Transaction Processing

Every business, including merchant processors and independent sales organizations, wants to protect its trade secrets, and a new federal law gives them stronger tools to do that than available before. But the law also could expose ISOs to damages should they unwittingly hire sales representatives who use somebody else’s stolen …

The U.S. migration to the EMV chip card standard continues to pay off for point-of-sale terminal maker Ingenico Group as the company reported a 14% increase in its North America revenue for the first six months of 2016. France-based Ingenico, in its earnings results released Tuesday, said it recorded 148 …

• Q2 Holdings Inc., a vendor of virtual-banking solutions to regional and community financial institutions, announced its plan to begin supporting the origination of same-day automated clearing house transactions on Sept. 23, the day the first phase of a three-phase introduction of same-day ACH is set to begin, as determined …

• Processor Vantiv Inc. launched the One Network Experience service for software developers. Dubbed O.N.E., the service offers a suite of integration tools, personalized help, and access to an online developer community. • Meta Financial Group Inc. said Meta Payment Systems, a division of MetaBank, a major prepaid card issuer, …

Confirming months of speculation, MasterCard Inc. announced Thursday that it has a definitive deal to acquire VocaLink Holdings Ltd., operator of the United Kingdom’s automated clearing house and faster-payments systems, for £700 million, or approximately $920 million, in cash. London-based VocaLink operates BACS, the U.K.’s ACH network, as well as the …

Dollar volume on Discover Financial Services’ Pulse electronic funds transfer network declined 9% in the second quarter, but that was an improvement from the first quarter’s 15% plunge and the bottom is in sight, Discover said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the impact of grocery stores’ reluctance to accept credit cards for …

A majority of Americans—62%—believe credit and debit cards and other electronic payments will replace cash in their lifetimes, finds a recent Gallup Inc. poll. But that doesn’t mean cash will disappear any time soon, experts say. Of the more than 1,000 consumers surveyed, only 11% said it is very unlikely and …

• In a sign of further global expansion plans, merchant acquirer Square Inc. in June incorporated a business in the United Kingdom called Square Europe Ltd. and began testing its payment system in London, Reuters reported. Besides the U.S., Square already operates in Canada, Australia, and Japan. • Processor Total Merchant …

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Canadian unit on Monday stopped accepting Visa cards at its three stores in Thunder Bay, Ontario, carrying out the threat the retailer issued last month in its dispute with Visa Inc. over card-acceptance costs. A spokesperson at Wal-Mart’s Canadian headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario, as well as a …

Payment card charge volumes and merchant-processing revenues rose at several of the nation’s biggest banks during the second quarter, according to company reports as the mid-year earnings season got underway this week. Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp reported Friday that its payments businesses produced 22%, or $328 million, of the company’s $1.52 …