Will Hernandez

More state and federal agencies are expanding the types of benefits distributed using prepaid cards, including unemployment and Social Security, to reduce costs.

Despite banks' recent moves to change the terms of their checking accounts, in most cases checking accounts today are a better value than accounts tied to prepaid cards, a report concluded.

Ukash, a U.K. company that offers prepaid vouchers for online shopping, says its new Apple Inc. iPhone application can help it finally break into the U.S. market.

Hewlett-Packard Co. wants it known that its business interests extend beyond personal computers and printers. They also touch the payments industry in a significant way.

Bill McCracken, Synergistics' chief executive, said he believes banks have an opportunity to persuade more small businesses to use mobile bill payment because roughly 80% already use electronic bill-payment services.

Mizuho Financial Group Inc. shut down its automated teller machine network and online banking service for the weekend to address computer problems that have plagued the company since March 15.

Mizuho Financial Group Inc., Japan's third-largest bank by assets, is experiencing computer problems that are affecting its automated teller machine network as consumers are frequently withdrawing cash in the aftermath of last week's earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear power plant problems, according to various reports.

PayPal Inc. has paid LML Patent Corp., a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of LML Payment Systems Inc., $7.5 million to settle a patent dispute that stemmed from an infringement complaint involving 19 other financial institutions.

Google Inc.'s interest in near field communication technology, which it is testing in a payment trial, might be more about advertising than establishing its own payments network.

Continued global expansion of EMV smart card programs helped to drive revenue and profit growth last year for Gemalto NV's Secure Transactions unit, which includes banking cards, the French smart card vendor said.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Nearly a billion consumers worldwide participate on social network platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. But prepaid industry executives and merchants are split about how the medium could improve closed-loop gift card sales.

Companies that use prepaid debit cards to drive customer loyalty and reward employees are also benefiting merchants, which have seen increased spending as a result, according to Total System Services Inc.

Though the prepaid card industry continues to grow, proposed state and federal government regulations pose a threat to the sector, executives at the Prepaid Card Expo said.

Western Union Co. has rolled out a mobile Web version of its foreign-exchange payment service that enables small and midsize businesses with international ties to conduct transactions using smartphones.

Heartland Payment Systems Inc. said that although it generally favors hardware-based payment security systems, it is supporting Acculynk Inc.'s PaySecure software because of the endorsements the technology has received from multiple debit networks.

VyStar Credit Union is expanding its automated teller machine operations in northeast Florida through an agreement with Cardtronics Inc.

NFC Data Inc. is reintroducing the key fob form to contactless payments with its Sqwizz mobile decoupled debit card.

Heartland Payment Systems Inc. has entered into an agreement with Acculynk Inc. to offer its PaySecure payment product to online merchants.

Cardtronics Inc.'s Allpoint surcharge-free automated teller machine network has added more than 1,000 machines as part of a long-term agreement with Aptus Financial Inc.

HomeATM ePayment Solutions said it is finally gaining traction in the marketplace for its home card reader — because of the popularity of a reader made by Square Inc. and a coming reduction in debit card interchange fees.