Sunday , December 15, 2024

John Stewart

Starting as an editor on Bank Network News at Faulkner & Gray, John ultimately played a key role in starting, editing, and publishing many of F&G's flagship publications, including Credit Card Management, Card Technology, Card Marketing, and Collections & Credit Risk. Before co-founding Boland Hill Media, John was a group publisher at Thomson Media responsible for a $10 million division embracing magazines, newsletters, and Web sites.

Eye on the Point of Sale: Shopify’s New Features; Casio’s Pay-At-Table Software

Shopify Inc. late on Tuesday announced a slew of services aimed at significantly broadening the support the Ottawa, Ontario-based provider offers to small and mid-size merchants. Among these are new point-of-sale software, a fulfillment network, and new checkout-integrated subscription-payment support. The fulfillment network is a first-of-its-kind offering for Shopify, the company …

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Facebook And 27 Other Companies Announce Libra, a New Blockchain-Backed Crypto Coin

An association of major payments and technology companies will launch a blockchain-based digital currency called Libra some time in the first half of next year, according to an official announcement on Tuesday. The new initiative, some details about which have leaked in recent days, has the backing of Facebook Inc. …

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As Facebook’s Libra Provokes A Slew of Questions, An Expert Struggles With the Coin’s ‘Justification’

Facebook Inc. is expected to release details this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday, on its Libra cryptocurrency initiative, but for now what’s known about the project has at least some experts shaking their heads. “Why a cryptocurrency, and why Facebook?” asks Tim Sloane, who follows digital currencies as vice …

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Payments Companies Sign up to Help Manage Facebook’s Expected Crypto Entry

At least four payments companies are set to participate in a consortium formed by Facebook Inc. to launch a cryptocurrency next year aimed at commerce rather than exchange trading, according to a report Friday in The Wall Street Journal. Facebook is expected to officially announce the initiative next week. The …

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The Launch of a Cross-Border Transfer Network Helps Fuel Visa’s Drive Into Non-Card Payments

Visa Inc. on Tuesday furthered its ambitions to expand beyond card payments with the commercial launch of a cross-border network that leverages blockchain technology to help manage business-to-business transfers. The network, called Visa B2B Connect, starts out with coverage of more than 30 so-called global trade corridors and plans to …

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With the New Common Buy Button, Don’t Look for a Payoff Any Time Soon, a New Report Warns

The news that the major payment card networks will implement a standardized buy button later this year may have stirred hopes among issuers, merchants, and acquirers that the longstanding problems of rising e-commerce fraud and inconsistent checkout flows will finally be addressed. But already cautionary notes are emerging to indicate …

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Networks Say SRC Will Go Live Later This Year to Simplify—And Secure—Digital Checkouts

A standards body controlled by the major card networks released on Friday a long-awaited standard aimed at simplifying and securing consumer checkouts on the Web and in apps. By mid-morning, American Express Co., Discover Financial Services, and Mastercard Inc. had announced they intend to implement the spec later this year. …

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Global Growth Leads to Nearly 41 Million Terminals Accepting Contactless, Researcher Says

With last week’s introduction of contactless card acceptance on New York City subway and bus systems, hopes are riding high on mass transit to at last stimulate contactless acceptance and usage in the United States. Now recent research indicates acceptance is picking up rapidly pretty much everywhere.  The number of …

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Could Square’s Misdirected Emails Lead to a Big Opportunity for Apple?

The news this week that Square Inc. had misdirected consumers’ digital receipts to the wrong people has prompted some observers to point to new authentication technology as a solution. An emerging option some are zeroing in on is Apple Inc.’s Sign in with Apple, which the company unveiled Monday and …

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For Bitcoin, Tentative Signs Emerge of Rising Merchant Volume

Most economic activity with Bitcoin remains on trading exchanges, but lately there is some evidence volume at merchants may be picking up. Bitcoin’s total merchant volume, in dollar terms, was $42.8 million in the week ended May 19, according to the latest figures from Chainalysis Inc., a New York City-based …

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