Economy

CardConnect has developed a “one-stop” merchant portal that combines authorization and settlement data to help retailers track and manage transactions.

Square plans to offer a version of its mobile card reader that can read EMV-chip cards, but the added security may come at a cost.

Westpac New Zealand plans to leverage mobile technology on several fronts in the coming year, powering contactless payments while maintaining more control over customer relationships than it would have if it signed on to a telco-led venture.

Mobile devices like tablets and smartphones are helping retailers increase profits, boost productivity and reduce costs.

Apple has big plans for payments, but it's not outspoken about what they are. However, more of its behind-the-scenes efforts are starting to leak; these six reports came in just the past two months.

Operation Choke Point, the federal government’s initiative to use the payments industry to thwart merchant fraud, is forcing ISOs to cope with lawsuits, subpoenas and uncertainty.

Mobile payments now account for over 15% of transactions in U.S. company-operated Starbucks stores, where the company accepts an average of six million mobile transactions every week. This is a sharp increase from a year ago.

Facebook, which hired PayPal president David Marcus to run its Messenger business last month, has shed some light on how Marcus' expertise will play a role.

LOMBARD, Ill.—The Justice Department’s Operation Choke Point is making life difficult for certain types of merchants by intimidating the payments industry into denying transaction services, say's the ETA's Jason Oxman.

LOMBARD, Ill.—ISOs and agents face a crowded, confused marketplace where some of the last hold-outs are now accepting cards for payments, according to Kevin Jones, president and CEO of Anovia Payments.

Amazon has released a beta version of an Amazon Wallet App that is currently focused on shopping and discounts, though it could serve as a launch pad for mobile payments.

The newly rebranded Visa Checkout is the latest of the card network's attempts to create a more streamlined, digital payment process that moves past the plastic card. Visa and Visa Europe have embarked on many projects around the globe in recent years, targeting e-commerce, mobile payments, P2P and other use cases.

The Justice Department's Operation Choke Point isn't really about combatting fraud, says Jason Oxman, CEO of the Electronic Transactions Association. Federal regulators simply don't like high-risk merchants, such as payday lenders and guns dealers, he says.

Twitter has agreed to buy CardSpring, a payments infrastructure company, to fuel the transformation of its service into a platform for online commerce.

Visa introduced a new digital payment system July 16 called Visa Checkout, replacing the V.me digital wallet that formally launched in 2012. The idea is to move away from the "digital wallet" concept and convey a message of simplicity.

Apple has launched an automated account loading feature in Japan, a product that eliminates the need for plastic gift cards and may signal the beginnings of a pure digital wallet.

Clearent processed $4.4 billion in transaction volume last year, an increase of 61% over the previous 12 months.

BitPay, a Bitcoin merchant services provider, has launched a referral program to provide incentives to digital currency enthusiasts who sign up small merchants.

American Express’ network rules have deterred Discover from using lower interchange rates to lure more merchants, a high-ranking Discover executive testified in federal court.