Competitive Strategies

Mindbody Inc., a provider of payments services and wellness software to the health and fitness industry, is adding a direct-to-consumer virtual membership program. Dubbed Mindbody Flex, the subscription service offers virtual access to more than 450 independent studios offering virtual fitness and wellness classes. Pricing starts at $39 per month …

As the payments business moves toward faster settlement, verifying payor accounts becomes crucial, yet for non-card payments, “there’s a gap there,” notes Patricia Hewitt, principal at PG Research & Advisory Services LLC, a Savannah, Ga.-based payments consultancy. On Thursday, Checkbook Inc., a San Mateo, Calif.-based startup, announced a step toward …

Fintech Rellevate Inc. announced a multiyear licensing and distribution agreement with Richard Petty Motorsports for gift and reward cards depicting NASCAR icon Richard Petty. The cards will be issued by Sutton Bank.CommentSold, a 3-year-old social e-commerce site, said it added 2,000 merchants in 2020 and saw record growth in gross merchandise value …

Discover Financial Services reported mixed results Thursday for the fourth quarter of 2020. Despite a 4% decline year-over-year in revenue, which totaled $2.82 billion, Discover’s net income rose 13% to $799 million.  Payment Services volume totaled $70.1 billion, up 6% year-over-year, with all four legs that comprise the division—the Discover …

For the nation’s automated clearing house network, payments trends already under way before the coronavirus pandemic are still unfolding—only faster.  ACH payments initiated on the Web to pay bills and make other transfers totaled 2.1 billion in 2020’s fourth quarter, a 15.2% increase year-over-year, Nacha reported Thursday. Herndon, Va.-based Nacha …

Nuvei Corp. said a wholly owned subsidiary has been approved to process sports-betting transactions in Tennessee, where sports wagers have been legal since 2019. Previously, Nuvei received approval to process sports betting in Colorado, Indiana, and West Virginia.Point-of-sale system provider Revel Systems said majority owner Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe made another investment …

In a new twist on prepaid cards in Canada, Vancouver-based Peoples Trust Co. is extending eligibility for deposit insurance from the Canadian Deposit Insurance Corp. to general-purpose reloadable prepaid cards and payroll cards issued by the financial institution.  The CDIC ruled in 2020 that prepaid cards can be eligible for …

Much has been written over the years about the seemingly unending succession of data breaches involving credit card and other personal payment data. But little is known about the so-called dark Web, the sites where these data thieves set up shop to sell what they’ve pilfered. It turns out these …

Transaction volume for hotels and restaurants fell between 40% and 50% in December compared to December 2019, according to numbers released by payments provider Shift4 Payments Inc. Retail and e-commerce businesses, on the other hand, saw a year-over-year increase in volume last month for the first time since the pandemic set in.Xformative …

Walmart Inc. is adding money-transfer services from The Western Union Co. to its more than 4,700 U.S. stores this spring, the giant retailer announced Tuesday. Western Union will be the third money-transfer provider to be offered at Walmart stores, joining MoneyGram International Inc. and Ria, a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide …