Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals

Linxens Holding SAS has become the global provider of biometric smart cards produced with technology from Linxens and Idex Biometrics ASA under a new agreement. The cards feature fingerprint sensors from Idex and an NFC antenna inlay from Linxens.Blockchain-based gaming platform Aqua said it has hired former Facebook executive Sean Ryan as chief …

Walmart Inc. has found another electronic outlet for its merchandise. The retailing giant announced late Thursday it will sell so-called featured products on Roku Inc.’s streaming service, with payments handled by Roku Pay. San Jose, Calif.-based Roku claims to be the largest U.S TV streaming service by hours streamed. Well-known …

When it comes to payment card fraud, criminals trying to bilk the system with stolen card credentials is what typically comes to mind. But with e-commerce sales soaring during the pandemic, another form of fraud has been gaining momentum. This is so-called friendly fraud, in which a consumer disputes a …

Samsung Electronics launched Samsung Wallet for its Galaxy line of mobile devices. The new application allows users to store payment cards as well as digital keys, boarding passes, ID cards, and other credentials. Later in the year, the wallet will support driver’s licenses and student IDs. Samsung Pay users can upgrade to the wallet …

With open-banking initiatives growing fast along with payments, Mastercard Inc. late Tuesday launched its Start Path Open Banking global program. The program, which is the latest track of Mastercard’s Start Path Global program that supports later-stage fintech startups, will introduce five open-banking startups to Mastercard’s open-banking executives, customers, and partners. …

At a time when the values of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are collapsing, interest in the utility of stablecoins for payments appears to be on the rise. On Wednesday, a blockchain-based online marketplace called Dibbs said it had integrated with Circle Internet Financial LLC to allow buyers to use Circle’s …

Credova, a buy now, pay later platform for outdoor-sports-related purchases, launched its Pay in 4 program, allowing shoppers to split purchases into four installments at no interest.Point-of-sale technology provider PredictSpring said it has raised $16 million in a Series B funding round.Point-of-sale system maker Bravo Systems released updates for automated form completion and text …

The buy now, pay later trend is getting hotter with the summer. PayPal Holdings Inc. announced early Wednesday it will offer a plan allowing consumers to split large purchases over a period of six to 24 months. The monthly payments will incur interest and will apply to transactions valued between …

To speed adoption of open banking in Canada at a time when Canadians are craving digital services, RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) late Tuesday announced partnerships with open-banking platform provider Plaid Inc. and data-aggregation and analytics provider Yodlee Inc., a unit of Envestnet Inc. The deals will enable RBC customers …

Data from Signifyd’s Ecommerce Pulse report found that retailers experienced a 142% increase in omnichannel sales in May from May 2021.Grubhub, the food ordering and delivery app, said it has added PayPal Holdings Inc.’s Hyperwallet and Visa Direct, Visa Inc.’s real-time payment service, to allow drivers to receive immediate payouts.Software provider Marketing 360 launched …

Despite inflation hitting a 40-year high, consumer spending during the back-to-school season is projected to increase 7.5%, excluding automotive sales, from 2021 levels, according to Mastercard Inc.’s SpendingPulse, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment, not adjusted for inflation.  Department stores are expected to be …

The steep drop in the value of Bitcoin made itself felt Tuesday at Coinbase when the crypto exchange’s boss announced an 18% cut in its workforce. The 10-year-old company had more than 4,900 employees, according to its Web site. That’s about 880 employees affected by the layoff, though some reports …

Payments provider Sionic announced a service that allows consumers to pay merchants at the point of sale via real-time transfers from the consumer’s bank account to the merchant’s bank account. The service includes incentives merchants can use to induce consumers to use the service in preference to rewards credit cards.XTM Inc. announced it …

Signs continue to mount that peer-to-peer payments are being adopted by businesses, and in turn could be encroaching on card payments at the point-of-sale.  A recent survey of 530 small businesses conducted by The Strawhecker Group and titled “P2P Payment: A Disruption To Plastic?” reveals that 82% of small businesses …

Abra, a financial-services company specializing in digital assets, and American Express Co. have announced they will offer a rewards credit card that will let users pay with U.S. dollars but earn rewards in cryptocurrency. The new card, expected to debut late this year, will feature benefits such as Amex Offers, …

Fiserv Inc. said more than 300 sports and entertainment venues are now using Clover Sport to provide payment and marketing services to fans. Clover Sport is based on Fiserv’s Clover point-of-sale technology.MoneyGram International Inc. launched a service that supports money transfers via the Stellar Network’s public blockchain and USD Coin, a stablecoin from Circle Internet …

In a diversification move, business-to-business payments provider Fleetcor Technologies Inc. reported Thursday it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Global Reach Group, a London-based cross-border payments provider. Terms of the deal were not announced, and a Fleetcor spokesperson could not be reached for comment Friday. Atlanta-based Fleetcor expects the …

Circle Internet Financial Ltd. said early Friday it has agreed to acquire Cybavo, a Taiwan-based developer of tools for digital-asset custody and blockchain development. The Boston-based company, perhaps best known as the developer of USD Coin, a stablecoin linked to the U.S. dollar, said the acquisition will provide the technical …

Mastercard Inc. said it is working with seven companies to enable its branded payment cards to be used for making non-fungible token purchases. NFTs are digital goods.Sardine, a provider of anti-fraud and compliance technology to fintechs, said it will work with cryptocurrency-technology provider Zero Hash to enable instant settlement on the …

When Apple Inc. on Monday announced Apple Pay Later, its buy now, pay later program, the computing giant added an unexpected twist. The new program will not rely for financing on Goldman Sachs, Apple’s long-time partner for Apple Pay. Rather, Apple is setting up its own unit, to be called …