The heated rivalry between payment-software firms S1 Corp. and ACI Worldwide Inc. for the loyalty of S1’s shareholders took on yet more urgency on Monday as S1 urged owners of its shares to reject an offer from ACI. In a letter to shareholders seeking proxies in support of a proposed …

  Looking to capitalize on opportunities fostered by recently created debit card regulation, Lexcel Solutions Inc. on Thursday announced an update to its network-testing software that is aimed at streamlining debit card issuers’ selection of new networks as mandated by the Federal Reserve. The Fed’s June 29 final rule implementing …

  Capping a wave of recent acquisitions, non-bank ATM network owner and manager Cardtronics Inc. announced late Monday that it had struck a definitive agreement to buy Access to Money Inc., a retail ATM network operator with 10,350 U.S. machines under management. Houston-based Cardtronics will pay $21.2 million in cash …

  ACI Worldwide Inc.’s effort to acquire rival payments-software firm S1 Corp. took a more hostile turn on Monday when ACI said it will go directly to S1’s shareholders, asking them to scuttle a proposed merger between S1 and Fundtech Ltd. The move by Elkhorn, Neb.-based ACI, spelled out in …

Leading payment card network Visa Inc. on Tuesday announced three initiatives to spur adoption of so-called EMV contact and contactless chip cards and near-field communication (NFC) mobile payments in the U.S. Observers hailed Visa’s action, but noted that a full move to EMV and NFC mobile payments in the U.S. …

  n As it did July 26 when it announced its takeover offer for S1, ACI also said it is “prepared to do what is necessary to make this [transaction] happen.” The ACI statement did not elaborate. Some observers speculate the Elkhorn, Neb,-based software company will return with a sweetened …

  n Jumio Inc., a startup based in Mountain View, Calif., this week introduced a system that lets consumers scan credit and debit cards using the Webcam built into many PCs. The launch follows a similar application introduced earlier this year by Card.io, San Francisco, that lets mobile phones scan …

  In a surprise development that has the potential to scuttle a merger agreement between payments-software firms S1 Corp. and Fundtech Ltd., ACI Worldwide Inc. on Tuesday announced a cash-and-stock bid valued at $540 million to acquire its Atlanta-based rival S1. If the deal is consummated, it will combine two …

Federal regulators on Tuesday issued their final rule for preventing terrorists, drug dealers, and other criminals from using prepaid cards for money laundering. The new rule from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen) subjects merchants and other non-bank entities that sell or manage prepaid cards to some …

  PayPal Inc. will roll out mobile payments at the point of sale with as many as 20 retailers next year following a pilot set to start later in 2011, the chief executive of eBay Inc., PayPal’s parent company, said late on Wednesday. Speaking to stock analysts as part of …