Cards

Card processor i2C Inc. has formed an alliance with Ecard, a prepaid debit card targeting travelers that's accepted on both Discover and China’s UnionPay network.

Uber launched a series of financial services to provide real-time wage payments and enhanced account features in a single app, seemingly putting Uber in the role of a digital bank.

Regulatory bodies are making modifications to disclosure requirements with greater frequency, requiring issuers to spend time and money to make updates across what is often a complex mixture of products, communications and channels, says Messagepoint's Fred Harding.

PSCU also found in its second-annual payments study that Americans were turning to debit cards over credit cards.

Issuers often offer several types of cards, but cling to older methods of communicating with users, contends BelWo's Doug Cox.

Technology companies like Square and Stripe have nimbly captured small-business share from banks that often overlooked the segment. Royal Bank of Canada is trying to respond through a mix of merchant services, tied to the national debit system and incentive marketing.

Payroll advance provider Branch has partnered with Mastercard and Evolve Bank & Trust to offer a debit card that allows hourly workers to instantly access a portion of their earned wages ahead of their periodic paycheck.

Government action and product advancements are giving consumers choice, but misperceptions remain, says the Innovative Payments Association's Brian Tate.

Intuit has partnered with Visa to enable QuickBooks users to get faster access to funds through Visa Direct, the network’s debit push payments service.

Following a two-year pilot, several Sri Lanka banks are rolling out co-branded credit and debit cards connecting LankaPay, the local payments network, with Japan’s JCB brand, extending the cards’ reach to any global merchant or ATM that accepts JCB.