Consumer concerns about slow deliveries and worldwide inventory issues means some 45% of holiday-season spending this year will go to gift cards, according to survey results from consumers in 10 countries gathered by Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. That represents a 27% increase in gift card spending from last year’s holidays, Blackhawk says. …

It’s well-known by now that e-commerce activity is on a sharp upswing, but the underside of that trend is that fraud is rising fast, as well. Phishing attacks, for example, hit a record high in July, according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, which on Monday released its report for the …

A survey from bill-payment provider doxo Inc. indicates U.S. households spend $380 billion annually on utility bills, with utility costs across the doxo platform up 4% in October compared to the same month last year.Mobile parking-payments app provider PayByPhone Technologies Inc. launched PayByPhone Business, an app for fleet-parking management.Robert Blair is joining payments platform Fintainium as president. …

Shift4 Payments Inc. denied what it called “media reports” that it is pursuing an acquisition of EVO Payments Inc. Shift4 is “focused on supporting … new growth verticals” instead, the company said.Microsoft Corp. is testing buy now, pay later capability in its Edge browser. In conjunction with Zip Co. Ltd., the BNPL service is at the …

In the latest battle of the titans over credit card interchange, Amazon.com Inc. may enjoy the advantage of size but could be pursuing a risky strategy unless other retailers line up with it, according to a long-time observer of transaction-pricing dustups. The massive online merchant on Wednesday said it will …

EVO Payments Inc. reached an agreement with Oracle that will see EVO able to enable Oracle’s enterprise payment services to EVO’s hospitality and retail merchants. EVO will be able to offer its acquiring services to Oracle customers. EVO also will develop a direct integration to the Oracle Payments Interface, which provides …

The Western Union Co. is boosting its tie-ins with Mastercard Inc. by integrating the card brand’s direct-to-card and cross-border payments products. Announced Friday, the integration sees Mastercard Send added to broaden Western Union’s payout capabilities in the United States. U.S. recipients of any Western Union transfer will be able to …

Cryptocurrency platform Bakkt Holdings Inc. reported $9.1 million in revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up 38% year-over-year. The company’s net loss expanded 61% to $28.8 million. Bakkt has recently formed partnerships with Mastercard Inc. to allow banks to issue crypto-linked credit and debit cards and with Fiserv Inc. for a future integration …

As small and medium businesses shift more of their operations online, the need for financial products with embedded payment solutions is growing. To make it easier for providers of banking and financial software providers to offer embedded payment solutions to small and medium businesses, Veem Inc. on Thursday announced its …

Klarna AB said it is extending its Pay in 4 buy now, pay later service to subscriptions, the first time BNPL has been offered to this segment of the economy, according to the company.Payfare Inc., a specialist in instant payouts to gig workers, reported its user count rose 37% in the …