Merchant

The Trump administration is making more than 80 recommendations to encourage financial innovation within a regulated space, including endorsing the creation of a federal fintech charter.

Paying international suppliers through a bank portal is a painful, expensive process that creates unnecessary friction for burgeoning cross-border trade. There are better fintech alternatives, writes Karla Friede, CEO of Nvoicepay.

Visa has partnered with U.S.-based fintech novae to launch an omnichannel digital rewards platform for Visa card-issuing banks in Latin America and the Caribbean. The collaboration with San Francisco-based Novae is an example of the card network's open approach to fintech.

The announcement follows a news report that said it routinely and without notification charged higher rates than it initially quoted.

One way for acquirers and independent sales organizations to stand out in a highly competitive field is to devote a part of their business to worthy causes.

The company defended its prices for currency conversions after a report said employees boosted rates for some business customers without notifying them.

Kroger Co., the largest U.S. supermarket chain, said a California subsidiary will stop accepting Visa credit cards beginning next month in a dispute over swipe fees.

In its push to compete more directly with Amazon, Walmart has partnered with American Express, enabling its customers to earn and burn Amex’s Membership Rewards points for e-commerce purchases on Walmart.com.

In a post-Equifax world, independent sales organizations, acquirers and payment processors are under much more scrutiny over merchant account applications and underwriting.

Merchants looking at third-party fraud services should also for detailed information regarding their modus operandi and results, including the steps they take to protect clients' data, according to Bernardo Lustosa, co-founder and COO of ClearSale.