One often overlooked market for mobile payments is sports betting, and now some payments providers are wagering that the segment is about to get hot with the ongoing rollout of 5G mobile-network connectivity. “We would urge sports-betting operators to be ready for the increased traffic on their platforms. It’s a …
Read More »POS Terminal Kingpin Ingenico Agrees To Be Acquired by Worldline in an $8.6 Billion Deal
The mega mergers aren’t over yet. In a global move with potentially major implications for the U.S. payments market, Ingenico Group S.A. said it has agreed to be acquired by Worldline S.A. for cash and stock consideration totaling approximately $8.6 billion. The transaction, expected to close in the third quarter, …
Read More »In Canada, Fast-Growing Debit Gets Further Impetus Via a New Rule That Opens More Acceptance Venues
A new rule took effect this week in Canada that is expected to enable more debit card transactions by opening up venues such as buses, trains, parking meters, and vending machines for acceptance. The regulation, called Rule E5, comes from Payments Canada, the country’s clearing-and-settlement operator, and amends a prior …
Read More »Visa Will Be the Network for the New Venmo Card As PayPal Gets Set for Growth in China
News emerged Wednesday from PayPal Holdings Inc.’s earnings call that Visa Inc. will serve as the network for a Venmo credit card PayPal announced in October. This development follows by one week PayPal’s announcement that it has struck a deal with UnionPay, China’s payment card giant, to integrate UnionPay cards …
Read More »A Service Emerges to Let Online Users Gain Fast Access to Limited Content Via Digital Wallets
Digital solutions for very small payments were a hot topic a decade ago, but now the subject is making a comeback in the publishing business, where a slide in print advertising and other revenue sources is pushing publishers to seek new business in digital access. This week, Piano Software Inc., …
Read More »As Ransomware Spreads, Ransoms Balloon And Attacks Grow More Sophisticated
The criminals behind ransomware attacks are becoming dramatically bolder. The average payment demanded in fourth-quarter attacks reached $84,116, more than double the average sum in the third quarter, according to the latest data from Coveware Inc., a Westport, Conn.-based cybersecurity firm that tracks data from cases it has handled. Worse …
Read More »Eye on Earnings: Wall Street Rewards AmEx But Punishes Discover After Seeing Fourth-Quarter Results
Two bellwether payments stocks headed in opposite directions Friday morning as they reported financial results for the fourth quarter. Discover Financial Services saw its share price swoon 7.41% in pre-market trading. By mid-morning, it stood at $77.94, down 9% from its Thursday close. AmEx shares on the other hand had …
Read More »Same-Day ACH Traffic Reaches 1 Million Daily Payments, Nacha Reports
Faster payments on the nation’s automated clearing house network reached a milestone in the fourth quarter, with each business day recording at least 1 million same-day transactions for the first time since same-day service was introduced, according to data released Wednesday by Nacha, the governing body for the ACH. “We’re …
Read More »Amazon’s Venture in Pay-by-Palm Holds Promise But Faces Some Difficult Obstacles
Amazon.com Inc.’s ambitions now include devices that could authenticate payments by scanning the palm of the customer’s hand. But while this latest twist in the e-commerce giant’s payments strategy could result in faster and more convenient transactions for users, it also could run into roadblocks that have scuttled similar ventures …
Read More »In Libra’s Wake, Experts Begin Planning Digital Money Controlled by Central Banks
When Facebook Inc. last year floated the idea of a digital currency called Libra, the notion of a currency backed by a powerful corporation with global reach stimulated some experts to begin thinking about digital money that could be issued not by private companies but by central banks. On Thursday, …
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