Point-of-sale technology provider Handpoint has agreed to adopt the i-Accept technology from MagicCube Inc. The technology allows merchants to accept card transactions on off-the-shelf mobile devices.Citcon, a provider of mobile-wallet acceptance at the point of sale, has agreed to integrate its technology with that of Agilysys Inc., a vendor of point-of-sale technology …
Read More »Priority Will Acquire Finxera and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/8/21
Payments provider Priority Technology Holdings Inc. announced it has agreed to acquire Finxera Holdings Inc., a provider of banking-as-a-service technology. Terms were not announced for the transaction, which is expected to close in the third quarter.Mastercard Inc. said it is expanding its Engage platform to digital first deployment, assistance and training through the …
Read More »COMMENTARY: Time for Banks to Embrace Fintechs to Move to Partner APIs
Customer experiences and expectations are rapidly evolving as people and businesses seek out slicker financial apps and services that are embedded deeper into our software applications. This explosion of new experiences is largely enabled through application programming interfaces (APIs). Seeing a new opportunity here, many financial institutions are investing in …
Read More »BJ’s Wholesale Adds Online SNAP Payments and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/5/21
The warehouse-store chain BJ’s Wholesale Club said it has added electronic benefits transfer payment capability to its Web site for in-store or curbside pickup of SNAP-eligible items. The service applies to stores in Florida and North Carolina. The processor is FIS Inc.’s Worldpay. SNAP is the federal Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program.Independent …
Read More »Shift4 Shrugs off a ‘Very Challenging Year’ With a $72-Million Move Into Stadiums
Shift4 Payments Inc. refers to the volume potential it’s trying to tap as a “coiled spring” waiting to be released as Covid restrictions ease. On Thursday, the big payments processor tapped into that potential with its $72-million acquisition of VenueNext Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based provider of mobile payments, point-of-sale …
Read More »OLB Expands Crypto Support and other Digital Transactions News briefs form 3/4/21
Payments provider The OLB Group Inc. said its SecurePay gateway can now support cryptocurrency transactions and settlement of funds for merchants, putting crypto on par with credit and debit payments.PayActiv Inc., a provider of earned-wage access technology, said Hancock Whitney is the first financial institution to offer the company’s service.In related news, …
Read More »Mobile Wallet Usage Is Growing at The Expense of Cash And Credit Cards, Says FIS
Cash purchases fell to historic lows in 2020 as consumers shifted their payment preferences to contactless technologies such as mobile wallets, according to the 2021 Global Payments Report by Worldpay from FIS Inc. Cash transactions represented just 20.5% of global point-of-sale volume in 2020, down from 30.2% 2019, according to …
Read More »How Fintechs Are Helping Reduce Financial-Services ‘Deserts’ for the Underbanked
Thanks to the proliferation of such financial-service technologies as mobile wallets and peer-to-peer and e-cash payments, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, financial-technology providers are closing the gap on unbanked and underbanked consumers’ access to financial services, according to a report from the Electronic Transactions Association. One example cited in the …
Read More »Why Buy Now, Pay Later Is Taking off—And Sparking a Reaction From Incumbent Players
The fast-growing buy now, pay later (BNPL) installment-credit option for online and in-store payments could reach $1 trillion in U.S. volume by 2025, or between 10 and 15 times the current level, according to a report released Tuesday by CBInsights, a New York City-based financial-service research firm. A confluence of several …
Read More »Interchange Adjustments Will Add a Net $889 Million to Merchants’ Costs, an Analysis Says
With the two big payment networks set to raise by hundreds of millions of dollars the cost U.S. merchants pay for card acceptance, e-commerce merchants could see fee boosts while some segments—like travel-and-entertainment and low-ticket-value, quick-service merchants—could see some reductions. In total, rate tweaks scheduled by Visa Inc. and Mastercard …
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