Credit

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.

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.

Google is extending AdWords Business Credit, a product-specific credit card created as an easier way to pay for online advertising campaigns, to the U.K. after testing it for over a year in the U.S.

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?

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.

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.

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?

Wells Fargo is offering its retail customers free access to their credit scores between now and Nov. 15.

JPMorgan Chase has been busy recently, announcing new rewards cards for AirTran and Hyatt customers.

Square, in an effort to boost the appeal of its Register app for merchants, is offering a new perk: marketing space on its own website.

Payleven has elbowed its way into the crowded mobile card-reader device playing field by offering a chip-and-PIN reader that will first debut in Europe near the end of October.

The key to the success of Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), the payments initiative formed by major retailers, may be merchants' motivation to stay in control of their customer relationships.

Investors on occasion are willing to roll the dice, but more often they support companies with potential for a powerful first step in the marketplace. They do not place Near Field Communication payments technology in either category.

Starbucks plans to accept purchases from the Square mobile wallet beginning next month, and it also plans to list all 7,000 of its company-owned stores in the Square directory, the Seattle-based coffee seller said.