Online payments

Atos is studying potential acquisitions to help make the French computer-services supplier's Worldline unit Europe's biggest payments company.

Andrea Scerch is the new president of DataCash, an e-commerce payments company MasterCard acquired in 2010. Scerch replaces Ajay Bhalla, who is taking on a larger role at MasterCard.

Online PIN debit provider Acculynk now allows U.S. merchants to accept China UnionPay payments online.

PayPal's freshly announced support of in-app payments for Uber and McDonald's illustrate that the eBay unit is fast adapting to a world that demands more of its payments technology vendors.

The Chinese online payment provider Alipay has added a number of security products from CyberSouce, a Visa-owned e-commerce management provider.

Retail website developer Weebly is using Stripe's technology to add shopping and payments capabilities to the sites it supports for small merchants.

Virtual Piggy, which offers a payment system for teens, is integrating with Payelp Global's e-commerce platform to offer its services to Payelp's network of online merchants.

Western Union has launched a transactional website in Russia, extending its Internet transaction network to 24 countries.

Former First Data CFO Cheryl King will assume the same position at PaySpan, a health care payment automation company.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) has purchased technology from ACI Worldwide to support integrated mobile, Web, interactive voice response, call center and electronic lockbox payment options.

SaaS-based technology provides a blended approach to remittance processing that enables financial institutions to outsource infrastructure responsibilities, while retaining the management of transaction processing, bank deposits and receivable updates.

Requiring customers to sign up for online banking before they can enroll in mobile could deter would-be digital customers from some transactions.

This month, Microsoft and Sony are launching new machines with a whole new take on games, movies — and payments. And they're not the only ones applying video game strategies to the payments industry.

MasterCard Inc. has partnered with the apparel seller J. Crew to target "digital mom" shoppers with the MasterPass digital wallet.

Xoom Corp. has expanded its bill-paying services in the Philippines through a partnership with the Bayad Center.

CyberSource, a Visa e-commerce subsidiary, has partnered with Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao (BCEL), Laos' largest commercial bank, to provide online payment services to merchants.

Sony Corp. now lets PlayStation 3 owners fund their game and media purchases with PayPal accounts directly from their video game consoles.

Visa, which reports its fraud rate is at a historic low of 6 cents for every hundred dollars processed, is positioning itself as a safe haven for payments services.

PayPal is offering to waive $50,000 in processing fees for startups designing mobile or Web-based services through the eBay unit's Startup Blueprint Program.

Consumers are using retailer discounts linked to their payment cards, but banks and merchants have to simplify the deals and make sure their customers are aware of them.