Each reported breach is a nightmare, but the good news is that each one can also teach acquirers and merchants useful lessons about securing payments data. When fast-food chain Wendy’s Co. became the latest brand-name merchant to fall prey to a data-stealing malware attack in late January, the news served …

We’ll never get there so long as we rely on traditional tools. Since criminal tactics are constantly evolving, solutions must be adaptable, as well. The economy relies on secure and safe transactions. Maintaining a stable and efficient business depends on effective security. In particular, eliminating fraud is fundamental to the …

Merchant cash advances can be a God-send for merchants unable to secure traditional bank funding and agents looking to supplement their income. But that boon often comes at a painful premium. The merchant cash advance (MCA) is a common form of alternative lending offered by private lenders. Many independent sales …

Exactly one year ago in this space, we argued, in a little essay called “Less Static for NFC,” that the long-awaited arrival of near-field communication as a mainstream point-of-sale technology had been brought nearer by two developments. One was the decision by Apple Inc. to let its upcoming Apple Watch …

In a move that recognizes the powerful role application developers play in the global payments arena, Visa Inc. last month opened scores of its application programming interfaces to thousands of outsiders worldwide, including merchants, banks, and technology companies. The new program, called Visa Developer, embraces some 155 APIs and includes …

Despite massive publicity in the nearly 18 months since its introduction, Apple Inc.’s Apple Pay mobile-payment service still isn’t getting a whole lot of usage. But the few users it has tend to like it. In fact, a December study of 1,279 smart-phone users for First Annapolis Consulting Inc. shows …

This year brings a lot of opportunity for small and medium businesses (SMBs). The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects world economic growth for 2016 to be somewhere around 3.6 percent – higher than the predicted 2015 growth of 3.1 percent. Unfortunately, amidst this positive backdrop lurks the negative threat posed …

By Jim Daly An exclusive coterie of card networks runs the business of issuing and managing payment tokens. But that elite club soon may have more members. Looking for a business with growth opportunities? Look no further, ladies and gentlemen, than at the business of the token service provider. A …

Each reported breach is a nightmare, but the good news is that each one can also teach acquirers and merchants useful lessons about securing payments data. When fast-food chain Wendyäó»s Co. became the latest brand-name merchant to fall prey to a data-stealing malware attack in late January, the news served …

Merchant acquirers are reporting more chargebacks now that the U.S. conversion to the EMV chip card standard is underway, but chargeback exposure varies widely by acquirer. And, so far at least, relatively few of the chargebacks are translating into actual financial losses. That’s the word from First Annapolis Consulting Inc., …