Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
With static passwords losing more and more effectiveness as an authentication method, biometric identification is regaining momentum after years on the sidelines. A recent major example of this resurgence is Apple Inc.’s introduction this month of its new iPhone 5S, which features a fingerprint sensor to unlock the device. The …
Read More »Revel Systems Launches Tablet POS for Concession Sales at Sports Stadiums
Tablet computers, which have invaded restaurants and retail stores since the introduction of Apple Inc.’s iPad three years ago, have now begun to see action at sports stadiums. Alabama State University’s newly built stadium on Aug. 31 became the first such arena to use the iPad for concession sales, according …
Read More »Report: Acquiring Will Boast Robust Growth, But ISOs Must Change Tactics to Cash in
By John Stewart n The good news for merchant processors is that the U.S. acquiring market will turn in a robust performance over the next five years, growing at an average annual rate of 10.5%. The bad news, at least for acquirers that remain wedded to conventional terminals and conventional …
Read More »New Funding Round Recognizes Paydiant’s Strategy to Stand Apart in Crowded Wallet Field
It may well be the mobile-payments app provider you never heard of, but Paydiant Inc. is winning deals with major banks, processors, and merchants, and on Tuesday it secured $15 million in a Series C round of funding. The financing brings to almost $35 million the cash injections the Wellesley, …
Read More »Native Electronic Applications Shine on the ACH As Check-Based Codes Slide
By John Stewart n Electronic processing of payments that originate as paper checks dropped dramatically in the second quarter on the automated clearing house network, while payments that start out as electronic items grew briskly, according to the latest report from NACHA, the ACH’s governing body. n The decline in …
Read More »Durbin Economics Begin to Impact Vibrant Market for Open-Loop, Big-Bank Gift Cards
By John Stewart n The inexorable economics of the Durbin Amendment are beginning to make themselves felt in the vibrant business of network-branded gift cards. n JPMorgan Chase & Co., one of a handful of major banks that offer Visa- and MasterCard-branded gift cards, this spring stopped selling its Visa …
Read More »Surging M-Commerce Could Eclipse $25 Billion in Sales in 2013, comScore Forecasts
In a sign of the increasing significance of mobile commerce in the U.S. economy, comScore Inc. reported on Tuesday that remote m-commerce sales totaled $10.6 billion in the first half of the year, or about 10% of total online volume, including desktop e-commerce. ComScore forecasts that online spending on mobile …
Read More »Mobile Check Capture Is Saving Banks Big Bucks, But How Big?
The increasing popularity of depositing checks via mobile devices could end up saving financial institutions offering the service a good deal of money, according to a recent study. But, while cost savings from mobile check capture are real, there are offsetting factors, says an expert not connected with the study. …
Read More »Mercury Leverages Developers To Sell PayPal Wallet to Brick-And-Mortar Merchants
PayPal Inc.’s ambitious plan to achieve what its parent company’s chief executive calls “ubiquity” in in-store acceptance took a key step forward this week when news emerged that Mercury Payment Systems has become the first independent sales organization to market PayPal’s mobile wallet to small brick-and-mortar merchants. Durango, Colo.-based Mercury, …
Read More »Bitcoin ATM Maker Hopes Machine Will Bring Bitcoin to the Masses
Zach Harvey says it’s too hard to get Bitcoins, so next month his new company will start shipping its first machines intended to let ordinary consumers exchange cash for the controversial digital currency. The company, Lamassu Inc., is billing the tabletop device as “the world’s first Bitcoin ATM” and says …
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