Competitive Strategies

Looking to make debit cards more attractive to consumers by offering incentives that rival those found in credit card rewards and loyalty programs, Oxygen Inc., a San Francisco-based financial-services technology provider, on Wednesday introduced Elements, a tiered rewards and loyalty program for debit card holders. Rewards available through Elements include …

Plenty of reports since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic have documented how consumers have responded by shifting to e-commerce—some for the first time—but few reports break out the impact on the mobile segment of that number. It turns out the pandemic has spurred considerable shopping by mobile-phone users, as …

Buy now, pay later specialist Afterpay Ltd. said it is now available through its app to customers of Amazon, CVS, Dell, Kroger, Macy’s, Nike, Target, Walgreen’s, and other major brands.EVO Payments Inc. has added automated clearing house processing to its PayFabric gateway. EVO’s ACH processing can be integrated into a merchant’s Web site …

Although the Covid-19 pandemic spurred many consumers to embrace digital payments, the need for cash acceptance— especially among merchants and lenders that service unbanked consumers—remains strong. To help fill that need, KyckGlobal Inc. on Tuesday announced a deal with Advanced Business Computers of America Inc. (ABCoA) to enable used-car dealers …

Shift4 Payments Inc. on Tuesday announced it had reached a key milestone as it is now processing at least $1 billion per week in what it calls end-to-end payments volume. Shift4 earns more on end-to-end volume, which it processes itself, than on gateway traffic, which it passes off to other …

Repay Holdings Inc. announced its acquisition of Kontrol Payables, an accounts payable automation provider, for up to $11 million.Cryptocurrency-based payments processor GreenBox POS announced the launch of a pilot for its Coyni stablecoin token. Among other features, Coyni offers instant settlement as well as transaction deletions and reversals.Cryptocurrency processor Flexa Inc. said it will be …

The global shortage of semiconductors that has impacted myriad industries that use the chips, from automakers and electronics manufacturers to defense contractors and even soap manufacturers, is poised to affect payment card manufacturers, the Smart Payment Association announced Monday.  Bottlenecks in the chip card supply have become so acute that …

PayPal Holdings Inc. is raising its online merchant rates in the midst of a boom in e-commerce but also reducing some fees as it keeps a wary eye on rivals such as Square Inc. and Stripe Inc. The new rates, which PayPal announced Friday, cover a sweeping range of transaction …

Payments provider E-Complish announced it acquired an outstanding interest in Regal Technologies LLC, which provide automated clearing house and other payment services.Payments provider Shift4 Payments Inc. said it will process transactions for BetMGM, an online gaming and sports-betting platform.Payments provider ACI Worldwide Inc. said it is working with the Foundation for California Community Colleges to …

AutoVitals Inc., a provider of auto-repair shop management software, announced Friday it is teaming with payments processor 360 Payments to provide independent auto-repair shops a range of payment options, including text-to-pay functionality. By adding 360 Payments to its platform, AutoVitals said it will round out its digital offering to provide …