E-Commerce

PIN-less debit may be gathering momentum for online bill payments, but not all potential billers are convinced they should offer the payment method, which depends on the same networks that switch PIN-based debit transactions at the point of sale and at ATMs. Because it carries lower acceptance costs than credit …

In a move that furthers its strategy to expand payment processing beyond auction activity, PayPal Inc. is rolling out a new transaction tool designed to allow small and medium-size Web-based merchants to accept all forms of payment entirely through PayPal, apparently eliminating the need for gateways or other third-party processors. …

The introduction in Canada of a bank-sponsored commercial payment service allowing consumers to buy goods from e-commerce merchants with their PIN debit cards is sparking widespread interest among retailers, according to Moneris Solutions Corp., the first processor to handle transactions for Interac Online. Moneris has been processing Interac Online payments …

Looking toward a breakthrough year in payments processing for online and mobile digital content, Valista Ltd. has signed a marketing and technology deal with IBM Corp. that it says will help it recruit its first major North American client since America Online Inc. The unnamed telecom operator, currently a client …

Some 24.6 million U.S. wireless-phone subscribers?or 13.6% of the base of mobile users?downloaded ring tones in April, according to the latest monthly survey of mobile-phone usage by market-researcher M:Metrics Inc. That's up 6% from the Seattle firm's March survey. At the same time, the survey shows nearly 6 million users, …

The cause of strong authentication for Web-based transactions took a major step forward today with the announcement from banking giant Bank of America Corp. that it is implementing a two-factor authentication system for its online banking service. With 13.2 million users, including 6.4 million bill payers, BofA's service is the …

Microsoft Corp. is working on new authentication software that will identify consumers to merchant sites on the Internet and initiate payment processing. The software, which the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant is calling InfoCard for now, will be released to developers for feedback by the end of the month, according to …

Valista Ltd. says it has developed the first software product capable of handling payments for digital content offered by multiple merchants on the platforms of wireless operators and Internet portals. The payments software, which the Ireland-based company refers to as a “revenue-assurance” solution, allows operators and ISPs to manage payments …

Surprisingly sub-par performance by credit card issuers' Web sites may be channeling customers to more expensive alternatives for service, such as corporate call centers, reports a new study by Keynote Systems Inc. The San Mateo, Calif.-based company, which measures Web site performance in various industries, says in a summary of …

Mother's Day-related spending on jewelry and chocolates on the Internet drove a 24% increase in e-commerce volume for VeriSign Inc., to $4.4 billion, the Mountain View, Calif.-based transaction gateway for online merchants said today. Transaction volume for the company during the period measured, April 25 through May 8, jumped by …