Consumers spent 7% more on gift cards during the 2019 holiday shopping season than in the same period in 2018, doubling the 3.4% gain seen in 2018 over 2017, according to data from prepaid program manager Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc., which did not release absolute spending numbers.The U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau …

MyPinPad, a provider of technology enabling PIN entry on off-the-shelf mobile devices, said it has been granted certification from the PCI Security Standards Council for its software-based PIN entry on a Commercial off-the-shelf (SPoC) product for iOS.Shift4 Payments Inc., which filed for a proposed public offering in December, said it completed certification …

MoneyGram International Inc. announced online transactions grew more than 70% year-over-year between Dec. 1 and Dec. 25, a record growth rate for that period. The money-transfer provider, which did not report the actual transaction volume, said 80% of the transactions were initiated on a mobile device.PayPal Holdings Inc. has closed on its …

At least six lawsuits seeking class-action status have been filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia against Wawa Inc., an 850-location convenience-store chain, in the wake of Wawa’s previously announced data breach. Most recently, the Goldman Scarlato & Penny P.C. law firm said its attorneys are investigating consumer claims concerning the breach. Data stolen …

Loyalty apps are great, but they badly need a technology overhaul. By adding artificial intelligence, retailers can step up customer engagement and convert more sales. As brick-and-mortar retailers battle for foot traffic and sales, there is good news for them. Gen Z, the first truly digitally native generation, were strolling …

Are digital wallets prepaid accounts? A federal regulator says yes. PayPal just said no. Much is riding on who’s right. Time was, it was pretty clear how to tell a prepaid account. Almost always, it consisted of an account held by a bank or merchant and funded by somebody who …

PINs are past their prime. Signatures? Forget it. With criminals increasingly on the prowl, much more robust technology is needed. The good news is such tech is available. But will consumers tolerate it? Despite a now almost 3-year-old decision by the four major U.S. card brands to make signatures optional …

The steam engine, the telephone, and the Internet are all innovations that gestated for a long time before realizing their eventual impact. Digital currency appears to be joining this list. Much as the telephone was more than a “Yankee replacement to errand boys,” in the words of a dismissive British …

There is, perhaps, no subject in the digital-payments world more fraught with urgency these days than that of authentication. After all, just about all players in the payments chain, from merchant to service provider to processor to bank, have a huge stake in making sure the customer performing the transaction …

Everi Holdings Inc., a provider of payment processing, slot machines, and various services to the gaming industry, said its Everi Payments subsidiary bought $25 million in “strategic assets” from Micro Gaming Technologies Inc., a privately held provider of loyalty and marketing products and promotional tools and apps for casinos. Under …