A report Wednesday that at least some members of the consortium backing Facebook Inc.’s Libra cryptocurrency project—including Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc.—are having second thoughts has drawn fire from the top Facebook executive in charge of the project. “The tone of some of this reporting suggests angst, etc….I can tell …

Facebook’s digital money could empower the underbanked, usher cryptocurrency into the mainstream, and accelerate the arrival of real-time payments. For some, that’s not good enough. In Roman times, the libra was a unit of weight roughly equivalent to 12 ounces. Ancient Rome also attached the name to a constellation that …

It was probably only a matter of time before the gig economy embraced barbering. A New York City-based startup called Shortcut on Monday announced it was starting its national rollout with an extension of its app-based haircut and hairstyling service to Philadelphia.  Calling itself “the Uber of haircutting and barbering,” …

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Task Force on Financial Technology will hold a hearing Sept. 26 on “The Future of Real-Time Payments.” The task force was created in May by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee.Housecall Pro, a software platform for home-service technicians, launched My …

The Facebook-led announcement of the Libra cryptocurrency is evoking blowback both in the United States and overseas. House Financial Services Committee chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) called for Facebook to halt the planned launch of Libra until Congress has had a chance to hold hearings on the cryptocurrency. Elsewhere, the governor …

An association of major payments and technology companies will launch a blockchain-based digital currency called Libra some time in the first half of next year, according to an official announcement on Tuesday. The new initiative, some details about which have leaked in recent days, has the backing of Facebook Inc. …

Facebook Inc. is expected to release details this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday, on its Libra cryptocurrency initiative, but for now what’s known about the project has at least some experts shaking their heads. “Why a cryptocurrency, and why Facebook?” asks Tim Sloane, who follows digital currencies as vice …

At least four payments companies are set to participate in a consortium formed by Facebook Inc. to launch a cryptocurrency next year aimed at commerce rather than exchange trading, according to a report Friday in The Wall Street Journal. Facebook is expected to officially announce the initiative next week. The …

Lyft’s efforts to lower its costs may be emblematic of a broader initiative among so-called gig-economy firms to tame nettlesome factors like card-acceptance costs. It’s every merchant’s dream to chop card-acceptance costs to the bone. Historically, some sellers, especially those with very large credit and debit card payment volumes, purportedly …

The Federal Reserve announced the 22 members of its new Fraud Definitions Work Group, another component of its sweeping Payment System Improvement Project. The group, which comes from the banking and payments industries, regional Fed banks, and other organizations, will work with Fed leaders on recommendations for improving the quality …