Like MasterCard Inc. last year and Discover Financial Services LLC later this week, Visa Inc. is preparing to become the third standalone, publicly traded payment network. But a registration statement Visa filed Friday raises plenty of questions about the risks the world's largest card network faces in a litigious and …

Internet payments company Saf-T-Pay Corp. is about to roll out a system that taps consumers' demand-deposit accounts and bears similarities to those being promoted by NACHA?The Electronic Payments Association and tech company MODASolutions Inc. But Miami Beach, Fla.-based Saf-T-Pay says it has an easy-to-use solution that already is gaining credibility …

Former First Data Corp. executive John Shlonsky, who took over this week as president and chief executive of TransFirst LLC, says he plans to lead the Dallas-based transaction processor into a wide array of new markets with backing from the company's new owner, private-equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. …

CyberSource Corp., which on Monday announced it is buying rival online gateway provider Authorize.Net Holdings Inc. for $565 million in stock and cash, plans to leverage Authorize.Net's relationships with independent sales organizations and other third-party resellers to reach small e-commerce merchants. The transaction, expected to close this fall, “dramatically accelerates …

PropertyBridge Inc., which handles electronic rent payments on behalf of property managers, plans to launch next month a recurring PIN-less debit option. It is processing some PIN-less transactions now in a test, or so-called “beta,” mode, for an unnamed property-management firm, says Jason Gardner, president of the Oakland, Calif.-based company, …

MasterCard Worldwide received a double dose of good debit news last week. First came the news that big credit card issuer Capital One Financial Corp. is rolling out a MasterCard-branded rewards debit card that doesn't require the cardholder to have a deposit relationship with Cap One (Digital Transactions News, June …

Remote deposit capture, already a hot product in electronic payments, is poised for explosive growth, according to a report released this week. More than 2,900 U.S. financial institutions had implemented remote capture, or were in the process of doing so, by the end of March, a number that will climb …

More than three years in the making, so-called account-level processing is moving closer to reality at Visa USA. The new process affecting Visa-branded consumer cards will allow a credit cardholder to keep the same account number even if his issuer upgrades his card. Visa claims ALP will allow smoother transitions …

Information is beginning to emerge indicating that consumer usage of contactless devices for payments may be picking up. According to an Internet survey conducted by Atlanta-based Synergistics Research Corp. late last year, 9% of respondents had used a contactless card or fob. In two previous surveys, both conducted by phone …

Two processors specializing in prepaid wireless transactions announced a merger on Wednesday that will create the second-largest provider in the business and could create opportunities for independent sales organizations. In a deal for which terms were not announced, Emida Technologies Inc., Foothill Ranch, Calif., is combining with Orem, Utah-based Q …