Enthusiasts of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are trying to position the digital currencies as legitimate means of exchange, but crypto’s tendency to be stolen and then laundered by thieves is not only well-known, it’s growing worse. The total estimated value of cryptocurrency pilfered from exchanges worldwide came to almost $800 …
Read More »Eye on Crypto: Fit Pay Readies Its Flip; Expedia Cancels Bitcoin; Lightning’s Woes; Facebook’s About-Face
It has been a busy week in the cryptocurrency business. On Thursday, technology vendor Fit Pay Inc. announced it is closer to shipping a contactless coin-shaped device called Flip that allows consumers to convert their Bitcoin to U.S. dollars so they can make purchases. Earlier, news emerged that the online …
Read More »Alipay Launches a Wallet-Based Cross-Border Money-Transfer Service Using Blockchain
Payments observers wondering when, and where, blockchain technology would take hold may want to pay close attention to cross-border remittances. Alipay Payment Services (HK) Ltd. said on Monday that it has launched a mobile-wallet based money-transfer service between Hong Kong and the Philippines using a blockchain backbone. The service, which …
Read More »Mobile POS Is Poised to Soar Worldwide As Rising Card Acceptance Stokes Merchant Demand
The mobile point-of-sale revolution is picking up momentum, despite having started nearly a decade ago with the first attachable card-reading devices for mobile phones. Projections from United Kingdom-based Juniper Research released this week indicate the installed base of mobile point-of-sale devices of all kinds worldwide—including integrated technology from major vendors—will …
Read More »The U.K.’s Finastra Acquires Malauzai Software in a Bid for Mobile Services for Community Banks
Finastra, a London-based vendor of digital-banking software, announced Monday it has acquired Malauzai Software Inc., a 9-year-old company based in Austin, Texas. Terms were not announced. The deal brings to Finastra a company serving more than 350 community financial institutions with solutions for such digital services as mobile remote deposit …
Read More »Already Ahead of Venmo in Dollars, Zelle Is Poised to Jump Ahead in Users, a Forecaster Says
Now officially a year old, Zelle is steadily gaining momentum. San Francisco-based Bank of the West, the 29th largest bank in the country ranked by assets, announced Thursday it will join the bank-controlled person-to-person payment network, which already claims some of the biggest financial institutions in the country. Also this week, …
Read More »Sensing Strengths, Investors Send Adyen’s Valuation Skyrocketing
Experts have been saying that the payments business is hot, but few suspected it was this hot. The 12-year-old Dutch processor Adyen N.V. gained more ground Thursday on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange before closing the day at 438 euros, or $510, down 3.7%. That’s after finishing on Wednesday, its first …
Read More »What Would Legal Sports Betting Look Like? Many Are Turning to Nevada for an Answer
As legislatures eye geysers of tax revenue in the wake of the May 14 Supreme Court decision leaving legal sports betting up to each state, officials wondering how much that haul could be are looking to Nevada. It’s the only state that permits wide-open wagering on a full menu of …
Read More »In a Sharp Return to Volatility, Cryptocurrencies Shed Almost 13% of Value in One Day
The cryptocurrency market suddenly turned bearish over the weekend, with price drops Sunday among the top 10 coins ranging from 6% to 16%. Overall, the total market capitalization of more than 1,600 currencies tracked by Coinmarketcap.com stood at $296.3 billion Monday morning, compared to $339.4 billion around noon on Saturday, …
Read More »Eye on Self-Checkout: Mobile Checkout That Ditches Apps, And New Locations for Amazon Go
The payments industry’s drive to bypass—or eliminate—the traditional retail checkout typically involves a mobile app, but on Thursday Moltin, a 5-year-old Boston-based developer, introduced a browser-based self-checkout capability that lets customers ring up their own goods. The first merchant to deploy the technology is a San Clemente, Calif.-based clothing maker …
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