So-called shoppable ads could get a big boost if a tap-and-buy test announced Tuesday by Facebook Inc.’s Instagram social network succeeds, a test in which PayPal Holdings Inc. is the payment processor. Other social networks and Internet sites have rolled out or begun testing shoppable ads, including Pinterest, Snap Inc.’s …

Staying on top in payments requires close attention to a few ironclad rules, say Saurabh Wahi and Davis Ward. In the fourth annual Prophet Brand Relevance Index (BRI), PayPal Holdings Inc. was once again, and by far, the best-performing financial-services brand. It’s not just that it continues to outperform such …

As if the payments business wasn’t enough of an alphabet soup, QR codes are now vying with NFC for dominance in mobile payments. Which technology will win out at the point of sale? In the United States, unlike many other parts of the world, near-field communication has been the favored …

ATM and payment-services provider Paramount Management Group LLC acquired CAI—The ATM Company, an independent deployer with thousands of ATMs in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and other states. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. A partnership between Transaction Network Services and P97 Networks has processed in-dash fuel payments for …

Microsoft Corp. says it plans to retire its Microsoft Wallet mobile app, a distant also-ran in the mobile-wallet market, on Feb. 28. The disclosure came in a brief recent post on a company Web site. “Starting on Feb. 28, 2019, the Microsoft Wallet app will be officially retired,” the post says. …

Apple Inc. on Tuesday announced Target Corp., Taco Bell, and two regional chains are the latest merchants to agree to accept Apple Pay in-store, a development that could bolster the mobile-payments service and further smooth the road for contactless payments in the United States. Separately, Target announced it will also …

Phillips 66 Co., which has long been a leading player among petroleum companies in digital payments, has taken a step into in-car commerce in a tie-up with Honda Motor Co. Inc. that will allow customers to find the nearest station, claim a pump, and pay for gas from the infotainment …

A network-sponsored spec for streamlined digital payments rolls toward implementation later this year, promising cleaner checkouts but also stirring questions about how it will work. Remember all the excitement last spring about a so-called common buy button the major card networks were working on (“The Shared Checkout’s Slow Check-in,” June)? …

Adoption and usage rates for the mobile wallets from Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc. (Google), and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. have been far from stellar, but now evidence is emerging that Apple’s decision a year ago to ditch fingerprint identification on its newest smart phones in favor of facial-recognition technology could …

Core processors for financial institutions are starting to make their moves in voice-triggered consumer payments, and Jack Henry & Associates is looking to stake out an early lead in this nascent business. The Monett, Mo.-based company on Wednesday said its iPayQuickPay bill-pay service is integrated with Alexa smart speakers from …