It’s still very early in the U.S. smart card game, but so far chip-and-PIN authentication dominates among commercial card issuers, according to new research by First Annapolis Consulting Inc. The findings could signal that chip-and-PIN will beat out chip-and-signature authentication as the United States prepares for broader smart card issuance …

A new type of gift card is set to debut this summer that will be backed not by cash but by shares of stock. The virtual card will come from a startup called Stockpile Inc., which has created a waiting list for interested potential accountholders and is planning to market …

By John Stewart With a crucial deadline looming in 2015, the U.S. payments industry will have only partially converted to the Europay-MasterCard-Visa (EMV) chip card standard by the end of that year. Indeed, it will likely take years to equip small merchants especially to accept EMV, according to a report …

Kevin Woodward Online gambling, now legal in only three states, could produce a big payoff for payments companies. Payment companies hoping to hit the jackpot by providing services for online gambling in the United States will want some patience, education, and a bit of luck. Just three states—Delaware, New Jersey, …

Our Guide spotlights how mobile payments and digital currency drive payments innovation. by John Stewart, Jim Daly, and Kevin Woodward Alternative payment schemes are becoming almost too numerous to count. A few months back, one payments-industry veteran listed all the mobile wallets he knew of and came up with about …

It may be headquartered in Leawood, Kan., but payment-services provider Euronet Worldwide Inc. looks abroad for most of its revenues. Thanks to a new deal with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., however, Euronet’s Ria unit is about to become a major force in domestic wire transfers. Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart on Thursday unveiled …

Online Alternatives Go Mainstream With millions of people now using PayPal, Amazon Payments, Google Wallet, and other so-called online alternative payments, observers are starting to say that the term is rapidly becoming outmoded. In a February report, Javelin Strategy & Research says eight in 10 online shoppers used an online …

Steve Mott When EMV stalled last year, a battle royal erupted across the payments business to draft the rules for a key security technology. Here’s who’s winning—and whether that’s a good thing for the industry. The spate of mag-stripe-based data breaches over the holidays sent the industry into convulsions and …

  Merchant Warehouse Inc. has bought gift and loyalty provider Opticard and has plans to offer its services as part of bundled transaction services to merchants. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Opticard, which will continue to operate independently, sells gift and loyalty card services to small businesses. Merchants can use Opticard programs to …

Alternative payments? So many people are now using services such as PayPal, Amazon Payments, Google Wallet and others that the term is becoming outmoded. In a new report, Javelin Strategy & Research says eight in 10 online shoppers have used an online alternative payment service in the past year, and …