Cards

The attention around tokenization — replacing static account numbers with a one-time-use token — has been good for security but worrying for businesses that rely on a static identifier for future reference.

Fallout from widespread data breaches hurts many payment industry sectors, but this year's tax-filing season brings fresh pain for the prepaid card industry, with new details out connecting prepaid cards with some of last year's biggest tax refund fraud busts.

The U.S. shift to EMV — once considered as viable as the U.S. shift to the metric system — is well underway. Here are some of the latest signs of progress, as well as some of the biggest pain points.

CU Anytime will upgrade its ATM management system to a software platform provided by NCR Corporation and INETCO Software.

Diebold acquired enough Wincor Nixdorf shares to complete the purchase of its German rival, a deal that creates a maker of cash machines and systems with more than $5 billion in sales.

Starbucks is prepared to launch a new Starbucks Rewards Prepaid Card with partner JPMorgan Chase, further strengthening its ongoing relationship with the bank.

Minneapolis' new transit deployment seems limited and even old school—it's a closed loop payment system that's only available on buses and not on the Twin Cities' expanding light rail system.

Many moons after the U.S. payment industry adopted a largely chip-and-signature approach to EMV instead of chip-and-PIN security that’s standard elsewhere, rising merchant chargebacks are leading some to question the wisdom of PIN-free payments.

Samsung is fond of using cash rewards to drive Samsung Pay signups, offering consumers $25 to $100 in recent months for enrolling a payment card in the handset maker's mobile wallet. But that strategy is not a fit for all card issuers, according to the fine print in the latest Samsung Pay promotion.

In a move that counters Sweden's reputation as a country that encourages its citizens to not use cash in the payments network, The National Bank of Sweden is asking regulators to make access to cash a legal right.

Uber is starting a pilot program on Thursday in San Francisco for its service, called Instant Pay. Drivers in the program sign up for a bank account with Green Dot Corp.'s GoBank, which usually costs $8.95 a month but is free if drivers make a deposit at least once every six months.

Thames Card Technology Ltd. is providing the plastic payment card production for startup "challenger bank" Mondo in the U.K. to test a debit card paired with a mobile banking app.

Bluetooth beacons — small nightlight-sized devices that can communicate with a mobile app as shoppers move throughout a store — may have the same potential for bank branches as they do for mega-retailers like Target Corp.

SVM LP, which provides gift cards for corporate promotions, incentives and loyalty programs, has acquired 1to1 Card, another operator in the same niche, the companies announced March 8.

Atlanta is flush with payment processors that handle more than 70% of the nation's transactions. These players now plan to expand their reach even further, hoping to make the southern city a fintech hub to rival Silicon Valley and New York.

A new Federal Reserve Bank report opens the door for retailer groups to push again for even lower transaction fees by deflating the argument that small banks have been harmed by the Durbin amendment's reduced debit transaction fees for larger banks.

NCR Corp. has customized a payment kiosk for E. Sun Bank in Taiwan, the first of its kind for the island nation.

A large investor in the prepaid card pioneer Green Dot plans to nominate three directors to the prepaid card company's board, as the activist investor group seeks to remove founder and Chief Executive Steve Streit.

German bank and payments provider Wirecard AG is issuing a new prepaid Visa card to consumers, calling it the first Simply One Visa product in the market to combine the functions of a traditional credit card with a V Pay debit card.