The Chicago Transit Authority, an early proponent of open-loop fare payments, announced Monday that the general-purpose payment feature in some of its fare cards will expire Dec. 31. The operator of the nation’s second-largest transit system says riders did not embrace the idea of a CTA-provided general-purpose prepaid account coupled …

The reasons why consumers hate checks are numerous: waiting for a check to arrive in the mail, finding an institution to deposit it, waiting another three to five days for funds to clear, then fearing it might bounce. Nearly everyone would agree that it’s an antiquated process filled with stress …

Whether he intended to or not, Ken Chenault may well have touched off a debate about what constitutes the ideal governance structure for a global payments network. Chenault, who will retire early next year as chairman and chief executive of American Express Co., charged this week that his two big …

American Express Co. chairman and CEO Kenneth I. Chenault said at an investor conference Tuesday that banks’ sale of their stakes in Mastercard and Visa through initial public offerings “was one of the biggest strategic blunders of the last 20 years,” according to Bloomberg. Chenault, who will retire in February, …

Credit and debit card fraud at the point of sale is declining precipitously two years after the payment card networks’ EMV chip card liability shifts took effect, but identity, online, and so-called fallback fraud all have risen, according to an analysis of card issuers’ experiences from Auriemma Consulting Group. New …

CME Group Inc. said on Friday it will launch a futures contract for Bitcoin on Dec. 18, a move some expect will lend considerable stability to the market for the 8-year-old digital currency. Also on Friday, Chicago-based CME’s crosstown rival, Cboe Global Markets Inc., said it will announce “shortly” an …

The ATM turned 50 this year, and while its usefulness is expanding with new mobile and cardless capabilities, cash remains its strongest suit. Fifty years ago, the Summer of Love wasn’t the only cultural phenomenon taking place. Across the pond in England a new age in consumer banking was dawning …

Mastercard’s decision to remove the  signature requirement comes as authentication  measures improve in the payments industry.  But what comes next is still a huge question. As unique as signatures are, their value as a way of authenticating a credit or debit card transaction has long passed, a realization many consumers …

Experts are just about unanimous in arguing the password must be replaced for digital authentication. But with what? Here are some considerations payments executives might ponder. Commerce and banking are increasingly digital. E-commerce is growing 10% to as much as 40% in many markets, while brick-and-mortar growth is in the …

It’s been a busy year on the M&A front for merchant acquirers. What’s driving the deals, and what’s ahead in 2018? The year is coming to a close with nearly $14 billion in mergers and acquisitions either announced or completed in the merchant-acquiring industry. The number of deals could easily …