Payment processing

Lawmakers are looking into removing the roadblock that currently exists in California for mobile-pay startups that either can't afford the compliance costs for state licensing or define themselves as Web-based marketplaces, rather than true money transmitters.

B+S, a German payment processor, will provide services that would give merchants in the UK the ability to accept card payments from Chinese tourists making purchases.

U.S. Bancorp's global payment subsidiary Elavon is opening a mobile innovation center at its Atlanta headquarters to build technology for merchants.

PayPal's recent updates to its software tools for developers provide a clue to its long-term plans for the Card.io, the mobile payments tech provider PayPal bought last year.

Doug Bergeron's departure as CEO of VeriFone comes at a time when the point of sale terminal manufacturer disclosed that it has engaged in business dealings with Iran that may have been prohibited by recently enacted sanctions against the Middle Eastern country, as well as a recently filed shareholder lawsuit alleging securities fraud.

Doug Bergeron will step down from his roles as CEO and a board member at VeriFone, effective March 12, the point of sale terminal maker said today.

Payment systems provider ACI Worldwide has completed its acquisition of Online Resources Corp. in an all cash transaction for $3.85 per share—a deal that adds payments and financial services bulk to ACI.

Michael Duffy, president of Chase Paymentech, passed away Thursday night. He was 54. Dan Charron, the executive vice president of client services, has assumed the role of acting head of the Dallas-based merchant acquirer subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase.

Vacation property rental companies and bed-and-breakfast operators will now be able to accept online payments as they book clients through cloud-based WebReserv.com.

Many times, marketing constraints can slow financial institutions' rollout of Fiserv's SpotPay card readers. Fiserv's new spotpay.com website addresses this concern without compromising the vendor's mission of offering the device almost exclusively through banks and credit unions.

PayOne's lawsuit against Home Depot over its use of PayPal's point of sale payments technology is not the first legal battle PayOne has pursued with an entity tied to PayPal — and, the company says, it may not be the last.

BitPay, which processes payments for merchants in the decentralized digital currency Bitcoin, said Monday it recently secured capital from a group of investors that includes Ben Davenport, a software engineer at Facebook; A-Grade Investments, a venture-capital firm that includes Ashton Kutcher; and Trace Mayer, an entrepreneur and blogger.

Payments processor Elavon has formed a division, the Professional Services unit, to help merchants cut costs.

First Data is providing the technology that underpins Foursquare's recent enhancements to its deals service, which allows credit and debit card holders to link their accounts to Foursquare's social network.

A state regulatory body has issued a cease-and-desist order to Square Inc., claiming that the San Francisco-based company is handling payments in Illinois without a license in place to do so.

Spire Payments has purchased Thyron Payments Systems in a deal that will allow Spire to support chip-and-PIN and mobile payments alongside the new Spire payment terminals that are due to roll out in the second quarter.

Crowdfunding technology provider Indiegogo has hired Adyen to provide online payments processing for Indiegogo’s international customers starting with Europe and Canada.

Many merchants still don't take credit or debit cards, usually because of the cost. Two-year-old Plastiq aims to help these holdouts by shifting the cost of card acceptance to the consumer.

A New Jersey appeals court affirmed the airline industry's right to refuse cash in-flight, validating a strategy that began when airlines first accepted credit and debit cards onboard planes in the mid-2000s.

Merchant-funded rewards provider fisoc hopes the communal element of Facebook mixed with special card offers can drive repeat payments volume for small merchants focused on their local communities.