vote on the Credit Card Competition Act before adjournment. Durbin’s remarks, which also pushed back against arguments by  card networks and card issuers that the proposed …

Block Inc., the parent of Square and Cash App, launched Bitkey, a self-custody Bitcoin wallet, in nearly 100 countries around the world. Block is taking pre-orders for the wallet, which consists of a mobile app, a hardware device, and a set of recovery tools, at $150 each. Crypto technology provider Onez launched …

E-commerce wallet-technology provider Citcon USA LLC has partnered with Alipay to enable merchants in the United States to accept e-wallet payments from international travelers through the Alipay+ platform. Alipay+ is a cross-border mobile-payment platform that enables consumers traveling abroad to make purchases using a chosen payment method.  The partnership marks …

Amazon.com will stop accepting Venmo for payments effective Jan. 10, according to news reports and a page on Venmo’s Web site. “Due to recent changes, Venmo can no longer be added as a payment method. Venmo will remain available to users who currently have it enabled in their Amazon wallet …

SoundHound AI Inc. said it will acquire SYNQ3 Restaurant Solutions, a voice artificial intelligence and technology provider for restaurants, in a deal valued at $25 million. Once completed, the deal will extend SoundHound’s services to 10,000 locations and more than 25 national and multinational chains. The deal is expected to close …

Payments-platform provider Pidgin Inc. will work with Modern Banking Systems, a provider of core bank-processing technology, in an effort to bring real-time payments capability to community banks. Pidgin’s platform supports real-time processing through multiple payment rails, including FedNow and The Clearing House Payments Co.’s Real-Time Payments network. The deal was …

Paze, the upcoming digital wallet backed by banks, has lined up an integration with Endava plc, a software-development firm. Announced Wednesday, the integration, which will be available when Paze launches in 2024, means merchants that use Endava can offer the Paze online checkout. London-based Endava says the simplified checkout will …

Exceleron, a payments service for utility companies, said it is working with payments platform KyckGlobal to allow persons to pay a utility bill with cash at certain ATMs. Dash Solutions acquired KyckGlobal in August. Payments and loyalty platform Givex announced an integration with Uber Direct to enable merchants to add on-demand delivery service to …

Financial technology platform provider Adyen NV late Monday announced it will become the acquiring bank for global payments platform Klarna AB next year for markets in North America, Europe, and Asia. The deal expands the companies’ more than decade-old partnership through which Adyen offers Klarna’s payment options to consumers, including …

As readers of this article likely know, banks have traditionally kept customers’ financial data within their own closed systems. Open banking allows for financial data to be shared between banks and third-party service providers, using application programming interfaces. With open banking, consumers can dictate what data can be shared with …

Navy Federal Credit Union reported it took in more than $2.7 million in real-time deposits on its first full day of real-time payments service on The Clearing House Payments Co.’s Real Time Payments (RTP) network. Shift4 Payments said it will process ticket and in-venue concession sales for the Baltimore Ravens National Football League …

Small businesses are failing to offer the online experiences Gen Zers and Millennials expect, especially when it comes to payments, reveals a survey by GoDaddy Inc., an Internet domain registry and payments-technology company. While 73% of Gen Zers and 83% of Millennials say a buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS) option …

Payments provider Usio Inc. says benefits administrator Genius Avenue will use multiple Usio payments products, including automated clearing house transfers and a prepaid card program, to serve its customers. Announced Monday, the partnership integrates Usio’s payments services with the Genius Avenue platform. Tucson, Ariz.-based Genius Avenue is keen to tap …

MiCamp Solutions said it increased its investment and involvement with Cocard, a unique owner-operated independent sales organization. Terms were not disclosed, though MiCamp said collectively the alliance will serve more than 46,000 merchants and process more than $40 billion in annual transaction volume. Payments provider Nuvei Corp. has agreed to process online transactions …

POSaBIT Systems Corp., a payments processor specializing in cannabis merchants, announced its third-quarter earnings along with plans for a point-of-sale device earmarked for cannabis retailing. The company said transaction volume for the quarter totaled $157.9 million, up 11% from the same period a year ago. Revenues for the quarter totaled …

Software companies are a preferred client for payment gateways, with 74% of gateways targeting them in their sales efforts, according to the latest edition of the Payment Gateway Directory from TSG, formerly The Strawhecker Group. TSG says in addition to software companies as favored clients, 83% of gateways target merchant …

The claims process begins today for merchants to file for a share of the $5.54-billion settlement of a massive lawsuit originally filed more than a decade ago that alleged that Visa, Mastercard, and banks had violated antitrust laws in setting fees for card acceptance. The number of merchants involved is expected to …