Fintech

Easycash Loyalty Solutions GmbH, an Ingenico SA company, has taken over the payment processing for French prepaid card issuer LaSer, strengthening a partnership that began a year ago, terminal maker Ingenico announced Nov. 21.

Microsoft Corp. insists the online service associated with the Xbox 360 video-game console did not experience a security breach despite some United Kingdom consumers who say they fell victim to a phishing scam tied to the system.

Soon, even unbanked consumers can accept payment cards.

Consumers who travel overseas may present the best opportunity for U.S. card issuers to roll out EMV chip cards and remain competitive in that market, according to Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance.

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam will deploy biometric ATMs in the Southeast Asian country of Brunei to increase banking convenience for it customers, the financial institution announced Nov. 10.

South Korea’s antitrust watchdog reportedly has launched a probe into whether banks and card networks manipulated the service fees they charge their customers, local newspaper the Korea Herald reported Nov. 20.

Retail shoppers who download a Shopkick Inc. mobile application on their smartphones to earn rewards points, or “kicks,” by walking into a store now may earn extra points by paying for purchases with a Visa-branded credit or debit card, Visa announced Nov. 21.

At least one merchant-funded rewards provider agrees the market is large enough to support two or three key players.

International funds-transfer providers have begun to acknowledge that most consumers in their remittance-heavy target markets use mobile phones as a primary tool. As such, services that require visits to a physical location or access to a personal computer are unlikely to catch on, some insiders say.

India’s top taxing authority officially has approved allowing consumers to pay their taxes at ATMs after many banks began offering the option to their customers.