In a mashup of the Internet of things and cryptocurrency, authentication and data-security firm WiseKey International Holding Ltd. announced Thursday that it has developed a payment service for IoT-connected devices and its own WiseCoin. Geneva, Switzerland-based WiseKey said it has tested the system, dubbed IoT CryptoCurrency Smart Payment, on a …
Read More »A Vending-Payments Processor Applies Cryptocurrency to Crack the Market for Micropayments
Remember micropayments? Most payments providers gave up on this class of electronic payments several years ago when it became apparent that technology couldn’t crack the problem of high-cost transactions applied to very low-value goods. But now at least one player is attacking the market with cryptocurrency. On Track Innovations Ltd., …
Read More »A Scan of 35 Popular Crypto Exchanges Exposes Some Alarmingly Weak Password Policies
With digital currencies booming in popularity over the past year or so, the security of the digital exchanges that convert users’ fiat money into cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin is coming into clearer focus—and the picture isn’t consistently pretty, according to a survey released this week. Some popular exchanges allow users to …
Read More »A Double-Digit Growth Rate in Wearables Sharpens the Focus for Their Payments Potential
With the introduction of transactional capability on smart watches and fitness trackers like the Apple Watch and Fitbit, the payments industry has eyed wearable devices as a field laden with potential for growth. Just how much growth came into focus this week with new figures and projections from International Data …
Read More »Vendor Eliminates Contactless Metal Card Issues and other Digital Transactions New briefs from 3/16/18
XCore Technologies, a component maker for card manufacturers, introduced a technology that it said eliminates issues when making a contactless payment using a metal card. TruRating Ltd., a technology company specializing in point-of-payment customer feedback services, announced it has joined the app marketplace of point-of-sale terminal maker Poynt. In an …
Read More »Dorsey Invests in Blockchain Start Up and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/15/18
Blockchain start-up Lightning Labs raised $2.5 million in seed financing from investors that included Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Square Inc. and Twitter Inc., CNBC reported. Lightning Labs is developing technology that it says will make Bitcoin transactions faster and cheaper. The Square Cash app supports Bitcoin. BlockCypher, a blockchain …
Read More »Who’s Afraid of Cryptocurrency? ISO Aliant Adds Ether And Litecoin to Its Bitcoin Gambit
Some experts may dismiss cryptocurrency as impractical for retail payments, but at least one independent sales organization is doubling—make that tripling—down on crypto for merchant acceptance. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Aliant Payment Systems Inc. last week launched programs for Ether and Litecoin to go along with one for Bitcoin that it …
Read More »First American Payment Systems in Apptizer Integration and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/14/18
Payments provider First American Payment Systems said its payment-processing services are now available to merchants using the Apptizer Order Ahead Mobile App from developer Apptizer Inc. ATM deployer Payment Alliance International said it and multicurrency payment processor Planet Payment Inc. extended a multiyear contract for dynamic currency conversion at PAI’s …
Read More »Veem Now Offers Working Capital and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/9/18
Cross-border payments provider Veem announced it now offers working capital to merchants through a deal with merchant-financier BlueVine. Payments provider Bluefin Payment Systems LLC said its services will be available to users of practice-management software from Rev360 that is designed for use in eye-care practices. Payments provider Century Business Solutions …
Read More »The Bancorp Bank Settles With the FDIC and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/8/18
Mobile-payment and -loyalty provider LevelUp announced an integration with Gusto Point of Sale, a vendor of Web, kiosk, and mobile technology for restaurants. Under a settlement between the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and The Bancorp Bank, the prepaid card issuer is to pay a $2 million fine and nearly $1.3 …
Read More »