Credit

Efforts to grow internationally appear to be paying off for Total System Services Inc., as are indications the economy is improving.

With another strong quarter under its belt, EBay Inc. plans to position its payment unit, made up of PayPal Inc. and Bill Me Later, as a global leader in online payments and to expand its presence across Asia, John Donahoe, eBay president and CEO, told analysts July 21 during a conference call to discuss second-quarter earnings.

SCHAUMBURG, ILL.–Square Inc., a startup company offering mobile point-of-sale payment-acceptance services, is willing to talk to merchant services sales agents and other distributors, but just not yet, according to the company’s CEO.

During a conference call with analysts July 21, Alliance Data Systems Corp.’s top executive reiterated the company’s view that its private-label credit cards serve as loyalty products designed to drive purchases at partnering merchants.

Total System Services Inc. has reached a deal to support Tesco Personal Finance PLC's portfolio of 2.4 million credit cards in the U.K.

American Express Co. is preparing for the future of payments.

Retailer-branded payment cards continue to proliferate worldwide, but the biggest growth opportunities are in Asia and Latin America, where penetration rates remain relatively low, according to a new report from Finaccord Ltd., a London-based financial services research and consulting firm.

Though the financial-reform bill President Obama signed into law this morning has “too many imponderables” to estimate its financial impact, Well Fargo & Co. likely will experience a combined $525 million pretax impact over the next two quarters from the effects of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act and new opt-in requirements for overdraft-protection programs, Howard Atkins, Wells chief financial officer, told analysts during a conference call this morning to discuss second-quarter earnings.

Private-label retail card issuer TD Retail Card Services on July 21 announced the Renovate Card, a store credit card specifically designed for independent home-furnishings retailers.

The government of Oman has taken further steps to enhance access to its e-Governance initiative designed to promote cashless transactions countrywide.

GSM Kazakhstan, also known as Kcell, has become the first mobile operator in Kazakhstan to offer its customers an online system to top up their prepaid mobile-phone accounts, the company announced in a July 20 statement.

WASHINGTON — President Obama signed into law Wednesday a sweeping overhaul of the nation's financial services system in a widely attended ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.

Credit conditions are improving for some of the top card issuers but the effects of new regulations and long-term unemployment will continue to challenge their portfolios' performance.

Merchants that struggle to pay for breach-related costs may find some help from their merchant acquirers.

MBNA Europe Bank Ltd., a subsidiary of Bank of America Corp., has launched an online service to enable consumers in the United Kingdom to compare MBNA-branded credit cards, the UK-based issuer announced July 13.

Kasikornbank Ltd. plans to embark on a Near-Field Communication payments trial in Thailand this month, an official from the Bangkok-based bank confirms to PaymentsSource.

Mopay Inc., a Germany-based mobile-payments company, has rolled out a service that enables online merchants to bill purchases on a consumer’s landline phone bill account.

Total System Services Inc. on July 20 announced the signing of a contract to support Tesco Bank’s portfolio of 2.4 million credit cards. Tesco, a supermarket bank with more than 6 million customer accounts, is the United Kingdom’s sixth-largest credit card provider.

Sterling Savings Bank has reached a deal to implement core banking software from Fidelity National Information Services Inc.

A payments security startup is trying to minimize compliance headaches for small online retailers through cloning — of webpages, that is.