Credit

During the second three months of this year, Visa Inc. continued to outperform MasterCard Worldwide in U.S. debit and credit card purchase volume, though true comparisons of their debit card programs are difficult because of the differences in how they report their data.

Bling Nation Ltd. soon will tap in to VeriFone Systems Inc.’s vast reseller network to extend point-of sale acceptance of Bling’s rewards-based contactless BlingTags, the companies announced Sept. 21. The deal also will help extend acceptance of PayPal, traditionally an online payment service, to brick-and-mortar retailers nationally.

With another solid quarter behind Discover Financial Services, the Riverwoods, Ill.- based company now says it is focused on increasing merchant acceptance of its cards, growing its Pulse PIN-debit network and boosting customer retention.

More consumers are using online banking bill-payment services to keep better control over their finances and to hold on to their money longer, suggest new research data from Fiserv Inc.

Loyola University in Chicago this fall plans to help make the areas around the campus safer by reducing the need for students to carry cash when the university updates its campus card program to include off-campus restaurants.

The Apple iPad is being hyped as the future of computing.

Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd. earlier this month rolled out an online-payment service to bolster inbound tourism to the country, an official from the Nairobi-based bank tells PaymentsSource.

China's largest mobile-network operator China Mobile is suspending its project involving an RFID-SIM, a mobile-payment technology based on the 2.4GHz standard for contactless payment, local media in China reported last week.

In what will be a landmark event for the heavily closeted banking sector in Myanmar, a private bank in that country reportedly soon will begin offering online-payment services in partnership with a government ministry.

SafetyPay Inc.’s recent partnership with Banco Nacional de Costa Rica will enable the bank’s customers to shop online more securely worldwide, Miami Beach, Fla.-based SafetyPay notes in a Sept. 15 announcement.

Mobile-payments firm RegaloCard LLC is bringing its card-based funds-transfer service to an additional 4,000 U.S. retail locations through a distribution agreement with iPayStation LLC, the companies announced Sept. 20.

Positive credit trends and an overall improvement of credit performance helped produce a strong fiscal third quarter for Discover Financial Services, the Riverwoods, Ill-based company announced Sept. 20.

SunTrust Banks Inc. says a system designed to make online purchases is also driving up the use of its online bill-pay service.

MoneyGram International Inc. has agreed to offer its payment services through the processor BillingTree Inc. under the brand PaynCash.

Discover Financial Services is continuing its push to ensure that future profitability is less dependent on plastic with its planned $600 million student loan acquisition.

New York lottery players could be losing more than just the price of a ticket on their weekly purchases.

First Data Corp.’s recently announced partnership with a South Korea-based technology company will help strengthen the transaction processor’s ability to support contactless payments in advance of Near Field Communication-enabled mobile payments, according to a First Data executive.

India’s ICICI Bank Ltd. has reached an agreement with Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. to launch a cobranded credit card, the Mumbai-based airline announced Sept. 15.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka is soliciting public comment on guidelines it has drafted for mobile-payment systems, an official from the bank tells PaymentsSource.The bank’s director of payments and settlements is accepting comments through Oct. 18, according to the official. “Our aim is to ensure safety and effectiveness of mobile-payment schemes,” he says. Under the draft guidelines, the central bank will allow mobile payments in Sri Lanka only through licensed banks, registered finance companies and custodian account-based systems operated by nonbank service providers. Banks and financial institutions would be allowed to offer mobile-payments services to their accountholders, which would allow customers to operate their accounts via their mobile phone. Under the custodian account-based system, mobile operators may open e-money accounts for customers and issue e-money in exchange for actual money from customers, according to the guidelines.The central bank would allow mobile-payment services to be conducted only in Sri Lanka rupees and only for domestic transactions, and providers must route all foreign inward remittances to mobile accounts through the custodian banks and credit them in rupees. The draft rules also would require mobile-payments providers to report any suspicious transactions based on the guidelines of the central bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit. The draft also requires providers to use security measures to prevent criminal activity while using Near Field Communication-based mobile-payment systems.

The Obama administration filed two trade cases Wednesday against China, covering electronic payments and steel duties, reports Bloomberg News.