Credit

JPMorgan Chase & Co. agreed to acquire online coupon site Bloomspot Inc. for $35 million to bolster its credit card division, according to a memo.

Discover Financial Services Inc., the sixth-biggest U.S. credit-card lender, posted a fiscal fourth-quarter profit that missed analysts’ estimates as increased expenses offset a decline in soured loans.

The popularity of the Square payment-card reader has sparked a new market for accessories — smaller versions of the cases and sleeves people commonly buy for the iPhones which Square readers attach to.

Voltage Security, an encryption vendor, is touting Voltage Secure Stateless Tokenization technology, which the company says provides merchants and payment processors with a new approach to protecting card data.

American Express continues its move into a payments arena not often associated with the affluent customers served through the New York-based card network. It now accepts Amex card payments at gas stations commonly located in parking lots near Walmart stores.

The Electronic Transactions Association is remaining true to its original constituents in the acquiring business, even as it opens the doors to other types of companies, according to the trade group’s CEO.

Fulton Financial has agreed to sell a payments business to a Canadian payments processor and foreign exchange services provider.

Someone has paid tens of thousands of dollars for a piece of financial history that has borne billions of swipes and trillions in transactions.

Many payments startups face the difficult task of getting consumers to switch their lifelong habits. Waspit says college students are the best audience to target because they are tech-savvy and willing to experiment.

White House officials have approached American Express Co. CEO Kenneth Chenault about joining President Barack Obama’s second-term administration, possibly as Treasury secretary, according to two people familiar with the matter.

U.S. credit card holders continued to pay off their balances at historically strong rates in November, defying predictions that delinquencies would rise as the economy improves and card issuers take on more risk.

Irish-based Monex Financial Systems Ltd. is looking for American independent sales organizations interested in profiting from card transactions made here by visitors from abroad.

The alternative payments provider Dwolla has garnered much attention from its recent move to facilitate payments through Twitter, but the concept has been tried before — repeatedly, and with few success stories.

U.S. consumers have spent $33.8 billion at online merchants this holiday shopping season, representing a 13% increase over e-commerce spending during the same period last year, according to Internet usage analytics firm comScore.

First Data Corp. called 2012 the “year of universal commerce,” meaning commerce happens anywhere, anytime and on any type of device.

VeriFone Systems Inc., the largest maker of credit-card terminals, was sued by Creative Mobile Technologies LLC for more than $250 million over an agreement to place advertisements on screens in New York taxis.

Since Square launched its mobile card reader, VeriFone Systems has worked feverishly to slow its rival's runaway momentum. The news that VeriFone is changing its strategy with its Sail reader is the latest in a long line of assaults and retreats.

VeriFone Systems Inc., the largest maker of credit-card terminals, is moving away from competing directly with Square Inc. in mobile payments, according to David Talach, VeriFone’s vice president of industry engagement.

Visa Inc. attracted 50 banks and credit unions to its V.me digital wallet by offering a system that did not distance issuers from customer relationships and transaction data. But does the wallet hold the same appeal for the merchants that accept it?

Vente-Privee.com, the European online retailer that runs a U.S. site with American Express Co., said the proliferation of fashion outlets across America is challenging the company’s growth.