Credit

China UnionPay is expanding where holders of its branded cards may shop to include more than 8 million online merchants based overseas, the card network announced Dec. 27.

Impending service slowdowns at the U.S. Post Service could provide a boost to bankers.

As banks look for ways to get revenue from free services like bill pay, they risk becoming a target of public outcry, as Verizon Wireless did over its planned $2 fee for certain bill payments.

The recent discovery of payment-terminal tampering at 24 outlets of California’s Lucky Supermarkets chain is raising fresh questions about the possible role of insiders in such highly coordinated crimes.

In a trend that gained strength the past year, payments and fraud-protection software and hardware providers continue to view Latin America as a land of opportunity.

A court in the United Arab Emirates has passed a landmark card-fraud judgment, laying the legal ground rules for the responsibilities of all involved parties, including card issuers, cardholders and merchants.

With all eyes on Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as a potential disruptive force in the banking world, some might overlook major recent innovations coming out of the No. 2 retailer, Target Corp.

South Korea plans to govern credit card issuance more strictly by enforcing a new set of applicant requirements, the country’s two top financial watchdogs–the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service–announced Dec. 26.

Verizon Wireless plans next month to impose a $2 fee for every payment subscribers make over the phone or online with their credit cards, the telecommunication company announced Dec. 30.

The wild gyrations in credit card charge-off rates of the last two years is finally subsiding, providing more certainty for bankcard issuers planning their loan-loss contingency funds for 2012.

Security managers guarding bank account, credit and debit card data should take protective measures up a notch in 2012, new research suggests. Perhaps even two notches.

China UnionPay has signed an agreement with BesTV Network Television Technology Development Co. Ltd. to support bill payments initiated on consumers’ televisions. But it faces a market that is becoming less reliant on TV for information.

Alipay (China) Technology Co. Ltd. has expanded the scope of its existing collaborative agreement with China Everbright Bank Ltd., the companies announced earlier this month.

Zil Bareisis knows all too well why the British government is considering a ban on credit card surcharges that shock consumers purchasing tickets or products online.

In the realm of payment card data security, 2011 qualifies as the year in which “more” became a key term on many levels.

Banks are starting to take a closer look at the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, though its rules do not take effect until 2013.

Developing systems to help doctors expand patient-payment channels–including accepting more credit and debit card payments–is a big challenge. But educating medical office staff and patients on how such systems work may be the toughest part of introducing new health care payment technology.

When Anthony Salas counted the number of point products and services that Anchor Bank was managing to drive its information-technology infrastructure, the number was far more than a dozen.

A Chinese ministry wants to cap the fees associated with accepting credit cards now that card penetration and spending in the country has made it financially feasible for card issuers and the country’s card network to support the limits.

The ongoing battle between low-cost airlines and the United Kingdom government over card surcharges reached a climax Dec. 23 when the country’s Office of Fair Trading announced plans to ban what it considers to be excessive fees across different travel and entertainment channels.