Processors are hoping to tap commerce, and hence payments, in the world of virtual reality. But as the metaverse keeps evolving, what kind of payoff can they expect?  If you’re aware of the metaverse but are not exactly sure what it is and how commerce in it will work, you’re …

Bread Financial Holdings Inc., a Columbus, Ohio-based provider of payments, lending, and savings services, on Tuesday released a performance update for January that showed strong gains in credit card and other loans held, but also showed a substantially higher delinquency rate. For the month of January, credit card and other …

Mastercard Inc. is teaming with videogame-commerce company Xsolla in an effort to smooth online-gaming checkouts by enabling new payment options for Xsolla’s videogame platform, the card network said. Mastercard cardholders will be able pay for gaming purchasing using credit card loyalty points from participating merchants and issuers. They can also …

The Merchants Payments Coalition released a letter it sent to the House Financial Services Committee arguing the Credit Card Competition Act should be enacted to block what the merchant-advocacy group calls a “national security threat” from China UnionPay, a China-based credit card network. The House committee has scheduled a hearing for this morning on “Combatting the …

Elon Musk helped found what became PayPal back at the turn of the century, and now it appears he is moving on an ambition he outlined months ago to add a payments feature to Twitter, the social-media platform he paid $44 billion to acquire in October. The San Francisco-based company …

E-commerce transactions for the 2022 holiday-shopping season bested predictions for growth, despite signs of a weakening economy, according to research from ACI Worldwide Inc. From October through December, online transactions increased 21% from the same period in 2021, besting pre-holiday shopping- growth estimates by six percentage points, says ACI. In …

Cheq Inc. continues its expansion into the highly competitive market for in-stadium payments through a deal with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. The agreement includes mobile ordering, social payments, and express kiosks at Golden 1 Center, the Kings’ home arena. The deal is the first of five …

A technology company called Markt POS announced what it says is the first cloud-based software to handle payments and other functions exclusively for small and medium-size grocery and specialty stores. The company says more than 300 stores have signed up for the product. Iowa-based payments provider VizyPay said it has processed more than $4 …

With consumers expecting 21st-century digital experiences, the one-click capabilities of embedded payment are looking increasingly attractive to merchants and processors. When it comes time to pay, Uber customers don’t think twice. They open the Uber app, enter a tip for the driver, and click the pay button. It’s a seamless, …

A fraud ring that appears to be based in Southeast Asia is targeting U.S. retailers and has already committed an estimated $660 million in fraud in stolen laptops, cell phones, computer chips, gaming devices, and other goods just in November, said Signifyd, an online-fraud prevention firm. Signifyd said it has been tracking …