Acquiring

Square Inc., which debuted more than seven years ago pursuing micromerchants with a free card reader, launched Square Register, a $999 point-of-sale system designed for larger merchants, it announced Monday. Square Register is a full-sized POS device that has merchant-facing and consumer-facing screens. Also available at $49 a month for …

Most components of First Data Corp.’s massive merchant-acquiring machine performed well in the third quarter, and the company renewed its acquiring contract with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer. But new merchant referrals from First Data’s joint ventures with three big U.S. banks remain problematic. “These businesses have remained …

Payments company PayTrace Inc. launched a browser-based EMV-acceptance service that uses an Ingenico Group EMV card reader and processing from Total System Services Inc. (TSYS). WaveCrest, an issuer of prepaid cards used to pay fleet drivers and reimburse workers, said it has introduced EMV chips on its cards issued in …

Consumer use of mobile payments has taken a step back, according to new research from Auriemma Consulting Group. The New York City-based firm found that mobile-payments usage is down 5 percentage points to 25% of consumers surveyed from 30% a year ago. And that decline is expected to continue into …

Point-of-sale system provider Revel Systems announced it is working with mobile-payments provider LevelUp to integrate mobile order-ahead, in-store mobile payments, and loyalty service for Revel’s restaurant clients. After more than 50 years in the Houston area, First Data Corp.’s TeleCheck Services unit will vacate its headquarters in suburban Sugar Land, …

Two and a half months after announcing it was exploring strategic alternatives, international payment services provider Planet Payment Inc. reported late Thursday that it has a deal to be acquired by Galway, Ireland-based Fintrax Group, a multi-currency processor for international shoppers, for $4.50 per share in cash. The deal values …

As its merger with London-based merchant acquirer Worldpay Group plc gets closer, payment processor Vantiv Inc. reported Thursday that it saw strong growth in its merchant-acquiring segment in the third quarter, especially from small and mid-sized merchants. Symmes Township, Ohio-based Vantiv said net third-quarter revenues in its Merchant Services   segment …

Zelle, the person-to-person payments service from bank-owned Early Warning Services LLC, added ACI Worldwide, CGI, D3 Banking Technology, and IBM to its list of processor and technology partners that enable their financial-institution clients to offer Zelle to consumers. Processor Fiserv Inc. said Regions Bank will offer digital money-movement services, including …

A Cincinnati-based startup called LISNR is promoting technology that transmits payment data over sound waves. The technology, which the company demonstrated Tuesday at the Money 20/20 financial-technology conference in Las Vegas, is now open for beta and can be used as an alternative to near-field communication, the company said. It …

The PCI Security Standards Council is without a general manager as the organization that establishes electronic-payments security standards prepares to go in a new direction with its leadership. Out is Stephen W. Orfei, who joined the council in 2014 as general manager and replaced Bob Russo, the council’s original G.M. …