POS and Retail

With the card issuer mandate for EMV-ready merchants around the corner, are you prepared?

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed a massive lawsuit against more than a dozen debt collectors, payment processors and related entities that the agency said failed to detect fraudulent collection tactics.

CHICAGO -- A gender disconnect in mobile payments is emerging as one of the persistent obstacles to the new technology.

Convinced that consumers know the Brink's name and associate it with strong security, prepaid card provider NetSpend has launched a Brink's-branded prepaid card.

Come October, all payment card issuers, merchants and acquirers will have to make the switch to the EMV standards. Any party that doesn’t go through with the upgrade by the deadline will likely experience an increase in fraudulent payment card liability.

Square's heavy focus on merchant services now includes introductory marketing tools aimed at small businesses already using the mobile point of sale company to email coupons to customers based on how often they visit a store.

While business to business (B2B) e-commerce offers tremendous opportunities to drive business growth, it is a complex landscape filled with multiple currencies, languages, tax codes and regulations.

Recent cyber-attacks on the protocol that has long secured Web connections and, more recently, payment applications are pushing the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council to issue an update with strong implications for e-commerce sellers.

The payments environment is undergoing unprecedented change, yet many banks and payment companies are saddled with aging infrastructure which makes it costly to support new products and features. Additionally, fragmented governance and siloed business units running disparate payments operations can stifle innovation.

As digital technology has reshaped the acquiring business, some of the industry's biggest names are making splashy investments in mobile payments and merchant marketing.

Seeking online merchants that are angry about fraud-related chargeback expense, Kount and Ethoca are partnering to tip off businesses about payment cards that have a track record of suspect transactions.

Payment companies need to pay attention to social payments, which will get a major boost as consumers get more comfortable with mobile transactions.

While Apple Pay has won the buzz war since its launch in October, Samsung’s mobile payment initiative is poised for higher use at retailers, according to Mike Cook, a senior vice president and assistant treasurer at Wal-Mart Stores.

The Merchant Customer Exchange's mobile payment app is developing slower than expected, but the venture has advantages that should allow it to avoid harm from the delay.

Davis + Henderson in Toronto has agreed to buy global payments solutions firm Fundtech.

The prepaid industry is maturing, and leaders are providers that have maintained product flexibility and innovation and married it with the processes, technology, compliance and user experience that is needed in today’s dynamic marketplace.

At a time when many independent sales organizations feel threatened by disruptors like Square and Groupon, which sell directly to merchants, Verifone is relying more on ISOs to extend its offerings to smaller stores.

Geopolitical and regulatory risks are rampant in Europe, but Visa Europe is well positioned to weather the storm.

The launch of Apple Pay late last year was bound to shake up the crowded and fragmented mobile payments market. Banks now face more pressure to make the right plays in this space or else lose their customers.

Throughout the U.S., many companies are still not covering the essentials when protecting their systems, but the enemy is getting increasingly sophisticated and relentless, Visa's risk chief said.