Law and Regulation

U.S. investment managers have grown bullish about Bitcoin’s prospects despite recent events that have roiled digital-currency markets, research released Wednesday indicates. Feeding the renewed optimism are prospects for “improved regulation” and expectations of a “recovery in valuations” for Bitcoin, according to the research, in which 30 major investment managers were …

Amazon.com Inc. is adding another feature to its Amazon One palm-based identity service, and Chinese site WeChat has brought palm recognition to cameras used for facial recognition. Amazon One has added an age-verification component, Amazon said in a blog post. Launched in 2020, the technology recently expanded beyond Amazon properties …

As part of a settlement with Citizens Bank, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is requiring the bank to pay a $9-million civil money penalty for its alleged failure to “properly manage and respond to customers’ credit card disputes and fraud claims.” The agreement is subject to approval by the court. UATP, a …

Small businesses in Canada will reap lower interchange rates in that country, the Department of Finance Canada announced Thursday. The deal suggests a similar reduction is possible in the United States, the Merchant Payments Coalition quickly responded. Both Mastercard Inc. and Visa Inc. agreed to lower the domestic consumer credit …

Cybercrime remains a scourge difficult to tame, according to data from Apple Inc., the Identity Theft Resource Center, and LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Apple Inc. late Tuesday revealed it stopped more than $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in its app store in 2022. In addition, the technology giant blocked nearly 3.9 …

Mitek Systems Inc., a provider of identity-verification technology, is teaming up with DarkTower, the cyber-intelligence division of Davidson, N.C.-based IT consultancy Queen Associates, to combat account fraud and identity theft. The partnership grew out the increasing role criminal marketplaces on the dark Web are playing in account and check fraud, …

Merchants’ price for accepting credit cards has remained steady for years, according to data released Monday by the Electronic Payments Coalition, an advocacy group representing the payment card industry. The EPC’s release comes as widespread and longstanding merchant complaints about the cost of card acceptance have sparked efforts by federal …

Business-to-business payments specialist TreviPay said it will integrate its services with Spryker, a commerce platform for enterprise businesses. Chargeback resolution provider Chargebacks911 issued a plea for “regulatory discretion” as the financial technology industry develops. In April, Chargebacks911 was accused by the Federal Trade Commission and the Florida attorney general of allegedly using multiple techniques …

A sort of disequilibrium has set in in payments mergers and acquisitions, leading to fewer deals and stretched out times to conclude the deals that do close, according to M&A experts who spoke this week at the Electronic Transactions Association’s Transact conference in Atlanta. The new dispensation contrasts sharply with …

Darwinium, a fraud-prevention platform serving payments providers and fintechs from global offices in London and Sydney, announced its expansion into the U.S. market, including relocation of its corporate headquarters to San Francisco. Some 65% of treasury officers reported their organizations were victimized by attempted or actual fraud last year, the …