News

November, 2015

• 17 November

  Flawed Policies Weaken Passwords, Though Online Retailers Are Doing Better

  With nearly half of all holiday shopping expected to be conducted online, attention is turning to the first line of defense against fraud: the humble password. As it turns out, this bulwark isn’t nearly as strong as it could be, according to a study released Tuesday by Dashlane Inc., a …
• 16 November

  AmEx Introduces Bundled Payment Tokenization, Security, and Mobile Services

  American Express Co. is now marketing a set of tokenization, security, and mobile payments services under the AmEx Enabled Digital Solutions moniker. Included in the service is the card brand and acquirer’s digital-wallet platform, near-field communication (NFC) and host card emulation technology, the American Express Token Service, and American Express …
• 13 November

  Forget the Checkout, Many Consumers Would Rather Pay in Line Than Wait in Line

  By Kevin Woodward It’s that time of year when shopper impatience tends to flare, especially when scores of consumers are waiting in long checkout lines. According to a new survey from merchant-services provider Harbortouch, many consumers are willing to try something new to alleviate their displeasure with lines. A majority …
• 13 November

  NEWS ANALYSIS: Why Apple May Be Planning To Launch a P2P Payments Service

  Is Apple Inc. laying the groundwork for an application that would let individuals pay each other electronically? Citing “people familiar with the matter,” The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the tech kingpin is doing just that, and has already started talking to a handful of major banks. If the …
• 13 November

  Card Manufacturer CPI Card Group’s Chip Card Orders Boom During EMV Switchover

  As it has for other suppliers to the payment card industry, the conversion of U.S. card payments from security-challenged magnetic-stripe cards to the EMV chip card standard is providing a windfall for leading U.S.-based card manufacturer CPI Card Group Inc. In its first earnings report as a publicly traded company, …
• 12 November

  In a First for Debit Networks, Shazam Adds a Mobile Feature to Shut off Lost Or Stolen Cards

  By John Stewart In the wake of the arrival of EMV chip cards and ahead of the holiday shopping rush, the Shazam debit network has launched a mobile feature that lets cardholders disable their debit cards should they be lost or stolen. While networks like Discover Financial Services have advertised …
• 12 November

  Consumer Awareness of Mobile And E-Gift Cards Spikes Significantly in Just One Year

  Plastic gift cards remain king, but consumer awareness of mobile and electronic gift cards is increasing. That’s one result from the Retail Gift Card Association’s survey about gift card use. The survey canvassed more than 1,000 consumers. In the survey, fully 49.7% said they understand how to redeem a mobile …
• 12 November

  Blackstone Invests $820 Million in NCR, but Will the Deal Enhance NCR’s Competitiveness?

  Leading U.S.-based ATM manufacturer NCR Corp. announced Thursday that affiliates of private-equity firm The Blackstone Group L.P. will invest $820 million into the company for a 17% stake. NCR says it will use the investment to help fund a $1 billion share repurchase and speed its transformation into an integrated …
• 11 November

  Credit Unions Prepping for Samsung Pay, Android Pay As Samsung Offers $50 to New Users

  By Kevin Woodward With no shortage of mobile-payments options available to users, backers of Android Pay and Samsung Pay are trying to entice consumers by making their services more broadly available and by offering rebates. Institutions using The Members Group, a credit-union service organization, soon will be able to enroll …
• 11 November

  Data About First Data Show Transaction Growth but Profitability Issues Remain

  A filing Tuesday by First Data Corp. in the wake of its recent initial public offering of stock paints a picture of a payment processor growing in many areas but still carrying a heavy debt load and challenged on profitability. The filing, Atlanta-based First Data’s quarterly report to the Securities …