WEX Inc., a processor in the fleet-fueling and corporate transaction market, said it has agreed to acquire eNett, a business-to-business payments software company specializing in the travel market, and Optal, a specialist provider of B2B transactions, for approximately $1.275 billion in cash and approximately 2 million shares of WEX common …
Read More »PayPal Strikes Acceptance Deal With UnionPay
In another move solidifying its emboldened links with Chinese payments providers, PayPal Holdings Inc. announced Wednesday it will support UnionPay International in its digital wallet. Eventually, UnionPay International, whose financial-institution members have issued more than 7.5 billion cards globally, according to China Daily, will look for ways to support PayPal’s …
Read More »Another Libra Departure and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/22/20
British telecommunications giant Vodafone Group Plc has become the latest Libra participant to withdraw from the controversial digital-currency project initiated by Facebook Inc., Reuters reported. Other early participants that have withdrawn include Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Stripe, and eBay.With an eye on expanding its Bitcoin services, merchant processor Square Inc. said it is developing what it calls …
Read More »StubHub Adds Affirm Option and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/21/20
Affirm Inc., provider of point-of-sale installment credit, announced StubHub will use its service to sell event tickets that buyers can pay for over time.Chinese tourists in the United States increased their mobile-payments usage in 2019 to 3.1 transactions out of 10 from 2.8 the year before, according to a report released by …
Read More »International Operation Takes Down Domain That Reportedly Had 12 Billion Stolen Records
Federal and European law-enforcement agencies last week seized the domain of WeLeakInfo.com, an online site that allegedly held 12 billion stolen records from 10,000 data breaches. The now-shuttered site’s data included names, email addresses, usernames, phone numbers, and passwords for online accounts, according to a news release from the FBI …
Read More »2019 Holiday Sales Increased 4.1% and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/17/20
The National Retail Federation reported 2019’s holiday retail sales grew 4.1% over the same period in 2018 to $730.2 billion. Online and other non-store sales rose 14.6% to $167.8 billion and are included in the totalE-commerce services and payments provider Shopify Inc. is offering new businesses what it calls “starter loans” of $200 through …
Read More »New U.S.-China Trade Deal Provides for U.S. Payments Expansion in China
The newly-signed trade agreement between the United States and China, the number-one and number-two global economies, respectively, finally provides an avenue for U.S. payments firms to operate independently in China. Joint payments ventures with a local Chinese partner have long been the norm, but the new U.S.-China trade agreement—signed Jan. …
Read More »‘Digital Dollar’ In the Works and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/16/20
J. Christopher Giancarlo, former chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, is working with other individuals and with the consulting firm Accenture to develop a United States Central Bank Digital Currency, known as the “digital dollar.” The development will take place under the auspices of a new organization called the Digital …
Read More »U.S. Bancorp’s Merchant Volume Rises 10% While BofA Sees Big Zelle Growth
U.S. Bancorp, owner of the big merchant acquirer Elavon Inc., reported Wednesday that its fourth-quarter 2019 merchant volume rose 10.5% year-over-year on a nearly 14% increase in transactions. And U.S. Bancorp rival Bank of America Corp. said its volume for the Zelle person-to-person payments service jumped 76%. Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp …
Read More »Eye on Acquirers: Boom Commerce Debuts; NAB Launches a New PCI Program
Acquirers are jumping into 2020 with major rebranding and PCI-compliance programs. First up is National Payment Systems. The Portland, Ore.-based company has a new name—Boom Commerce—and has expanded its executive team, the payments provider announced. Helping to propel this shift is a credit facility with Acrewood Holdings LLC, a Bryn …
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