The trend toward acceptance of so-called alternative-payment products by online merchants is going strong and will likely continue for some time, driven largely by incentives for merchants and consumers alike and by ease of use, says Adam Cohen, principal at Brulant Inc., an interactive advertising agency in Cleveland. “I would …

Many consumers seem willing to use their cell phones or other mobile devices for in-store payments, but the majority wants to have only one credit or debit card account enabled for wireless payments, according to new findings from New York City-based technology research firm ABI Research. The preference for just …

PIN debit transactions are growing significantly faster than signature debit payments. Checks processed electronically are approaching half of all checks paid. And transactions on the automated clearing house are growing faster than any other form of payment. These are among the more surprising results of the Federal Reserve's tri-annual payments …

TIO Networks Corp. signaled a new strategy last week when the kiosk network struck a deal with IPP of America Inc. to process bill payments at IPP walk-in locations (Digital Transactions News, Nov. 29). For the first time, TIO will be handling transactions on its network without the need to …

Qualcomm Inc.'s $210 million cash deal for Firethorn Holdings Inc., announced on Wednesday, is expected to accelerate Firethorn's movement toward mobile payments and hands Qualcomm a significant stake in the rapidly developing markets for both banking and payments via handsets, according to Tripp Rackley, chief executive of Atlanta-based Firethorn. “All …

For the raft of processors either moving into mobile payments or hammering out business plans to make an entry, the top executive with one company that has been in the market for six years has some advice: Focus on the market made up of people who lack bank accounts, and …

Though still in its infancy, mobile banking will balloon from 1.68 million to 34.9 million users over the next four years, laying the groundwork for mobile payment channels such as physical-world transactions via near-field communication (NFC) and mobile commerce, a new report argues. Already, report author Nick Holland, a senior …

The payment gateway business may be consolidating, but smaller players are trying to survive by adding services to meet e-commerce merchants' demand for more diversified payment options than simply credit cards. This week, for example, Los Angeles-based USA ePay announced that it is offering Digital EFT Solutions LLC's DEFT Deposit …

With its official unveiling on Friday of an early version of an online payments system, e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. has launched itself into head-on competition with established players like PayPal Inc. and well-funded upstarts like Google Checkout. The service, called Amazon Flexible Payments, is in a so-called beta stage with …

Responding to a report that surfaced on Wednesday, online retailing giant Amazon.com Inc. refuses to comment on whether it is planning to introduce soon an e-commerce payment service that will compete with other alternatives to credit and debit cards. “We do not comment on rumors or speculation,” an Amazon spokesperson …