Facebook Inc. and its proposed Libra cryptocurrency took a beating this week on Capitol Hill, but the outlook for the new coin—and its Calibra wallet—may be more nuanced than that reception would seem to indicate. The skepticism toward Libra was bipartisan, with Senators and Representatives of both major parties raking …
Read More »Eye On the Point of Sale: Visa Agrees to Buy Payworks; ACI Signs up Worldpay
Visa Inc. said Wednesday it has acquired Payworks GmbH, a Munich-based developer of cloud-based point-of-sale payment-gateway software. Visa intends to integrate Payworks’ technology with that of another Visa property, CyberSource, and offer the combined product to merchants and acquirers. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The combined offering will …
Read More »Facebook’s Calibra Chief Marcus Runs Into Stiff Headwinds on Capitol Hill
Facebook Inc.’s Calibra wallet will generate revenue for its parent by stimulating incremental advertising but the proposed Libra cryptocurrency will also work with competing wallet apps, the company’s point man for Calibra said Tuesday. David Marcus, head of Calibra for the huge social network, said in prepared remarks that the new …
Read More »The ACH Posts Its Highest Growth Rate Since 2008
The nation’s automated clearing house network went on a tear in the quarter ended June 30, notching its highest growth rate since 2008 thanks to double-digit growth for key categories like Internet payments and business-to-business transfers. Total volume for the quarter came to 6.1 billion transactions, an increase of 7.7% …
Read More »Amazon Prime Day Starts Monday And Is Shaping up To Be a Payments Bonanza
Amazon Prime Day is set for next week, and by all accounts Amazon.com Inc.’s online and in-store shopping frenzy is likely to be a payments-palooza. The event, which despite its name is set to cover two full days—July 15 and 16—this year, will generate $5.8 billion in sales, with $3.6 …
Read More »A Nxt-ID And CPI Card Group Alliance Equips Fit Pay’s Flip Device for Contactless
Nxt-ID Inc.’s Fit Pay Inc. unit is using contactless technology from CPI Card Group Inc. for Fit Pay’s coin-shaped Flip device, which lets users store and spend U.S. dollars converted from Bitcoin holdings. Specifically, Fit Pay, a unit of Melbourne, Fla.-based Nxt-ID Inc., has adopted a product called “Adaptives,” CPI …
Read More »Fiserv Offers Billers a Service That Lets Consumers Pay Bills From a Mobile Wallet
Fiserv Inc. on Monday announced a feature that lets consumers upload bills to a mobile wallet via a quick-response code, pay the bill, and have the bill automatically update with each new cycle. The move comes as billers seek ways to leverage rising mobile usage to digitize bills and hike …
Read More »Visa Agrees to Buy Verifi As Payments Players Wrestle With Rising Chargebacks
Visa Inc. on Friday announced it will buy Verifi Inc., a 14-year-old, Los Angeles-based provider of tools that allow merchants, acquirers, and issuers to resolve chargebacks. Visa, which did not announce terms for the deal, said it will integrate Verifi’s technology with risk-management capabilities from CyberSource and CardinalCommerce, companies the …
Read More »With Its New Installment-Payment APIs, Visa Enters a Crowded But Enticing Market
Visa Inc. said on Thursday it is getting into the point-of-sale installment-payment business weeks after rival Mastercard Inc. announced it bought Austin, Texas-based POS credit fintech Vyze Inc. The move also comes as volumes are growing for the product, driven in part by offerings from non-banks like Affirm Inc. and …
Read More »Point-of-Sale Credit Resonates Best With Regular Debit Card Holders, Research Finds
Installment lending at the point of sale has drawn both startups and established companies, including banks, in recent years, but who among consumers finds that offer most attractive? The answer, according to New York City-based Auriemma Research, is consumers who pay with debit cards exclusively or say they prefer to. …
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