Ransomware payments exploded last year, with the average payment rising 78% year-over-year to $541,010, according to data compiled by cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks.Blackbaud Inc., a cloud software company serving nonprofits, said clients of its Blackbaud Merchant Services unit can now accept payments via both PayPal and Venmo in the United …

Buy now, pay later specialist Klarna AB said it is expanding the geographic reach of its rewards program and its Pay Now service. The rewards program will be available in nine countries, with Pay Now expanding to nine new countries beyond the current base in the U.S. and U.K., where the immediate-payment …

Processor Fiserv Inc. said it has agreed to acquire digital-banking developer Finxact Inc. Fiserv, an early investor in Finxact, will acquire total ownership interest for $650 million.Israel-based payments provider Nayax Ltd. said it has submitted a draft registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a potential U.S. initial public offering of …

Small-business satisfaction with merchant processors stands at 859 on a scale of 1,000, up 23 points from 2021, according to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Merchant Services Satisfaction Study. Banks lead the way in the survey, with Bank of America and Chase ranking first and second, followed by Square.Payments provider Payliance announced it …

Mobile-payments provider Boku Inc. is selling its Boku Identity Inc. unit to cloud-communication platform Twilio Inc. for $26.1 million upfront and another $6.2 million payable later to cover indemnities.Payments provider Lightspeed Commerce said its NuOrder technology will support orders and payments for women’s fashion platform Intermix, which operates 31 boutiques and an e-commerce site.Text …

Visa Inc.’s Back to Business study found 82% of small businesses plan to accept some form of digital payment in 2022, with 24% saying they plan to accept digital currencies like Bitcoin. The study canvassed 2,250 small-business owners and employees in nine countries, including the United States.Payments provider Lightspeed Commerce Inc. said its merchants …

Jack Henry & Associates Inc. and Early Warning Services LLC, the Zelle operator, announced a rebate program through June 2022 for minority-owned depository institutions that enable Zelle via Jack Henry’s JHA PayCenter, its faster payments hub.Prepaid Technologies Co. Inc. said it raised $96 million in its latest funding round that it will use …

International payments provider Klarna Bank AB acquired Inspirock, an online trip planner used by 25 million customers annually. Terms were not disclosed.In related news, Klarna said it is working with software-as-a-service platform provider Wix.com Inc. to enable Wix’s e-commerce merchants in 17 countries to accept payments through Klarna.Processor Lightspeed Commerce Inc. expanded its Lightspeed Capital program …

ZmBIZI LLC released its Z2 smart phone that accepts tap-and-pay transactions without requiring an external POS terminal. The $550 smart phone was part of a Visa Tap to Phone test earlier this year and is expected to have full commercial availability in early 2022.Visa Inc.’s U.S. Spending Momentum Index fell for the second consecutive month, …

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., dropped its plans to offer banking services to consumers, The Wall Street Journal reported late Friday. Google announced in November it intended to debut Plex, a mobile-first bank account integrated into Google Pay.Payments provider Park Place Payments said it will pay $500 to clients that drop the service within the …