Competitive Strategies

The Western Union Co. named Devin B. McGranahan as its new chief executive, replacing Hikmet Ersek, who is retiring at the end of 2021. Ersek’s 21-year Western Union career includes the past 11 years as CEO. McGranahan comes to the money-transfer giant from processor Fiserv Inc. where he most recently was …

The Western Union Co. is boosting its tie-ins with Mastercard Inc. by integrating the card brand’s direct-to-card and cross-border payments products. Announced Friday, the integration sees Mastercard Send added to broaden Western Union’s payout capabilities in the United States. U.S. recipients of any Western Union transfer will be able to …

Cryptocurrency platform Bakkt Holdings Inc. reported $9.1 million in revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up 38% year-over-year. The company’s net loss expanded 61% to $28.8 million. Bakkt has recently formed partnerships with Mastercard Inc. to allow banks to issue crypto-linked credit and debit cards and with Fiserv Inc. for a future integration …

As small and medium businesses shift more of their operations online, the need for financial products with embedded payment solutions is growing. To make it easier for providers of banking and financial software providers to offer embedded payment solutions to small and medium businesses, Veem Inc. on Thursday announced its …

Regulatory changes in its European market have hammered Paysafe Ltd.’s digital wallets, chopping the company’s quarter-to-quarter payments volume and revenue and forcing its top executives to spend a good deal of time Thursday morning explaining the impact to stock analysts. “We are facing challenges in our digital-wallet business. It’s performing …

Klarna AB said it is extending its Pay in 4 buy now, pay later service to subscriptions, the first time BNPL has been offered to this segment of the economy, according to the company.Payfare Inc., a specialist in instant payouts to gig workers, reported its user count rose 37% in the …

Buy now, pay later powerhouse Affirm Inc. will be the exclusive provider of BNPL services for Amazon.com until the end of January, 2023, under a deal Affirm announced Wednesday. Affirm will also be included as an option in Amazon’s wallet, Amazon Pay, according to the agreement. The agreement represents a …

In time for the start of holiday-shopping season, buy now, pay later provider Afterpay Ltd. has expanded its in-store presence. New retailers offering the service include Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack, J.Crew, Madewell, and American Eagle. In addition, Afterpay will be available at airport and resort-casino specialty retailer Marshall Retail Group, …

Payments processor Shift4 Payments Inc. announced early Wednesday a service outage at a major processor in August cost the company more than $22 million in payments to affected merchants. But it added the Allentown, Pa.-based company is plunging into a range of new markets with major clients including Allegiant Airlines, …

Presto, a provider of payment tablets for the restaurant industry, said it will go public through a merger with Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. The deal values the combined company at an estimated $1 billion. Presto, whose clients include major brands like Applebee’s and Outback Steakhouse, …