Facing criticism for withholding as much as 30% of some small merchants’ payment volume, merchant processor and business software provider Square Inc. on Tuesday posted an explanation of its new reserve policy. “Out of our millions of sellers, fewer than 0.3% have reserves on their accounts, but given increased interest, …

Mastercard Inc.’s $825-million deal for Finicity Corp., announced Tuesday, may be aimed at ensuring a strong position in burgeoning markets like point-of-sale credit, but it could also prove handy as consumers struggle with the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, observers say. The acquisition, which Mastercard says should close by …

Restaurants and point-of-sale providers alike are scrambling to stage a fast recovery from an induced coronavirus coma. Success will depend on technologies like contactless payments and online ordering. Americans love dining out. In 2020, restaurant industry sales were originally projected to grow for the 11th consecutive year, reaching a record …

ISOs tap into card issuing revenue One of the biggest challenges for small businesses is the availability of credit according to a recent study* by the Federal Reserve. Many merchants address this by taking out short-term business loans or using personal credit cards to bridge the gap. While credit cards …

With its merchant business under pressure because of the coronavirus pandemic, Square Inc. is yet again spying new opportunities for its consumer-facing Cash App, whose core feature is person-to-person payments. This time, Square is rolling out regularly scheduled purchases of Bitcoin and stocks for Cash App users. Square chief executive …

New network data from Mastercard Inc. show U.S. switched volume is off 6% year-over-year for the week ending May 7 compared with a 26% decline in the week ending April 30. Mastercard on Thursday released two more weeks of network data, for the weeks ending May 7 and April 28, …

In line with previous decisions from Visa Inc. and American Express Co., Discover Network said it is postponing its deadline for EMV capability at gas pumps to April 16, 2021. The original deadline was Oct. 16.Micro Merchant Systems, a provider of pharmacy technology, launched a service that allows patients to make contactless copays by …

USA Technologies Inc. named Sean Feeney chief executive officer, effective May 8. Feeney most recently was CEO of DefenseStorm Inc., a provider of cloud-based cybersecurity management for financial institutions. USAT processes payments for vending-machine operators. Hudson Executive Capital, USAT’s largest shareholder, recently installed eight new directors on the company’s board after winning …

Square Inc.’s new online checkout button—a product called Square Online Checkout—likely will get a boost in adoption from the company’s nearly 10-year history of providing payments technology for point-of-sale merchants. The new service enables Square merchants to place a buy button on Web sites and anywhere a link can be shared, …

Payments processor Computer Services Inc. reported record revenue of $284.2 million for fiscal 2020 ended Feb. 29, up 8% year-over-year. Revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter came to $72.7, also a record, up 14.1% year-over-year. For the coming months, the company said it expects Covid-19 will depress sales of new products and …