Fintech

The Target data breach has sparked more awareness of card security issues, but nearly 90% of U.S. consumers responding to a Phoenix Marketing International survey don't know much about the EMV-chip cards Target and others are adopting to deter counterfeiting.

When mainstream banks reacted to Target's holiday-season breach by reissuing cards, their biggest worry was active accounts. But for a prepaid card issuer like Green Dot, the inactive cards on retailers' shelves were also a significant concern.

New York state is cracking down on online lenders that, it says, are using debit card transactions to skirt payday lending laws.

First Data reported a better financial picture in the first quarter, a period that also saw the company make inroads into small business technology and accelerate its support of EMV-chip card technology.

Key decision makers in the payments industry recently gathered for SourceMedia's 2014 Card Forum and Expo. They discussed the trends shaping the industry and their own strategies for surviving the challenges ahead. Here are a few highlights.

U.S. Bank's addition of "instant" person to person payments is a response to consumer expectations: If mobile payments are supposed to replace cash, they should be as fast as cash.

Target Corp.'s choice to work with MasterCard Inc. for chip-and-PIN credit and debit cards next year makes a strong statement about payment security.

The debit networks and card brands have largely resolved two years of debate over routing EMV debit cards, but an ongoing court battle over debit fees and routing makes the full scope of their responsibilities unclear.

Consumer travel is a growing opportunity for prepaid, although it is growing more rapidly overseas than in the United States, according to Bertrand Sosa, president of Rev Worldwide, a payment provider focusing on the underserved market.

U.S. Bank will enable real-time person-to-person payments through Fiserv's Popmoney.