In an effort to make its cards more financially attractive to merchants, American Express Co. plans to cut its worldwide discount rate by potentially up to three times the level it had previously predicted for 2018. AmEx, generally the costliest of the major card brands for merchants to accept, typically …

VeriFone Systems Inc.’s North American revenues dipped sharply in the quarter ended Jan. 31, but the point-of-sale terminal and payment software provider nonetheless said it exceeded its financial expectations as software and services sales rose even as hardware sales fell. San Jose, Calif.-based VeriFone on Thursday reported total revenues of …

The newbie bank-controlled Zelle person-to-person payments service already is a major player on the P2P scene, but it could win even greater adoption through clear messaging, a mobile-first orientation, more emphasis on its underutilized request feature, and an appeal beyond Millennials. Those and many other recommendations and observations are included …

Some 12,000 restaurants in 100 countries already use Toronto-based TouchBistro Inc.’s iPad-based point-of-sale software, but a new agreement with JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s WePay subsidiary could put TouchBistro in touch with many more U.S. eateries. TouchBistro and Chase on Tuesday unveiled TouchBistro Payments Powered by WePay, which will launch this …

The cryptocurrency world often gets feverish upon news that an established power in payments or financial services has turned its attention to matters of Bitcoin or its cohorts. Such was the case Monday when reports surfaced that PayPal Holdings Inc. had applied for a patent for a so-called “expedited virtual …

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business announced Monday an agreement with JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Chase Merchant Services that the trade group of small and medium-sized merchants says could bring cuts of nearly 50% for accepting American Express Co. cards to its 110,000 members. The Toronto-based CFIB said Chase, its …

Automated clearing house governing body NACHA and the Interactive Financial eXchange Forum Inc. (IFX) this week announced they intend to combine their operations. Founded in 1997, the Wakefield, Mass.-based IFX Forum is an international non-profit that developed and promotes the IFX business message specification as an open, interoperable for standard …

The merger of payment processors Vantiv Inc. and London-based Worldpay Group plc was completed Jan. 16, and up next for leaders of the combined company is integration of operational platforms, selling products to a wider customer base, and achieving their goal of $200 million in cost savings in three years. …

Square Inc. on Tuesday pulled back the curtain, at least a little bit, on its Cash App and the related Cash Card, a Visa-branded debit card. The app has 7 million active users, and cardholders spent $90 million using the card in December, good for annualized volume of $1 billion, …

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 …