Payments observers are tempted to think of the $21.5 billion proposed merger of Global Payments Inc. and Total System Services Inc. (TSYS), announced last month, as the latest megadeal in a series initiated in January when Fiserv Inc. said it would acquire First Data Corp. That announcement was followed by …

This month, we are featuring two stories about the progress of faster payments. Our cover story, “The Bill-Pay Revolution,” shows how real-time capability is finally asserting itself in a crucial segment of the payments business. Then you’ll find “2020 Vision,” our take on just what’s going on with that Fed-inspired …

Digital-marketing specialist Punchh launched a product that uses machine learning to allow physical retailers to calculate the lifetime purchases of individual customers and craft marketing plans accordingly. Standards body EMVCo said it will have an educational session about the new Secure Remote Commerce specification for online payments at a U.S. …

In a decision that could have far-reaching implications for the merchant-acquiring industry, a U.S. District Court judge has ordered independent sales organization Electronic Merchant Systems to pay more than $5.4 million in breach-of-contract damages to a sales agent. The decision arises from a dispute over residuals and the interpretation of …

Installment lending at the point of sale has drawn both startups and established companies, including banks, in recent years, but who among consumers finds that offer most attractive? The answer, according to New York City-based Auriemma Research, is consumers who pay with debit cards exclusively or say they prefer to. …

Point-of-sale installment-loan provider Sezzle Inc. said its service is now available at “thousands” of online stores in Canada. SSI Group, a provider of payments-related software for the health-care industry, announced a capability that relies on machine learning to predict when providers will receive payments from payers. In related news, U.S. …

American Cash Exchange Inc. said its Poni operation struck a deal with Euronet Worldwide Inc.’s Ria money-transfer unit that enables consumers in Mexico to withdraw cash from U.S.-originated remittances at nearly 50,000 Mexican ATMs without paying fees after they buy and register a Poni Cash Card, which costs 10 pesos …

The Facebook-led announcement of the Libra cryptocurrency is evoking blowback both in the United States and overseas. House Financial Services Committee chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) called for Facebook to halt the planned launch of Libra until Congress has had a chance to hold hearings on the cryptocurrency. Elsewhere, the governor …

An association of major payments and technology companies will launch a blockchain-based digital currency called Libra some time in the first half of next year, according to an official announcement on Tuesday. The new initiative, some details about which have leaked in recent days, has the backing of Facebook Inc. …

Celero Commerce announced two acquisitions, those of Elmhurst Financial Services and Tandem Innovative Payment Solutions. Following the deals—financial terms were not disclosed for either—Celero will have approximately 25,000 merchants and process approximately $10 billion in annual payment volume. Payment Alliance International said it acquired ISA-ECash, an ATM operator and developer …