Small merchants are generating more payment volume, and health-care providers handily outlive restaurants and bars in their relationships with merchant acquirers, according to a new analysis from The Strawhecker Group. Data from the Omaha, Neb.-based consulting and research firm’s Acquiring Industry Metrics service shows that the average small and mid-size …

A new micropayment platform called Qoins has just closed a first round of funding for $1 million. The app allows users to pay off debt by rounding up purchases to the nearest dollar and sending the excess to the creditor, with a focus on credit card and student debt. Qoins …

In deals that further signify the importance to processors of integrated payments, Global Payments Inc. and Paysafe separately brokered pacts with point-of-sale software providers. Atlanta-based Global Payments says Liquid Payments Inc., a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based developer, will use the company’s Heartland Payment Systems unit to process payments. Liquid Payments’ service …

NRT Technology Corp. and Sightline Payments LLC, which are expected to merge and become NRT Sightline, announced its Connect+ payment gateway is being used by Hard Rock International for its recently launched online casino in New Jersey. Payments processor Worldpay Inc. extended for four years an agreement with CRS Texas, …

Payscout announced it purchased Paywire Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Payscout said it will expand Paywire’s education and health-care payments products to its merchants. Paywire’s tools consolidate payment software systems to reduce the scope of compliance and enhance security, Payscout said. Mobile point-of-sale specialist CardFlight Inc. lined up another distribution …

Real-time processing heightens risk for providers that aren’t prepared. Here’s what financial institutions should be doing now, says Eric Woodward. Instant downloads. Instant delivery. We live in an age of instant gratification. The banking industry is no exception. An overnight batch process is a lifetime, and three-day settlement feels like …

PayPal Holdings Inc. said it is buying Simility, a fraud-prevention and risk-management platform, for $120 million. Once the deal closes—expected in the third quarter—PayPal merchants will get access to Simility’s fraud tools, the company said. This is PayPal’s second acquisition announced this week. Wednesday PayPal said it was buying Hyperwallet for …

A survey from The Fraud Practice LLC, commissioned by Kount Inc., found that Apple Pay acceptance among a group of almost 600 merchants decreased to 35% from 48% a year earlier. Google Pay acceptance dropped from 38% to 25%. Support for near-field communication, the wireless technology that enables Apple Pay and …

Representatives of large retailers including Walmart Inc. and Home Depot Inc. met with federal regulators this week to voice their concerns about a common buy button for e-commerce under development by the major card networks, The Wall Street Journal reported. The retailers’ main concern reportedly is how a buy button …

Mitek Systems Inc. announced Wednesday that it acquired Paris-based Artificial Intelligence and Image Analysis (A2iA), a developer of text-recognition and imaging software, for €42.5 million ($49.8 million) in cash and stock. The move bolsters San Diego-based Mitek’s already strong position in the remote deposit capture market and gives it access …