With its launch on Thursday of a digital checking account for business and an associated debit card, American Express Co. could be poised to shake up the payments business in ways not seen before, observers say. “This announcement represents the greatest threat to financial institutions who are competing for the …
Read More »COMMENTARY: Are You Asking the Right Questions to Decide on a Payment Operating Model?
Companies offering payment solutions generally face an important decision in their early days: settling on the right operating model. Should we function as a payment facilitator (payfac) and do everything ourselves? Should we register as an acquirer, ISO, or third-party processor? Should we handle risk and underwriting? How should we …
Read More »Amazon One Expands and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 10/29/21
Amazon.com Inc. said its Amazon One technology, which scans customers’ palms to process payments, is now available at more than 70 Amazon physical stores, Whole Foods stores, and third-party locations.Merchant acquirer Shift4 Payments Inc. released a business update indicating its volume for October was 80% higher than the same month in 2020, with the number …
Read More »‘No Longer a Separation’ Between Online And Offline for Shoppers and Stores, Square Says
If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught merchants anything, it’s that they need to take a radically wider sales approach to engage with customers online and offline, across any device, argues a new report from payments provider Square Inc. The report explores some of the ways merchants are using tools from …
Read More »AmEx’s First Debit Card and other Digital Transactions News Briefs from 10/28/21
American Express Co. launched a fully digital business checking account for U.S. small and mid-sized businesses that includes the first-ever AmEx-issued debit card. The account also connects with existing AmEx credit cards.FIS Inc.’s Worldpay merchant-acquiring unit will provide payment services to Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals under a new agreement. The pact includes …
Read More »[UPDATE] POS Device Maker Pax Draws Scrutiny Following Allegations of ‘Strange Network Activity’
[UPDATED TO REFLECT A STATEMENT FROM PAX] A report released on Tuesday detailing a raid by federal investigators at a Florida warehouse linked to Pax Technology Inc. has stunned the payments industry and left some observers concerned about the big point-of-sale device maker’s reported reaction to allegations its technology was …
Read More »Fiserv’s Merchant Volume Jumps 20% and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 10/27/21
Global merchant dollar volume grew 20% in the third quarter year-over-year for processor Fiserv Inc., while global e-commerce volume increased 21%, the company reported. Overall global transactions expanded 16%. The company did not report actual figures. Revenue for the quarter was $3.96 billion, up 10%. Year-to-date revenue was $11.37 billion, an …
Read More »BNPL Offers Big Potential for Market Share But Also Flashes Caution Signs for the Unwary, a Panel Says
The rapidly unfolding buy now, pay later business holds huge potential for point-of-sale lenders but flashes caution signs for players that jump in without doing their homework, a panel of experts said Tuesday at the Money 20/20 exposition in Las Vegas. The BNPL product, which generally allows shoppers to pay …
Read More »Stripe Grows Its Portfolio of BNPL Providers by Partnering With Klarna
With consumers eagerly embracing buy now, pay later payment options, Stripe Inc. on Tuesday announced it is partnering with BNPL powerhouse Klarna AB. The deal will enable Stripe merchants to offer Klarna BNPL loans to consumers in the United States and 19 countries throughout Europe. The deal also adds to …
Read More »Microsoft Signs up With FIS’s Worldpay for Online Processing Beyond Latin America
Microsoft Corp. will significantly expand its processing arrangement with the big Worldpay unit of FIS Inc. to include the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific under a new agreement announced Tuesday. The agreement will support credit and debit card transactions Microsoft receives on online properties, including Xbox, Microsoft Advertising, and Microsoft Azure, …
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