Don’t look now, but decoupled-debit programs may be on the verge of a comeback as merchants look for ways to circumvent payment networks and spur loyalty among consumers. That’s the take from a new report, “Decoupled Debit: The Start of Mainstream Adoption?” issued by Maynard, Mass.-based Mercator Advisory Group Inc. …

Merchants won a skirmish on Wednesday in their long-simmering battle with the card networks over acceptance costs with a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to void a lower-court ruling that upheld a state law banning credit card surcharging. The decision, in which all eight Justices concurred, sends the case …

• Mastercard Inc. has agreed to acquire NuData Security, whose technology identifies users from their online, mobile-app, and smart-phone interactions. Terms were not disclosed. • Fair Isaac Corp., otherwise known as FICO, said it detected 70% more compromised debit cards at U.S. ATMs and point-of-sale terminals in 2016 than it did …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heightened the uncertainty surrounding crucial payment card rules and practices by refusing to hear an appeal of a lower-court decision last summer that threw out a $5.7 billion antitrust settlement. The top court’s decision will likely lead to years of continuing litigation and negotiation, …

Pundits have predicted the demise of the password for years, yet the simple user-name-and-password combination lives on, frustrating security pros and helping to fuel a spiraling epidemic of data breaches. The reason for the password’s longevity lies in its familiarity compared to newer, more effective authentication methods, says a report …

• Several veteran credit card executives, mostly from Bank of America and Capital One, have formed a new company to issue a credit card branded “Ollo.” Rob Habgood, formerly with both BofA and Capital One, is chief executive of the newly formed issuer, Fair Square Financial Holdings. Other executives with …

• Payments-automation specialist linked2pay has added a real-time merchant-onboarding capability to its Bank Centric Payments platform, allowing independent sales organizations and other resellers enrolled with a sponsor bank to register, underwrite, and board merchants for card processing electronically and immediately. • Mobile-commerce provider Sionic Mobile said it is integrating its ION Commerce …

• Money transfer firm MoneyGram International Inc. said last week’s unsolicited $1 billion bid from Euronet Worldwide Inc., outdoing Ant Financial Services Group’s $880 million offer in January, meets the “company superior proposal” definition in the merger agreement with Ant. The determination means MoneyGram can further consider the Euronet offer. • Private-label and cobranded credit …

• Merchant acquirer Elavon Inc. has appointed Jamie Walker chief executive officer. A 16-year veteran of U.S. Bancorp, which owns the processor, Walker was most recently chief administrative officer of the bank’s Payment Services division, and before that served as Elavon’s chief financial officer. • A blog post from data-security …

The idea of allowing consumers to use PIN debit cards to pay online merchants has been a tough sell in the payments business, but observers hope a deal announced Thursday may give it a much-needed boost. Processing kingpin First Data Corp. said it will acquire Acculynk Inc., a 9-year-old Atlanta-based …