Digital Currency

Bitcoin as a payment method may have its critics, but apparently some state governments looking for new ways to collect taxes aren’t too concerned. Illinois is now the third state to introduce legislation that would clear the way for citizens to pay their obligations with cryptocurrency, joining Arizona and Georgia. …

The cryptocurrency world often gets feverish upon news that an established power in payments or financial services has turned its attention to matters of Bitcoin or its cohorts. Such was the case Monday when reports surfaced that PayPal Holdings Inc. had applied for a patent for a so-called “expedited virtual …

Point-of-sale equipment maker Ingenico Group announced a PIN-on-glass product suite that includes a secure card reader and a back-end verification service. Payments provider SignaPay Ltd. announced two new products, the PayHub Plus Payment Gateway and the PayLo Mynt POS System, which offers a variety of customized point-of-sale software packages. In …

Interest among mainstream financial institutions and payments providers in the potential for cryptocurrency is heating up just as the top U.S. financial regulator is reportedly eyeing a crackdown on so-called initial coin offerings, or token sales used by digital-currency startups to raise capital. In the latest sign that processors and …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …