News

May, 2017

• 19 May

  Visa Gets a Lot of Likes, But the Card Brands as a Group Don’t Get Much Love

  

  Consumers may like the leading payment brands, especially Visa, but they don’t connect with them on an emotional level, according to new research findings from payments-industry consulting firm The Strawhecker Group. Asked if they “have any emotional connection” to any of the brands, some 77% of TSG’s respondents said no. …
• 19 May

  Cayan’s New Card Reader Targets Software Developers And Vendors

  

  Cayan’s new Genius Mini card reader may look like any number of headphone-jack or Bluetooth devices meant to connect to a smart phone or tablet to enable payment card acceptance. That’s because it’s the software the Genius Mini uses that distinguishes it from similar devices. The device is designed to …
• 19 May

  Congressman Speaks Up on Durbin Amendment and other Digital Transactions News briefs

  • U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., a former retailer, delivered a speech in the House of Representatives in favor of repealing the Durbin Amendment, drawing praise from the Electronic Payments Coalition, a lobbying group for banks and card networks. The House is considering H.R. 10, the Financial Choice Act, which would overhaul …
• 18 May

  Android Pay Makes a Deal With First Data’s Clover And Extends One With PayPal

  

  Recruiting massive processor First Data Corp. and existing partner PayPal Holdings Inc., the Google unit of Alphabet Inc. on Wednesday announced critical extensions of its Android Pay mobile-payment service into both physical and online commerce. In an arrangement that will become available to merchants and developers later in 2017, Atlanta-based …
• 18 May

  North American Bancard Buys Total Merchant Services As Acquirer Consolidation Continues

  

  Two powerhouse independent sales organizations are joining together. North American Bancard Holdings LLC is buying Total Merchant Services Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Woodland Hills, Calif.-based TMS processes more than $12 billion in annual transactions, which when added to NAB will result in more than $50 billion in annual processing …
• 18 May

  Clearent Offering Quick Chip Technology and other Digital Transactions News briefs

  • Processor First Data Corp. unveiled its First Data Global PFAC service for payment facilitators, which includes a single integration interface that enables merchants to authorize, settle, and fund transactions in more than 40 countries and 17 currencies. • Payment processor Clearent LLC is offering Visa Inc.’s Quick Chip technology to software vendors as …
• 17 May

  Cash Flow Woes Imperil Some Merchants and other Digital Transactions News briefs

  • An increasing number of small-business owners have a positive outlook on the economy and on their own prospects, according to a survey from American Express Co. Some 72% of respondents expressed this optimism with respect to the next six months, up from 64% last year and 67% in 2015, according to …
• 17 May

  Do Business Owners Realize That You Are The One to Ask?

    Business owners today can’t avoid hearing the industry’s new buzz words:  Big data, omnichannel marketing, data analytics, mobile payments and loyalty, to name a few.  Merchants know they need them, but many of these important prospects do not know how to find the best solutions, all in one place, …
• 17 May

  Square Lays out Its Strategy for Growth at an Upbeat Investor Day Presentation

  

  Square Inc. outlined its growth plans with an emphasis on selling new services and expanding internationally during its first investor day on Tuesday. In its presentation, Square said it wants to improve the efficiency of acquiring merchants, which it calls sellers; move its services up market to larger merchants; grow …
• 16 May

  COMMENTARY: Build a Better Shopping Experience With Digital Layers

  Remember the Pokémon GO craze? The game was a megahit because it cleverly combined the physical and digital worlds. It added an augmented contextual layer so players could use smart-phone map and camera functions to interact with characters, other players, and game elements. What if a similar augmentation toolkit were available …