Credit

China’s second-largest mobile-network operator China Unicom has begun offering a contactless mobile-payment service in Beijing.

Banks’ “all-in-one-place” marketing for online bill-payment services is helping them gain more customers who pay their credit card debts through their online-banking sites instead of through their issuers, new research findings suggest.

Banks’ “all-in-one-place” marketing for online bill-payment services is helping them gain more customers who pay their credit card debts through their online-banking sites instead of through their issuers, new research findings suggest.

U.S. consumer credit card portfolio sales were weak in 2010 as low demand drove the total number of deals down to merely a dozen, according to a report credit card consulting firm R.K. Hammer released Jan. 10.

U.S. credit card borrowers shed $4.2 billion in debt in November as the pool of total overall outstanding revolving receivables continued a decline that began in the fall of 2008, according to a Federal Reserve G.19 report on consumer credit released Jan. 7.

American Express Co. has appointed Toby Eduardo Redshaw executive vice president and chief information officer, replacing Stephen Squeri, who was promoted. Redshaw previously was global chief information officer for Aviva PLC.

Improved revenue growth in the Asia-Pacific region, Canada and the United States provided a welcome fiscal second-quarter boost for Global Payments Inc. But the merchant processor was unable to turn the rise in year-over-year revenue into a concurrent boost in net income, as one-time charges related to a reduction in employees in Canada affected company earnings.

Average U.S. consumer bankcard and private-label credit card charge-offs fell again in November, and that trend may continue into this year, according to new data Fitch Ratings Inc. released Jan. 4.

U.S. consumers would be able to use their smartphones to pay, collect and redeem coupons, and price-compare products and services both online and in stores under a partnership deal ARS Interactive and CellPoint Mobile announced Jan. 6.

Qatar Airways Ltd. and DataFlight Europe AS are collaborating to enable authorized bankcard acceptance onboard flights for duty-free purchases, the Doha-based airline announced last month.

Bank of Baroda Ltd. has entered into a proposed credit card joint-venture agreement with Spain’s Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, the India-based bank announced in a Dec. 16 filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Fifth Third Processing Solutions LLC will supply funds-transfer and other services to First Cheyenne Federal Credit Union through an agreement the Cincinnati-based processor announced Jan. 6.

Jamaica police reportedly have arrested four men allegedly involved in a credit and debit card fraud ring.

Person-to-person payments systems are maturing into a business tool.

Visa Inc. says it has made upgrades to its Advanced Authorization antifraud system.

Fifth Third Bancorp later this year plans to launch CashEdge Inc.’s Popmoney electronic-payment service, which enables consumers to transfer funds to another person’s bank account through the automated clearinghouse system, the companies announced Jan. 5.

Bank of Ceylon Ltd. plans soon to begin issuing a credit card designed for state employees in the country as part of the government's e-governance program, a spokesperson for the Sri Lankan bank tells PaymentsSource.

Online payment provider SafetyPay Inc. has inked a deal with the Brazil-based bank Banrisul to enable the bank’s 3 million customers to use its platform to make online purchases from international merchants, the firm announced Jan. 5.

Consumer confidence surprisingly fell in December, hurt by rising fears about the jobs market, according to a report released in late December by a private industry group.

U.S. online sales volume reached a record $32.6 billion during the 2010 holiday shopping season, up 12% from $29.1 million during the corresponding period a year earlier, according to data comScore Inc. released Jan. 5. ComScore’s data reflect e-commerce sales during the period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31.