POS and Retail

Group of merchants who accept the digital currency Bitcoin are planning their own Black Friday ahead of the holiday shopping season.

About a year and a half ago, Merchant Data Systems Inc. started a college internship program in an attempt to attract younger workers to the firm.

Tim Murphy, chief product officer at MasterCard Inc., spoke to PaymentsSource about why the industry needs the EMV standard, as well as the various challenges facing his company as the payments ecosystem moves into a new, technology-driven era.

Payment processing technology provider SecureNet has launched an instant merchant account boarding software that allows the merchant to begin accepting payments immediately, rather than endure a two-day wait.

As Isis launched its long-awaited mobile wallet test in Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas, many people flocked to try it out — and quickly reported their impressions over Twitter.

Barnes & Noble has informed federal law enforcement authorities that "a sophisticated criminal effort" has potentially exposed customers' credit and debit card information to hackers who tampered with PIN pad devices at 63 of its stores.

Square, which has been promising to expand internationally since it received a $25 million investment from Starbucks, said today it is making its mobile-pay product available in Canada.

The processor Total System Services Inc. has been through lot in its nearly three decades of existence, but nothing compares to the state of the payments industry today.

Total System Systems, or TSYS, is reselling a new loyalty scheme that uses consumer-behavior data to shape individualized rewards.

My Clear Reports is adding a mobile application to the virtual business center it offers to merchants and independent sales organizations.

LightSpeed Retail Inc. is integrating the Genius Customer Engagement Device into its online point of sale systems to help retailers prepare for the payments industry’s uncertain future.

Elavon and Banco Santander have expanded their existing relationship by agreeing to establish a payment services joint venture together in Spain.

Is tiny the next big thing for independent sales organizations? That’s the dilemma ISOs have been facing ever since Square Inc. came on the scene two years ago, promoting card acceptance to babysitters, gardeners and yard-sale entrepreneurs.

Many payment products started out as something else, and many payment execs came to the industry from different backgrounds.

SignaPay, a Dallas-based independent sales organization, has acquired Equity Commerce LP, creating a combined entity with enhanced financial strength, multiple processing platforms and a number of sponsor banks.

Giving merchants technical support whenever they need it — as opposed to a technology-based tool — is a lesson that’s taken on greater significance as FrontStream develops its product to compete with Square.

Internet connectivity has become an imperative for U.S. small businesses, yet most companies lack formal policies for Internet security and even fewer have contingency plans in the event of a security breach that could expose payment-card and other data.

PayPal's embrace of independent sales organizations could signal a trend among the payment industry's new players — but not necessarily right away.

Many third-party mobile payment providers, such as Google and Isis, are seeking bank partners for their mobile wallets. Should banks agree to their terms or go it alone?

If mobile payments can be presented as an opportunity for merchants and point of sale developers, rather than a disruptive threat, the attitude will speed adoption and provide consumers with a better experience, according to Matt Cicciari of Merchant Warehouse.