Distributed ledgers are slowly but steadily working their way into mainstream financial applications. That means the time has come to understand how blockchain works—and to take the technology more seriously, says Esther Pigg. Despite all the hype surrounding it, blockchain—or “distributed-ledger technology” (DLT)—remains a complicated mystery to many. Here is …

Vetting a new merchant takes a lot of work, but the plethora of nontraditional data may make it a little easier. How do you tell the difference between a bot applying for a merchant account and an actual human doing it? The answer might lie in social-media profiles and a …

Canada’s finance ministry last month issued its latest merchant-friendly announcement regarding payment cards, this one disclosing agreements with Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. for an average 10-basis-point reduction in credit card interchange for small and mid-size businesses to take effect in 2020. The Department of Finance Canada also said American …

The Department of Finance Canada on Thursday issued its latest merchant-friendly announcement regarding payment cards, this one disclosing agreements with Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. for an average 10-basis-point reduction in credit card interchange for small and mid-size businesses to take effect in 2020. The department also said American Express …

The days of dipping a card into an ATM to withdraw cash may not be as frequent for even more consumers with the announcement Wednesday that Co-Op Financial Services launched its Cardless Cash Access service. Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based Co-Op, a credit-union service organization, says the service can be used on …

In a finding that resolves differing decisions by lower courts, the United Kingdom Court of Appeal ruled in favor of retailers challenging interchange fees set by Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. as anti-competitive, Bloomberg reported. The case, however, now goes to a tribunal that reviews business-competition disputes. Payments provider Century Business …

Captiva MVP Restaurant Partners LLC, operator of the PDQ fast-casual chain, reported that a hacker accessed its computer system through a technology vendor’s “remote connection tool” and may have compromised an undisclosed quantity of payment card numbers, cardholder names, expiration dates, and verification values. The breach, which affected all but three …

By 2020, nearly 33% of merchants say the mobile channel will account for at least half of their total revenue. This, and other mobile-payments insights, come from the Kount Inc. 2018 Mobile Payments & Fraud Survey released Thursday. Now in its sixth year, the survey of almost 600 merchants found …

Payment should be efficient, secure, and convenient. Alas, these three objectives pull in different directions. Efficiency and convenience tend to undermine security; convenience pulls towards versatility, which in turn harms efficiency. A balance is called for, and the most daring ideas call for a dynamic rather than a static balance. …

Three companies on Thursday released technology aimed at streamlining virtual cards, digital versions of familiar plastic credit cards that banks can issue to consumers and businesses. Switch Inc. unveiled a version of its Cardsavr card-on-file technology that issuers can integrate now. The new release automates the entry and updating chore …