Western Union, MoneyGram, and Ria have ruled the money-transfer landscape for decades. Now they are challenged by a slew of digital-first upstarts. Does the old guard have what it takes to stay ahead of the competition? From mobile wallets and person-to-person payments to cryptocurrencies and blockchain ledgers, digital disrupters are …

Facebook’s digital money could empower the underbanked, usher cryptocurrency into the mainstream, and accelerate the arrival of real-time payments. For some, that’s not good enough. In Roman times, the libra was a unit of weight roughly equivalent to 12 ounces. Ancient Rome also attached the name to a constellation that …

No sooner did Facebook Inc. pull the covers off its Libra cryptocurrency project this past June than the social-media giant ran into a buzzsaw of criticism—from Congress, central bankers, the press, and seemingly right-thinkers everywhere on the planet. Seldom has a payments announcement—let alone one that has to do with …

Policymakers have much work ahead when reviewing cryptocurrencies like the proposed Libra, a European regulator said Wednesday. In related news, a cryptocurrency payment plugin debuts for WordPress. The Libra cryptocurrency project led by Facebook Inc. has “undoubtedly been a wake-up call for central banks and policymakers,” said Benoit Coeure, a …

Financial-technology provider Plaid Inc. disclosed that it has received “strategic investments” from both Mastercard Inc. and Visa Inc.Digital payments and competition from nonbanks in payments may cost banks as much as 15% of their global payments revenue, or $280 billion, says Accenture in its “2019 Global Payments Survey.”Visa said it is working with insurance …

Payments provider Adyen N.V. said fashion retailer BrandBank will use its payments network throughout markets in Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. BrandBank operates more than 500 stores.Digital River agreed to provide payments and tax and compliance services on the Salesforce AppExchange.PepsiCo has launched a cash-back rewards program called PepCoin, which lets consumers deposit cash rewards directly …

The Libra Association announced Wednesday it has filed a request with the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) for a ruling that would clarify Libra’s status and that of the Libra coin. The association also said it plans to file an application with FINMA for a license to operate as …

Mastercard Inc. said it will act as the clearing and settlement network for a cross-border payments service the company has agreed to develop with R3, a blockchain-software vendor.Some 74% of online transactions globally are for digital goods and services, with ride-share service and restaurant delivery ranking as the first and second most used …

Payments provider NovoPayment said it is introducing instant-payment service Visa Direct for a range of payments, including person-to-person transfers and mass payouts. The move allows issuers, acquirers, and merchants to bring the services to market faster via application programming interfaces, the company said.EVO Payments Inc. said Aldelo, a point-of-sale software developer, selected …

From back offices to the point of sale, and from digital wallets to the blockchain, fintechs are fomenting a revolution in loyalty and rewards. Here’s how that’s playing out—and where it’s heading. By Maria Arminio and Bo Berg Bank and merchant card issuers are looking for ways to distinguish their …