The sales-agent model is far from obsolete. Agents just need patience and the right training, experts say. Other sales models may garner more attention, but the traditional sales agent continues to have a place and a future in merchant services. Even when it appears that every processor is courting software …

The Fed hesitates and the networks hold on to power, but technology breaks through. The efficiency and convenience of digital money are slowly but surely making it the currency you stuff your wallet with. While pure, airy cryptocurrencies without a central mint are still very much fringe money, the deeper …

Payments observers are tempted to think of the $21.5 billion proposed merger of Global Payments Inc. and Total System Services Inc. (TSYS), announced last month, as the latest megadeal in a series initiated in January when Fiserv Inc. said it would acquire First Data Corp. That announcement was followed by …

News that the major payment card networks will implement a standardized buy button later this year may have stirred hopes among issuers, merchants, and acquirers that the longstanding problems of rising e-commerce fraud and inconsistent checkout flows will finally be addressed. But already cautionary notes are emerging to indicate the …

This month, we are featuring two stories about the progress of faster payments. Our cover story, “The Bill-Pay Revolution,” shows how real-time capability is finally asserting itself in a crucial segment of the payments business. Then you’ll find “2020 Vision,” our take on just what’s going on with that Fed-inspired …

Visa Inc. on Friday announced it will buy Verifi Inc., a 14-year-old, Los Angeles-based provider of tools that allow merchants, acquirers, and issuers to resolve chargebacks. Visa, which did not announce terms for the deal, said it will integrate Verifi’s technology with risk-management capabilities from CyberSource and CardinalCommerce, companies the …

Visa Inc. said on Thursday it is getting into the point-of-sale installment-payment business weeks after rival Mastercard Inc. announced it bought Austin, Texas-based POS credit fintech Vyze Inc. The move also comes as volumes are growing for the product, driven in part by offerings from non-banks like Affirm Inc. and …

Paysafe Group said its Rapid Transfer online-banking payments service available in 18 European countries will be coming to the U.S. through a new partnership with Skrill USA Inc. With Rapid Transfer, consumers can make ACH or wire-transfer payments at Skrill-accepting merchants without leaving the merchant’s Web site. Via Transportation Inc., …

NLS Equipment Finance thinks so. NLS Equipment is a new company, launching just this month, that offers both traditional and new leasing opportunities all designed to encourage ISOs to give leasing another try. These include: a special bonus program running through June 15; a Zero Payment Recourse program for qualified …

Facebook Inc. has said it will turn over control of its Libra cryptocurrency initiative to a consortium of companies that will constitute the Libra Association. But one related property the massive social network will retain, albeit as an arm’s-length subsidiary, is its new Calibra unit, which will run Facebook’s own …