News

October, 2017

• 31 October

  With Payments Getting Faster, Banks Look to Consistent, But Flexible, Identification Routines

  

  Financial institutions are realizing that a smooth experience is as important to consumers when identifying themselves as the authentication strategy itself, regardless of the channel consumers use to access their accounts. This finding is part of a new study from NICE Actimize, a Hoboken, N.J.-based provider of risk-management and compliance …
• 31 October

  VocaLink, PayPal, And P2P Will Help Propel Mastercard, the Network’s Boss Says

  

  Mastercard Inc. enjoyed a strong third quarter, and Tuesday morning its top executive was not shy about celebrating some of the trends that he expects will further lift results for the world’s second-largest payment card network. These include recent acquisitions, a global partnership with PayPal Holdings Inc., and budding developments …
• 31 October

  Pineapple Payments Buys Payline Data and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 10/31/17

  

  American Express Co. released SafeKey 2.0, an online authentication tool that uses the EMVCo 3-D Secure 2.0 standard. The service will be available in spring 2018. Payline Data Services LLC announced that payment-processing technology company Pineapple Payments purchased Payline Data for an undisclosed amount. Payline Data has almost 10,000 merchants processing …
• 30 October

  Aiming at Larger Merchants, Square Launches a $999 Point-of-Sale System

  

  Square Inc., which debuted more than seven years ago pursuing micromerchants with a free card reader, launched Square Register, a $999 point-of-sale system designed for larger merchants, it announced Monday. Square Register is a full-sized POS device that has merchant-facing and consumer-facing screens. Also available at $49 a month for …
• 30 October

  Bank Joint Ventures Still Crimping First Data’s Merchant Unit

  Most components of First Data Corp.’s massive merchant-acquiring machine performed well in the third quarter, and the company renewed its acquiring contract with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer. But new merchant referrals from First Data’s joint ventures with three big U.S. banks remain problematic. “These businesses have remained …
• 30 October

  WaveCrests Adds Chips to its Prepaid Cards and other Digital Transactions News from 10/30/17

  

  Payments company PayTrace Inc. launched a browser-based EMV-acceptance service that uses an Ingenico Group EMV card reader and processing from Total System Services Inc. (TSYS). WaveCrest, an issuer of prepaid cards used to pay fleet drivers and reimburse workers, said it has introduced EMV chips on its cards issued in …
• 27 October

  Acceptance Issues, Fear of the Unknown Pull Mobile-Payment Usage Down, Researcher Finds

  

  Consumer use of mobile payments has taken a step back, according to new research from Auriemma Consulting Group. The New York City-based firm found that mobile-payments usage is down 5 percentage points to 25% of consumers surveyed from 30% a year ago. And that decline is expected to continue into …
• 27 October

  Western Union and Mastercard Bring a New Twist to Money Transfers

  

  The Western Union Co. this week positioned itself to fend off competition from peer-to-peer payment services by partnering with Mastercard Inc. to integrate Mastercard Send into its money-transfer service. The service, which is expected to be available in only the United States starting in early 2018, will allow consumers to …
• 27 October

  Revel Systems Inks LevelUp Deal and other Digital Transactions news briefs from 10/27/17

  

  Point-of-sale system provider Revel Systems announced it is working with mobile-payments provider LevelUp to integrate mobile order-ahead, in-store mobile payments, and loyalty service for Revel’s restaurant clients. After more than 50 years in the Houston area, First Data Corp.’s TeleCheck Services unit will vacate its headquarters in suburban Sugar Land, …
• 26 October

  Irish Firm To Acquire Multi-Currency Processor Planet Payment for $250 Million

  

  Two and a half months after announcing it was exploring strategic alternatives, international payment services provider Planet Payment Inc. reported late Thursday that it has a deal to be acquired by Galway, Ireland-based Fintrax Group, a multi-currency processor for international shoppers, for $4.50 per share in cash. The deal values …