Digital-currency specialist Circle Internet Financial Ltd. is expanding into China following a $60 million investment from a syndicate of investors. This follows a $50 million funding round raised last year by the Boston-based company. Circle enables users to send and receive funds instantly at no charge using blockchain technology. A …

Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday joined the mobile-payments race in earnest by announcing it is making near-field communication capability available on Microsoft Wallet for in-store transactions. The wallet works with Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system. The new payments feature is limited for now to members of Microsoft’s Windows Insiders program “in …

Even the most fervent advocate of EMV would have to admit the U.S conversion to chip cards has been a rocky one, especially for merchants. On Thursday, Visa Inc. announced a four-part plan it clearly hopes will remedy at least some of the more acute headaches, including certification backlogs and …

The payments industry may never know for sure what prompted Visa Inc. to back off on a potentially lucrative new fee aimed at issuers planning to defect to other networks. But a clue to the decision emerged Wednesday when U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin’s office issued a statement celebrating the move …

When the Merchant Customer Exchange LLC announced last month it is postponing a rollout of its CurrentC pilot in Columbus, Ohio, observers suspected the news did not bode well for the merchant-controlled mobile wallet. On Monday, those suspicions were confirmed as MCX told CurrentC account holders in an email that …

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the author of the fee-capping Durbin Amendment, is well-known as a champion of merchants, but now he’s taking up the cause of small banks and credit unions. Durbin on Tuesday sent a letter to Visa Inc. chief executive Charles Scharf asking for information about a new …

The latest battle between merchants and the major card brands has been brewing behind the scenes for months but went public Thursday when an advocacy group for big-box retailers charged that a new twist on network rules is slowing the progress of mobile payments. The controversy involves regulations long maintained …

Courting and retaining high-risk merchants can yield high returns. But it’s a lot of work. It’s no simple task, but one that can yield enviable returns. Finding the profit in high-risk merchants requires diligence, a knack for customer service, and a commitment to thoroughness. It also requires deep knowledge of …

New technologies and market entrants are exerting downward pressure on acceptance costs for mobile payments. But how much longer will these costs matter? Card payments can be exceedingly complex, but in some ways they’re simple. Whip out a functioning credit or debit card to pay in a store and the …

Loyalty points have become as valuable as traditional currency. That’s attracting fraudsters—and forcing program managers to redouble their efforts to protect members. The risk of fraud threatens each and every aspect of our digital lives, including loyalty programs. Nearly 72% of loyalty-program operators admit to experiencing fraud issues, with cybercriminals …