To help merchants manage their business through a single device in a rapidly changing payments landscape, Block Inc. on Monday introduced the next generation of Square Stand, the countertop device that converts an iPad into a point-of-sale system. It is the first redesign of Square Stand since its launch in …
Read More »E-Commerce Is on a Tear, But How Much of That Volume Stems From Roaring Inflation?
It’s a well-known fact that the pandemic drove consumers to e-commerce for goods they might otherwise have shopped for in stores, but now evidence is emerging that some of that increase in online spending is a result of steadily rising inflation. Consumers spent $83.1 billion online last month, up 7% …
Read More »There’s More to Lose in Not Offering BNPL Than in Offering It, Providers Warn
The buy now, pay later trend may have come under scrutiny lately by regulators, but companies enabling BNPL warn sellers and payments providers risk losing merchant volume and younger consumers if they don’t offer the installment option online and at the point of sale. “You’ll see volume attrition without merchant …
Read More »Eye on AmEx: Reaching Fintechs Via i2c; Humanitarian Relief in Ukraine
In an effort to enable fintechs to leverage its brand, network capabilities, and cardholder perks in North America and other regions, American Express Co. on Friday announced it is expanding its working relationship with payment and banking solutions provider i2c Inc. The expanded agreement builds upon AmEx’s working relationship with …
Read More »Adyen Poised To Offer Tap to Pay on iPhone To U.S. Merchants
Processor Adyen NV is poised to be among the first to offer Apple Inc.’s Tap to Pay on iPhone service to U.S. merchants. Sometime later this year the service will launch, enabling compatible iPhones to accept contactless payments without the use of additional hardware or payment terminals. Announced in February …
Read More »Bolt To Acquire Wyre and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/7/22
The commerce platform Bolt has agreed to acquire the cryptocurrency provider Wyre to enable consumers to spend crypto at Bolt merchants, which will receive fiat currency. Terms of the deal, which is expected to close before year’s end, were not disclosed.In related news, payments platform Nium said it has partnered with cryptocurrency specialist BitPay to allow …
Read More »Big Banks’ Interest in Launching Zelle Into Retail Payments Puzzles Some Observers
A serious expansion of the Zelle peer-to-peer payments network or just saber rattling to get a better deal from the card networks? That’s one question raised by payments-industry experts after The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co.—two of the seven big financial institutions …
Read More »Fraud Is Trending Down Overall, But Businesses Must Remain Vigilant In The Fight Against It, AFP Says
Payment fraud continued to decline in 2021 with 71% of organizations reporting they have been victims of payments fraud activity, compared to 74% in 2020 and 81% in 2019, according to the Association for Financial Professionals’ annual fraud report. The 2021 results are the lowest since 2014. The Bethesda, Md.-based …
Read More »Zelle for Retail Payments? and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/6/22
At least a couple of banks—Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co.—are proponents of expanding the Zelle peer-to-peer payments service to retail payments, The Wall Street Journal reported. Owned by Early Warning Services LLC, itself owned by seven of the largest U.S. banks including BofA and Wells, Zelle offers account-to-account payments. The …
Read More »Eye on ISOs: Shift4’s Airport Deal; Payroc Snaps up Iroquois Merchant Services
Ontario International Airport in California is adopting Shift4 Payments Inc.s’ VenueNext mobile point-of-sale technology to allow passengers to order and pay for food and merchandise using their mobile phones. The service includes new self-checkout technology that allows travelers to scan a UPC code, add it to a shopping cart, and …
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