Fintech

WICHITA, Kan. – Kansas credit unions, including seven in the Wichita area, gave away cash and gift cards yesterday, part of a “cash mob” staged as part of International Credit Union Month.

Simple, which provides financial services primarily through online and mobile channels, plans to launch two mobile person-to-person payments systems.

Less than two months after launching Evolve Money for cash-paying consumers to pay and track bills online or through a smartphone, PreCash Inc. has its first wireless carrier supporting the app.

Groupon's strategy in mobile payments relies heavily on the feedback it gets from its merchants. The company's latest update to the Breadcrumb POS mobile payment app allows those merchants to get similar knowledge about their own customers' needs.

Eataly, an international Italian food seller, will offer cooking lessons, tours, recipes signed by famous Italian chefs, and other perks to MasterCard customers.

Merchants are often wary of investing in a new point of sale terminal when even newer technology may be just around the corner. Spire Payments aims to ease their concerns by offering a developer-friendly system designed to adapt quickly.

Two payments industry veterans have come up with a way to make mobile phones and terminals communicate wirelessly without a conventional wireless or Near Field Communication signal.

Walgreen Co.'s new Balance Financial Prepaid MasterCard will be at the core of a series of financial services the retailer plans to offer over the next few months.

MasterCard and CB Bank will offer prepaid travel cards to Myanmar residents for international travel.

In its digital payments strategy, American Express is placing more bets on cash. The card network plans to add a free cash reload option for its Serve prepaid digital wallet, reducing its reliance on Green Dot's MoneyPak reload cards. Amex is also adding several features that broaden the functions of the Serve account, and plans a $1 monthly fee that can be waived with direct deposits.