Increasing competition, slow growth, and staying abreast of changing technology top the list of issues facing independent sales organizations and merchant acquirers during the next 12 months, finds a new report from Adil Consulting. Fifty-two percent of respondents cited competition as the top trend, followed by growth, 48%, and …

  Bluetooth low energy beacons will play a key role in a mobile payment and loyalty service being developed by SK Planet Inc. and DoubleBeam Inc. that promises easier mobile payments and offer redemption. The beacons connect Bluetooth low energy-compatible smart phones with DoubleBeam’s GoPago tablet-based point-of-sale system. Now in …

  Bitcoin vault provider Xapo Ltd. is days away from sending debit cards backed by the digital currency to consumers with registered Xapo Bitcoin accounts. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup, which is incorporated in Hong Kong, also raised $20 million in a recent investment round, bringing its total investment bounty …

By Kevin Woodward Venture capitalist Timothy Draper wants to use the nearly 30,000 Bitcoins he won last week in an auction held by the U.S. Marshals Service to fund a Bitcoin trading platform targeting emerging markets, he said last week following the auction. He would not disclose the price of …

Retailers have a hearty sense of confidence when it comes to how quickly their organizations would detect a data breach, especially one that targets sensitive payment information, finds a survey from Tripwire Inc., a data-security company. In the survey of 154 retail organizations, 60% said their systems could detect a …

Small businesses using Vend Ltd. point-of-sale systems and a mobile-payment acceptance app from Flint Mobile Inc. can now link payment data from these services to their QuickBooks Online accounts. Vend is a New Zealand-based company that markets a POS system that works on desktop computers, Apple computers, and the iPad. …

Alternative payment network Dwolla Inc. has added Dwolla Direct, a method for individuals and organizations to send a payment via the network without registering for a full Dwolla account. Instead, they complete an online form that asks for an e-mail address, password, and bank account information. The process takes place …

Two retailer organizations dissatisfied with a $5.7 billion settlement of a class-action antitrust case alleging unfair credit card interchange rates have filed the next step in their appeal of the settlement. The National Retail Federation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association said Monday they filed a joint brief with the …

  The debut this summer and later in the year of chip cards for cardholders of Walmart and Sam’s Club branded credit cards likely will spur other retailers to accept the new payment card technology. That’s the finding from a Digital Transactions News survey that asks if the issuance of …

Recurring billing is now available from Amazon Payments, putting the online payment service from Amazon.com Inc. on more equal footing with competitors that already offer the feature. n And when consumers update their payment cards, such as to replace an expired card, the update applies to payments made to merchants. …