John Stewart and Jim Daly   The Fed’s Durbin-inspired debit regulation is already radically reshaping the business for merchants, issuers, acquirers, and networks. Here’s how.       Well, it’s all over but the shouting. And, with the ink dry now for more than two months, there isn’t even …

  By Karen Epper Hoffman   A fixture in online gaming, virtual currencies are moving into other digital markets and may break into the physical world. But will acceptance costs and regulatory concerns stymie their growth?       Virtual currency has long been seen as little more than the …

  Startups and established companies alike are betting that consumers obsessed with daily deals could jump-start mobile payments. But it may take a while for that bet to pay off.   By Jane Adler       Rewards redemption with a mobile device at the point of sale isn’t a …

  Linda Punch   Increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes show that personal identification numbers are more vulnerable than once thought. Bring in the reinforcements.       For the past 40 years, personal identification numbers have built an enviable reputation as a nearly inviolable security feature. They’re much more secure than …

Federal regulators on Tuesday issued their final rule for preventing terrorists, drug dealers, and other criminals from using prepaid cards for money laundering. The new rule from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen) subjects merchants and other non-bank entities that sell or manage prepaid cards to some …

  n That’s the conclusion of a report released this week by Javelin Strategy & Research, Pleasanton, Calif. In it, Javelin analyst Philip J. Blank notes that mobile-banking adoption among smart phone users has leveled off even though consumers continue to snap up the gadgets at a furious rate. A …

Visa Inc. is bracing itself to lose some PIN-debit transaction volume in the newly regulated U.S. debit market, but the industry leader says it is ready to meet any challenges from competitors. “I still believe that we’re in a better position to compete in this environment than anyone else,” executive …

  Peter Lucas   Keeping up with change in electronic payments is hard, but essential, work for community banks. Here’s how they’re doing it.   Every time a huge bank—Bank of America Corp., JP Morgan Chase & Co., and Wells Fargo & Co., for example—makes a splash in payments, as …

n by Steve Mott   While most observers have viewed Visa’s recent string of acquisitions as a mere broadening of its conventional card franchise, a long-time analyst of the payments business sees a clever play for dominance of the digital future.   Just when the U.S. payments industry appears poised …

  Purveyors of card-acceptance services for mobile phones  are booking merchants by the hundreds of thousands.  But many of these merchants present underwriting risks and generate little charge volume. Are they worth it?   By Jim Daly   Everyman a merchant? Thanks to smart phones and aggressive merchant processors such …