On Saturday, a final rule issued in October by the Federal Reserve goes into effect, requiring that all issuers offer a choice of at least two networks for routing online debit card transactions. The update, derived from the 2010 Durbin Amendment, has been a bone of contention for years between merchants and issuers. …

Visa Inc. said Wednesday it has struck a definitive agreement to acquire Brazilian financial and payments processor Pismo Soluções Tecnologicas Ltda. for $1 billion in cash. The deal strengthens Visa’s presence in fast-growing Latin America and gives it access to technological services that can be taken abroad. Founded only in …

For decades, payments providers have sought to displace cash by attempting to move merchants toward card-based and digital payments, arguing that they are faster, more convenient, and more secure to accept than cash. Now they are finding that proponents of cash acceptance are pushing back. Late Thursday, legislation was reintroduced …

Mastercard Inc. Monday afternoon said it was looking into reports of problems with processing certain transactions on its network. Both Stripe, a major payments platform, and the U.K. bank Natwest reported issues, though Natwest said the problem had been resolved by day’s end. Prepaid card provider Paysign said it completed issuer certification with …

Citizens Bank has launched the Private Client World Elite Mastercard, which uses tactile notches on the side of the card to help visually impaired consumers determine the type of card they are using—credit, debit or prepaid—by touch alone. The card features different types of notches to distinguish the card type …

Working with Searchlight Capital Partners, payments provider Rev Worldwide closed on its $1-billion all-cash acquisition of the Netspend consumer business from Global Payments Inc. Netspend is a specialist in prepaid and debit cards for more than 100,000 retail locations. Payments provider Finix Payments Inc. said it is now a payment processor, having completed direct connections to …

Cannabis could be a huge opportunity for acquirers, but the wait for a ubiquitous PayPal-of-pot option continues. When it comes to electronic payments, the legal cannabis industry is starting to grow up. Cannabis was once considered the Wild West of the payment world because of all the skullduggery that took …

The impending arrival of a commercial real-time payments service from no less an entity than the Federal Reserve will be a major event, but one Mastercard Inc.’s top brass says the card company will take in stride. “We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out, we’re well-positioned,” Michael …

Digital-payments platform Kasheesh, which allows consumers to split purchases between debit, credit, and prepaid cards for online purchases, has introduced a one-time-use Visa card to its mobile wallet that can be used at physical stores. The feature, called Mobile Wallet Dashboard, allows users to add their Kasheesh account to their …

Lux Vending LLC, which does business as Bitcoin ATM operator Bitcoin Depot Inc., has agreed to deploy its machines in 125 locations owned by convenience-store chain GetGo Cafe + Market. Overall, Bitcoin Depot operates approximately 7,000 machines in 48 states and 10 Canadian provinces. Digital-currency provider Circle Internet Financial LLC said it has …