News

January, 2020

• 20 January

  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 …
• 20 January

  Amazon’s Venture in Pay-by-Palm Holds Promise But Faces Some Difficult Obstacles

  

  Amazon.com Inc.’s ambitions now include devices that could authenticate payments by scanning the palm of the customer’s hand. But while this latest twist in the e-commerce giant’s payments strategy could result in faster and more convenient transactions for users, it also could run into roadblocks that have scuttled similar ventures …
• 20 January

  Ria Makes bpost Deal and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/20/20

  

  Ria Money Transfer, a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide Inc., said it has an agreement with Belgian Postal Service group (bpost) to offer international money-transfer services through bpost’s network of 600 post offices.Restaurant The Crack Shack Enterprises LLC issued a data-breach notification for its Encinitas, Calif., location. Payment card information, including names, card …
• 17 January

  Shell In-Car Payments Come to Fiat Chrysler Dashboards

  

  Consumers motoring in their Dodge Challengers and Ram pickup trucks are now able to pay for fuel at participating Shell Oil Co. gas stations from inside their vehicles using the vehicles’ infotainment systems. Shell announced Fiat Chrysler automobiles with Uconnect Market enabled will have access to the Shell Pay & Save …
• 17 January

  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 …
• 16 January

  In Libra’s Wake, Experts Begin Planning Digital Money Controlled by Central Banks

  

  When Facebook Inc. last year floated the idea of a digital currency called Libra, the notion of a currency backed by a powerful corporation with global reach stimulated some experts to begin thinking about digital money that could be issued not by private companies but by central banks. On Thursday, …
• 16 January

  After Beating Wells Fargo Twice in Court, USAA Seeks Dismissal of Mitek’s Mobile-Deposit Lawsuit

  

  Insurer and financial-services provider United Services Automobile Association on Wednesday asked a federal court to dismiss a request by mobile remote deposit capture technology developer Mitek Systems Inc. for a declaratory judgment that Mitek’s technology does not infringe on four USAA patents. San Antonio, Texas-based USAA’s dismissal request came less …
• 16 January

  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. …
• 16 January

  ‘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 …
• 15 January

  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 …