Merchant

It’s higher stakes than usual for some of Amazon’s biggest rivals—including Walmart—as the e-commerce giant’s 48-hour Amazon Prime Day event nears.

The SEC is paying close attention to cryptocurrency, though its efforts may be counter to its priority to foster innovation and capital formation in the U.S., contends Bill Martin, a lawyer in the New York office of O'Melveny & Myers.

Finding a fast and easy way to receive payments remains a top priority for these businesses. And yet, they are frequently left out of the industry’s faster payments conversation, writes Steve Robert, co-founder and CEO of Autobooks.

Interchange rates on payments in the fuel and energy sectors can be so complicated that energy marketers can lose thousands of dollars a year because of mistakes they make in coding their authorized credit card transactions.

The Prime Day event is also a chance for Amazon to showcase a new range of devices and payment options — but in 2019, Amazon is making some key changes to how it asks its audience to shop.

Prepaid card and payments technology company InComm has acquired Meridian Loyalty, a full-service incentives business that caters to corporations.

Merchant acquirer Credorax has engaged money transfer company Small World Financial and other partners to cover a broader mix of banking and payment acceptance available to the companies' European clients.

Amazon is moving into new markets armed with local storage lockers and partnerships, while many traditional retailers still lack the proper online capabilities, claims Arik Shtilman, CEO and co-founder of Rapyd.

Sensing a profitable opportunity in an underserved market, a variety of companies — ranging from traditional banks to fintech startups and even Amazon — are rushing into selling secured credit cards and other products designed for consumers with poor or thin credit.

U.K.-based small business lender Capital on Tap has partnered with small business software provider Receipt Bank to launch a new credit card with access to credit lines.