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March, 2021

• 29 March

  On The Fly POS Adds Biometric Authentication to Stem Both Merchant And Consumer Fraud

  

  Seeking to reduce merchant-account fraud, also known as merchant bust-out fraud, and provide merchants with a way to authenticate consumers, payments-technology provider On The Fly POS is adding Ipsidy Inc.’s Identity as a Service (IDaaS) biometric identity-verification technology to its platform. Ipsidy’s app validates a merchant’s identity by comparing a …
• 11 March

  A Rollout in Brazil Is Part of MagicCube’s Push for Card Acceptance on Ordinary Phones

  

  As part of its drive to turn off-the-shelf mobile devices into secure point-of-sale terminals using software as opposed to a dongle, MagicCube Inc. announced Thursday that its i-Accept application has expanded to Brazil. Acquiring banks and financial-technology service providers in Brazil can now enable merchants and retailers to accept contactless …
• 4 March

  Shift4 Shrugs off a ‘Very Challenging Year’ With a $72-Million Move Into Stadiums

  

  Shift4 Payments Inc. refers to the volume potential it’s trying to tap as a “coiled spring” waiting to be released as Covid restrictions ease. On Thursday, the big payments processor tapped into that potential with its $72-million acquisition of VenueNext Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based provider of mobile payments, point-of-sale …

February, 2021

• 25 February

  Zelle Gets Access to TCH’s Real Time Payments Network As an Integration Goes Live

  

  Peer-to-peer transactions have taken off as a way to pay digitally during the pandemic, and now the biggest bank-owned P2P network is getting a big lift through its integration with the country’s most extensive real-time payments network. Early Warning Services LLC announced early Thursday payments on its fast-growing Zelle P2P payments …
• 17 February

  In a ‘Future That Arrived Early,’ Shopify Invests to Capitalize on Trends Accelerated by Covid

  

  While many payments companies have had their hands full contending with the many impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, payments firms with e-commerce platforms have thrived as consumers flocked to online buying. Shopify Inc. demonstrated Wednesday just how much it’s investing in shopping and payments apps to capitalize on the growth …
• 16 February

  PayPal Opens Its New Venmo Credit Card to Users Generally

  

  PayPal Holdings Inc. on Tuesday threw the door wide open for applications for its new Venmo credit card. The Visa-branded card, which the company has had in the works since 2019 and began issuing to select users in October, includes a Quick Response code, a rewards structure, and, through the Venmo …
• 12 February

  Cryptocurrency Begins Its Move Up From the Minor Leagues for Mastercard And Visa

  

  The two big card networks have made no bones about their interest in supporting cryptocurrency transactions, and this week both made big moves in that direction. The bigger move came from Mastercard Inc., which on Wednesday announced its intention to launch later this year the ability to send and receive …

January, 2021

• 25 January

  MoneyGram’s Links to Visa Direct And Checkout.com Hike the Stakes in Near Real Time Remittances

  

  The remittance giants haven’t been shy over the last two years in adopting card-network technology and local payments services to close the last mile for fast transfers directly to users’ mobile devices. And MoneyGram International Inc. on Friday played its latest card in this market with an arrangement that will …
• 11 January

  How Its Deal for Kount Lets Equifax Reinforce Its Capabilities Against Online Fraud

  

  With consumers and businesses flocking to online commerce, companies of all sizes are reinforcing their technology for accepting transactions and rating them for risk. The latest example is the giant credit-reporting company Equifax Inc., which on Friday said it is paying $640 million to buy Kount Inc., a 14-year-old Boise, …
• 6 January

  A Last-Minute Presidential Ban on China-Based Payment Apps Puzzles Payments Experts

  

  An executive order by President Donald Trump banning a pair of major Chinese payments apps comes in the waning days of his administration and may leave more questions than it answers, observers say. The order, issued Tuesday, prohibits transactions on eight China-based apps, including the hugely popular Alipay and WeChat …