By Kevin Woodward Smart phones and tablets continue to garner a larger share of payments as consumers increasingly use the mobile devices for more than talking and sending text messages, finds a survey from Amsterdam-based global gateway provider Adyen Inc. In the Adyen Global Mobile Payments Index, covering May through August, …
Read More »Dueling Studies Reach Opposite Conclusions About Consumers’ Durbin Savings
Durbin Amendment critics have long accused merchants of pocketing the billions they’ve saved since the amendment’s highly controversial debit card interchange price controls took effect two years ago Tuesday. Now, however, retailers are rolling out a study estimating that merchants passed on $5.86 billion in Durbin-related savings to consumers last …
Read More »Having Stopped Branch Sales, Chase Exits the Open-Loop Gift Card Business Entirely
JPMorgan Chase & Co., which this spring stopped selling Visa gift cards through its network of branches, has now quit the business entirely. The decision comes weeks ahead of the biggest selling season of the year for gift cards but doesn’t surprise some observers, who point to the challenges recent …
Read More »Fast-Growing Braintree Brings Merchant Focus, Market Share to PayPal Wallet, Observers Say
EBay Inc.’s agreement to shell out $800 million for Braintree Payments Solutions LLC, announced on Thursday, signals the online auction giant’s desire to extend its PayPal brand further into mobile commerce and in-store commerce, analysts suggest. EBay’s confirmation of the deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, …
Read More »Post-VeriFone, Bergeron Runs a $500 Million Warchest To Buy Payments Companies
By Kevin Woodward Six months after leaving point-of-sale terminal maker VeriFone Systems Inc., Douglas G. Bergeron is leading a new enterprise targeting financial-services and payments companies for acquisition. Dubbed Opus Global Holdings LLC, the new company has $500 million at its disposal to buy companies. Bergeron is collaborating …
Read More »Selection of Galant As New Boss Suggests VeriFone Will Keep Spotlight on Services
VeriFone Systems Inc. on Monday named Citigroup executive Paul Galant as its chief executive, ending a six-month quest for a permanent top executive. Galant replaces interim chief executive Richard McGinn, who assumed that role in March when long-time chief executive Douglas G. Bergeron left the San Jose, Calif.-based point-of-sale terminal …
Read More »By Snagging Official Payments, ACI Bolsters Client Base, Recurring Revenue
ACI Worldwide Inc.’s $109 million deal to buy Official Payments Holdings Inc. is a bid to grow its transaction volume and pairs well with its January purchase of Online Resources Corp., analysts suggest. Official Payments is a processor that specializes in online payments to government entities. ACI Worldwide is paying …
Read More »Make Payments Faster, And Stop Trying to Start New Networks, Fed Conference Speakers Say
When it comes to payments, the United States might be considered the land of the gap, according to a Federal Reserve assessment issued earlier this month. The assessment is the first of a three-part research study aimed at spurring the modernization of U.S. electronic payments, which many public-sector researchers and …
Read More »Phishing Attacks Drop, But Brand Targets Soar As Phishers Cast More Lines
Phishers are casting their lines at more brands in hopes of luring Internet users into divulging data that they can use fraudulently, according to a new study from the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG). According to the study, which covers the first half of 2013, criminals targeted 720 brands, up almost …
Read More »Revel Systems Launches Tablet POS for Concession Sales at Sports Stadiums
Tablet computers, which have invaded restaurants and retail stores since the introduction of Apple Inc.’s iPad three years ago, have now begun to see action at sports stadiums. Alabama State University’s newly built stadium on Aug. 31 became the first such arena to use the iPad for concession sales, according …
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