Under an expanded agreement, cross-border payments specialist TransferWise Ltd. will issue Mastercard debit cards in any market globally where Mastercard is accepted and TransferWise is licensed. TransferWise has issued more than 1 million cards globally since the agreement commenced in Europe in 2018.Consumer satisfaction with credit card issuers is plummeting as the Covid-19 pandemic …

Payments provider Blackhawk Network Inc. said it is working with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to distribute a total of $25 million in aid on 50,000 prepaid cards to health-care professionals battling Covid-19. The money was donated by Facebook Inc.Payroll-services provider PayActiv Inc. said its study of usage data from a sample …

Walmart Inc. reported its U.S. e-commerce sales increased 97% year-over-year in the June quarter.Card-issuing platform Marqeta Inc. has released Marqeta 3D Secure to help issuers combat online fraud and meet regulatory requirements in certain markets. 3D Secure is an authentication protocol developed by the major card networks.Cardknox Development Inc. announced its payments gateway is …

American Express Co. announced it has agreed to acquire digital lender Kabbage Inc. in a deal expected to close later this year. Kabbage’s existing loan portfolio is not included in the transaction, for which terms were not announced. Eleven-year-old Kabbage entered the payment processing business in 2018.Restaurants and other businesses in Pasadena, Calif., …

Movie theater chain Cinemark Holdings Inc. announced it is encouraging consumers to use contactless payments when it reopens its locations beginning Friday.Curb, a mobile platform for taxi-ride hailing and payments, said the city of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection is the first client for a new service aimed at …

Kallpod LLC announced its Kontactless Quick Response code-based payment service is now available at select Hyatt, Courtyard Marriott, and Hilton locations. Consumers can place orders for food, beverages, and merchandise to be delivered where the user is sitting. They scan a QR code at a table or seat, which opens a …

Payments-industry veterans Con Coughlin and Mackenzie Walsh have formed CardSmart.io, aimed at providing services including portfolio acquisition and merchant funding while working with independent software vendors, independent sales organizations, agents, and resellers.Houston-based P97 Networks Inc. announced it has been chosen by ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. to enable mobile payments at Mobil-branded stations …

Payments providers Fortis Payment Systems LLC and Blue Dog Business Services LLC announced they have merged. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.ATM portfolio manager Payment Alliance International Inc. said it has acquired the Cash-N-Go ATM portfolio of Cash N Go ATM Network Inc. The deal adds almost 400 machines to Payment Alliance’s portfolio, …

Helped by a collaboration with Visa Inc., Billtrust’s Business Payments Network recorded a 118% increase in payments volume in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period last year. BPN enables banks and corporate buyers to send digital payments to suppliers’ acceptance platforms.Capital Bank N.A. said it has upgraded its digital …

The Kroger Co. is testing contactless payments at some of its QFC (Quality Food Center) locations. The test includes acceptance of Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay, mobile banking apps, and contactless NFC cards. Kroger already accepts its Kroger Pay app. The QFC division is based in Seattle.ATM operator Cardtronics …