• In a sign of further global expansion plans, merchant acquirer Square Inc. in June incorporated a business in the United Kingdom called Square Europe Ltd. and began testing its payment system in London, Reuters reported. Besides the U.S., Square already operates in Canada, Australia, and Japan. • Processor Total Merchant …

• The Merchants Payments Coalition, a Washington, D.C., lobbying group, released a new statement decrying what it calls a “poison pill” provision embedded in a bill proposed earlier this month by U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, to reform the 2010 Dodd Frank Act. The provision would repeal the debit-interchange curbs …

• Visa Inc.’s Canadian unit posted an “open letter” in Canadian newspapers Thursday to protest Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s plan to stop accepting Visa cards in its 400 Canadian stores beginning July 18 because of allegedly high acceptance costs. “Wal-Mart has initiated a public flight—something we never wanted—as they are using …

• Some 27% of consumers who have a smart phone capable of performing mobile payments have used Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Android Pay at least once, according to the latest Mobile Pay Tracker survey from Auriemma Consulting Group. Of this group, 31% say they pay with these methods every …

With its contested annual shareholder meeting coming up in less than three weeks, embattled Green Dot Corp. chief executive Steve Streit on Wednesday said the prepaid card card and mobile-banking provider and tax-payment processor’s prospects are improving as key measures of customer activity strengthen. Pasadena, Calif.-based Green Dot reported first-quarter …

• VeriFone Systems Inc. introduced Verifone Carbon, a black, portable point-of-sale system for café owners, quick-service restaurants, and stores that features a tablet screen for the merchant and a smaller screen for the customer, and a stand with a built-in printer. The Intel-powered device includes VeriFone’s cloud-based Commerce Platform that …

Jolted by some shocking failures over the past several months, the mobile-acceptance market is fast shedding its early euphoria. What are the prospects for mPOS now? As boardroom dramas go, it seldom gets more compelling than this. In February, news suddenly emerged that Powa Technologies Ltd., a high-flying London-based startup …

The other day, I received a call from a financial institution whose board had directed management to pursue a mobile-payment solution. Management, however, thought that a different approach was more appropriate for the customer. Later, it struck me that our discussion could be a primer that other institutions might use …

The other day, I received a call from a financial institution whose board had directed management to pursue a mobile-payment solution. Management, however, thought that a different approach was more appropriate for the customer. Later, it struck me that our discussion could be a primer that other institutions might use …

The real reason mobile payments haven’t taken off is that they haven’t offered anyone a compelling reason to replace cash or cards, says Nick Holland. Around 15 years ago, I wrote a thesis on the potential for mobile payments using radio-frequency ID technologies, such as Bluetooth and the recently announced …