Growth in human-initiated bot attacks outpaced growth in automated bot attacks in the second half of 2021. That’s according to the latest Cybercrime Report from LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Automated bot attacks globally increased 32% for June through December last year over the same period in 2020, trailing the 46% spike …

Buy now, pay later options for consumers continue to grow. Nascent airline Breeze Airways will offer Uplift Inc.’s BNPL option to its travelers and Mastercard Inc. announced several more retailers joined its Mastercard Installments program. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Uplift said it is the exclusive BNPL option for Breeze flights. The service …

Consumers accustomed to the PayPal and Venmo digital wallets from PayPal Holdings Inc. can now deploy them to make federal tax payments when using the ACI Payments Inc. service. Announced Tuesday by parent company ACI Worldwide Inc., the service adds another digital tax payment option. And ACI Payments, which ACI …

Olo Pay is a new digital ordering platform for restaurants that soon will enable consumers to order and pay with the same payment data at different establishments without having to create unique credentials for each one. Dubbed borderless payments, this element is part of the newly launched Olo Pay from …

Money-transfer powerhouse MoneyGram International Inc. will go private later this year in a deal announced Tuesday with private-equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC. Valued at $11 per common-stock share, the deal also includes assumption of $799 million in debt.  Expected to close in the fourth quarter, the deal will see …

Celero Commerce made its second acquisition in a month with its deal to acquire Omega Technology, a Fort Thomas, Ky.-based payments provider. Nashville, Tenn.-based Celero says the combined company will process payments for more than 50,000 merchants at approximately $20 billion in annual card volume. Celero acquired Everest Payment Solutions in …

Diners visiting Texas Roadhouse restaurants will soon be able to tap on digital offers in the Texas Roadhouse app thanks to a newly announced deal with Sparkfly, a retail services provider. In related point-of-sale news, Merrco Payments Inc. launched its expanded PayHQ service in the United States. Merrco specializes in …

With mobile-device use firmly ingrained in consumer behavior, it’s little wonder that fraudsters are following these consumers. That’s very apparent in the latest LexisNexis Risk Solutions report, which found 98% of financial-services firms it surveyed reported that fraud targeting mobile has increased. These increases also meant the cost of the …

Get ready for even more sophisticated in-car virtual assistance. Cerence Inc., which develops in-car virtual technology, has launched Co-Pilot, its advanced assistant that uses artificial intelligence and vehicle integration to help with such tasks as ordering and paying for a coffee while a mile away. Cerence says its technology—it has …

Consumers have flocked to buy now, pay later services, but providers still have to find ways to stand out. Afterpay Ltd. hopes to do that by enabling consumers who have a Rakuten account to earn cash back in the Rakuten program. Announced Monday, the Afterpay program enables Afterpay users who also …