Cards

Any uncertainty in mobile wallet development fuels speculation in an industry anxious to see what shape mobile commerce will ultimately take. In this industry, products that make it even farther than where Isis is today don't always work out.

NEW YORK -- The American Booksellers Association announced yesterday that it is joining the National Association of Convenience Stores, the National Retail Federation, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, and other merchant groups opposing the proposed $7.25 billion settlement of a federal antitrust lawsuit over Visa and MasterCard credit card swipe fees.

As mobile banking and payments take off, self-service manufacturers such as Diebold are increasingly challenged to weave mobility into their ATM and kiosk technology.

Total System Services expanded its payments processing reach this week in Africa and Mexico.

Debit-card use grew over 2011 and 2010 for straightforward reasons: consumers wanted to reduce credit card debt and more merchants are willing to accept debit cards for small transactions.

A report that Square is near a deal to put its credit-card reader in more New York City taxis isn’t true, according to a statement from New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission.

MoneyGram won a judge’s permission to pay $10 million to settle a 2011 shareholder lawsuit over a company recapitalization plan.

Plastic cards or mobile phones remain popular devices for contactless payment technology developers, but the human wrist is not far behind.

Capital One knows how to integrate big bank purchases. But in the era of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, it’s facing new challenges as it swallows ING Direct and HSBC’s credit cards.

Many in the industry are starting to catch on to the concept that payments, while a critical foundation for mobile wallets, are taking a back seat to the sexier consumer-facing digital coupons, loyalty programs or targeted promotions through a mobile phone.

Heartland Payment Systems continued its mobile payment advancement, recently taking its Mobuyle card reader and software to Apple iOS mobile devices.

To cut the bank’s operating costs at branches, NCR is providing software to SunTrust to allow the bank to receive digital check deposits from multiple remote locations through one channel.

The LevelUp mobile payment system, best known for providing free incentives to consumers and free payment processing to merchants, picked up 4,000 merchants and 300,000 end users since its July 2011 inception. But with so much being given away for free, is there a future for the startup once its new clients become regulars?

NEW YORK – The Florida Retail Federation, which represents 7,000 merchants, today became the first group to officially ask the federal court here to reject the landmark antitrust settlement with Visa and MasterCard, calling the deal “an inadequate and unjust solution to a longstanding problem.”

MasterCard updated its Smart Data offering to help business owners save money by improving their visibility and access to analytics.

Merchants working with My Clear Reports can now sign up for Automated Clearing House products and services the vendor integrated from Checkgateway.

After years of providing financial services, Walmart is becoming an even fiercer bank competitor with the addition of American Express’s checking account alternative, the Bluebird prepaid card. 


New companies are constantly entering the payments industry, bringing not just new products but also new ways of doing business. And they don't always play nice.

Walmart and American Express jointly announced the launch of the Bluebird prepaid card, disproving rumors that the planned card had been scuttled.

PayPal was an early supporter of Bump, whose technology could simulate an NFC payment by moving money when users' phones sensed they were being tapped together. But PayPal dropped Bump from its mobile app this year. Where does this leave Bump?