Bank technology

SoftBank Telecom Corp. has introduced a "cloud" technology transaction clearing service in Japan. The Tokyo payments technology vendor said the service, which went live July 5, is the first to deliver such payments capabilities through a remote cloud system in Japan.

Merchants need not retain cards' full, 16-digit account numbers to resolve disputes, even though some acquirers and processors say otherwise, according to Visa Inc.

By offering a mobile service that addresses a common need, JPMorgan Chase & Co. might also get people to use their phones for a type of payment of which few people are even aware.

Spending by international visitors in South Africa on Visa-branded cards soared as consumers prepared for and watched the FIFA World Cup, according to cardholder spending data released Wednesday by Visa Inc.

MOL Global Bhd. has agreed to resell Facebook credits, simplifying the purchasing process for people in Asia who want to buy virtual goods, such as online games and applications.

Online banking has evolved from a supportive role to more strategic roles in brand enrichment, market share, cost reduction and customer relationships.

Bank of America Corp. is charging some customers to receive their monthly statement in the mail, the industry's most aggressive move yet to encourage paperless banking.

More holes exposed in Apple's security practices; Microsoft's publicity stunt has strangers plucking strands of their own hair; Lady Gaga also a data thief's alibi?; and more.

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The total value loaded onto network-branded prepaid debit cards in the U.S. could reach $440 billion in 2017, nearly four times the $120.2 billion last year.

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Through an arrangement announced Monday by the Euro Alliance of Payment Schemes, people with girocard debit cards issued in Germany can now use them at the 63,000 automated teller machines connected to the U.K.'s Link electronic funds transfer network.

Discover Financial Services is making its network more useful for consumers in other countries by teaming up with the Serbian national payments network DinaCard.

The ice cream chain Cold Stone Creamery last week introduced an e-gifting service that lets people send a code through Facebook pages that can be redeemed at its 1,400 U.S. locations. The service is based on payments software developed by First Data Corp.

AT&T Inc. is moving into mobile payments. The Dallas telecommunications company will offer two payments applications from Apriva Inc. to its merchant customers.

Vietnam Export Import Commercial Joint Stock Bank has begun offering merchants there the ability to accept cards issued by JCB Co. Ltd. under an agreement the two companies signed last fall, according to JCB.

Habib Bank Ltd. in Karachi is planning to buy the credit card portfolio of Citibank Pakistan, according to published reports.

Bank of America Corp. hopes to improve the ability of its corporate clients to view their financial positions worldwide with its new Global Liquidity Platform.

Though the Chicago company is not abandoning its current business — selling card readers that plug into computers and let people make online PIN debit purchases — it is now developing an "anywhere commerce" model for on-the-go merchants such as flea market vendors who want to plug it into a mobile device to accept payments in the field.

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