Once known exclusively for enabling PIN-based debit card transactions at ATMs and then at the point of sale, the electronic funds transfer networks are broadening their payment options for merchants as they compete with global networks Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. for debit transactions. For example, payment processor First Data …

Rewards and loyalty cards are now common in the U.S. payments landscape, but new research findings show just how popular such cards have become. A study by Phoenix Marketing International says 93% of all credit card spending is now done on rewards cards, up from 88% in 2013. A separate …

U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., made his name in the payments business with an amendment to the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act that put a cap on the debit card interchange big banks can earn. Now, he’s investigating the nation’s rocky EMV rollout with separate inquiries concerning snarled certification queues and the …

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. sued Visa Inc. on Tuesday claiming that Visa is trying to make the retailer use signature verification for some EMV debit card transactions and route those transactions over Visa’s network rather than Wal-Mart’s preferred PIN-debit networks. The suit, filed in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, …

With its contested annual shareholder meeting coming up in less than three weeks, embattled Green Dot Corp. chief executive Steve Streit on Wednesday said the prepaid card card and mobile-banking provider and tax-payment processor’s prospects are improving as key measures of customer activity strengthen. Pasadena, Calif.-based Green Dot reported first-quarter …

Our list this year showcases some of the most interesting innovation going on in payments. As we put together this year’s Guide, we were struck by the sheer breadth of innovation the 37 entries that made this year’s list represent. Yes, much of this technology has to do with mobile …

Chargebacks stemming from the EMV liability shift are bedeviling merchants, and some of them are turning to the courts for relief. That could change the way EMV plays out in the United States. Max Milam thought his stores were ready for EMV chip cards. His four Milam’s Market grocery stores …

By controlling debit interchange and supercharging the administrative state, the Durbin Amendment has inflicted immense harm, says Eric Grover. With virtually no debate, the Durbin Amendment was sold as pro-consumer, pro-small bank, and pro-merchant—a political trifecta. Widely understood to be bad for politically unsympathetic large banks, U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, …

When it comes to mobile payments, few operators can equal PayPal Holdings Inc., a fact the company underlined on Wednesday when it reported mobile volume reached $21 billion in the first quarter, up fully 54% year-over-year. But casting a shadow over the good news was a continuing downward trend in …

Total charge volume on Discover Financial Services’s networks fell 5% in the first quarter thanks to a 15% drop at the Discover-owned Pulse electronic funds transfer network. But U.S. Bancorp, which owns the big merchant acquirer Elavon, says its merchant-processing revenue increased 4% due to higher transaction volumes and sales …