Merchant

A debate is brewing about whether rising rates mean banks must pay more to hold onto deposits from city and county governments — and whether they are worth it. Some would say no question on both counts, while others say it all depends on the financial strategy of the client and how badly the bank needs that client.

Square burst on the payments scene nine years ago with a card reader that allowed small merchants to accept plastic card payments through their mobile devices. Its Square Cash app received considerably less fanfare — until now.

The rise of online and mobile commerce is forcing merchants to rapidly re-engineer their checkout options, while keeping an eye on emerging models that leverage artificial intelligence to streamline shopping — or bypass the store checkout process altogether, like Amazon Go.

The company’s shares have more than doubled in the past year, as investors have become more positive about its earnings potential in targeting bigger businesses.

The bank will spend an additional $1.4 billion on technology in 2018 to gain share and boost efficiency, executives said Tuesday. But they were peppered with questions about whether the big investment will yield a big financial return down the road.

As mobile technology improves and PayPal's in-store network gets larger, it is looking for more customized options to engage consumers.

The move is aimed at boosting services avaialble to the credit union service organization's member-owners.

Backed by the Clover platform, merchants using the devices can manage their businesses in real-time over an online backend portal that can be accessed from a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Consumers aren't leaving without paying, but are paying through an app that avoids the point of sale.

OEM and other mobile payments can feed sales, marketing and recurring transactions for lenders, according to Steve Yi, co-founder and CEO of MediaAlpha.