Square Inc. on Tuesday pulled back the curtain, at least a little bit, on its Cash App and the related Cash Card, a Visa-branded debit card. The app has 7 million active users, and cardholders spent $90 million using the card in December, good for annualized volume of $1 billion, …
Read More »WEX Notes Transactions Growth and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 2/21/18
ATM network owner and operator Cardtronics plc said fourth-quarter 2017 ATM operating revenues rose 18% year-over-year to $346.2 million, but net income declined 36% to $16 million. The company also said more than 100 financial institutions and 6 million cards were added to its Allpoint surcharge-free network in 2017. Fleet-fueling …
Read More »Bitcoin’s Price Rebounds Past $11K As Its User Fees Slide to Lowest Level in Five Months
Capping an eventful week for cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin is now trading above $11,000 for the first time in three weeks. Even more important, the fees its users must pay when they spend Bitcoin—which had soared into the stratosphere in recent months— have crashed back to earth, according to data available Monday …
Read More »POS Malware Hides in Plain Sight; 18 Senators Vs. Jeff Sessions; Plus Weekly Recap from 2/16/18
The cryptocurrency Litecoin was still riding high Friday morning following a mid-week announcement that a new entity called LitePay Inc. will provide merchant processing in 41 countries, including the United States, starting Feb. 26. As of mid-morning, Litecoin traded at $220, up 38% from $160 at noon Tuesday. Also this …
Read More »March of the Cryptos: All of the Top 10 Digital Currencies Rise This Week
The stock market may have tumbled this week, but cryptocurrencies are enjoying a generalized comeback. All of the 10 largest currencies by market capitalization are up since early in the week, with third-ranked Ripple’s XRP token surging 20% just since late Thursday to lead the pack, according to Coinmarketcap.com. It …
Read More »Fit Pay Announces Flip, a Wearable for NFC Transactions Based on Bitcoin
It was probably only a matter of time before someone combined contactless payment, wearable devices, and cryptocurrencies. On Thursday, Fit Pay Inc. announced a device that will let users convert digital currency holdings into fiat currency for transactions at any point of sale capable of contactless interaction using near-field communication. …
Read More »Bitcoin Transaction Fees Ease off Sharply, But How Long Will the Trend Last?
Long confirmation times and hefty transaction fees have pushed some Bitcoin backers to back away from the digital currency in recent weeks, but now there are signs that one of those problems is easing significantly while the other is growing much worse. The median transaction fee stood at $5.69 as …
Read More »The Democratization of Bitcoin: An ATM Network Appeals to Average Joes
Bitcoin may have slipped from the near $20,000 price it commanded a little over a month ago, but it’s still selling for around $11,000, nearly a dozen times its value a year ago. That’s drawing in plenty of investors and other high rollers, but it’s also attracting average citizens, including …
Read More »A Mobile Browser Aims To Thwart Smart-Phone Hijacking for Cryptocurrency Mining
As cryptocurrency values increase and draw more attention, individuals with ill intent are looking to hijack smart phones and desktop computers to mine digital currencies. Opera Software AS, a Norway-based browser developer, wants to prevent that for users of its technology. Opera introduced an anti-mining feature to its mobile browser …
Read More »Bitcoin Plunges 50%-Plus in 30 Days As a General Rout Slashes Values for Cryptocurrencies
In what may be a case of easy come, easy go, Bitcoin and more than a score of other cryptocurrencies are shedding value fast. Since peaking near $20,000 on Dec. 17, Bitcoin’s price has plummeted more than 50%. It stood at $9,650 at mid-morning Wednesday, down more than $2,000 in …
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