POS and Retail

No one affiliated with the Isis mobile payment initiative is saying exactly when the first testing in Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas will begin, but the venture is steadily tying its remaining loose ends.

U.S. payment-card industry rivals have decided to come together, at least for a few days, to better navigate the gargantuan task of migrating to the modern EMV chip-card standard by 2015.

Many small-business owners don't understand social media, and American Express Co. is making increasing efforts to instruct them in the best uses of such sites. A focus of Amex’s efforts is its forum on LinkedIn, where bird-supply vendor Mitch Rezman participates.

Merchants and ATMs in Nepal last month gradually began accepting cards issued by JCB International Co. Ltd. through partnerships with Himalayan Bank Ltd. and Alpine Card Service P. Ltd., Japan’s only global payment brand announced.

Juan Benitez, the new chief technology officer of Braintree Inc., expects to play a key role in the continued growth of the online and mobile payments provider.

Vivotech Inc. is restructuring its operations and reducing its workforce, the software and systems company announced July 27.

Chicago has become the second U.S. city to participate in MasterCard Worldwide’s Priceless Cities campaign.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency has extended the system-support services contract it has with Cubic Transportation Systems for the components of the agency’s universal fare system, Cubic announced July 27.

Heartland Payment Systems Inc. could have chosen any town in the United States for its “city immersion campaign” marketing push. So, why did it pick Lincoln, Neb.?

The National Grocers Association has joined other retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Target Corp. in voicing opposition to a recent agreement between merchants, Visa Inc. and MasterCard Worldwide and a number of large banks over credit card swipe fees.

Rollerblading may not be an Olympic sport, but it will play an important role for Spire Payments as it serves London clients in the Olympic Traffic Exclusion Zone during the summer games.

Global Payments Inc. has completed its investigation into the breach earlier this year of card data belonging to up to 1.5 million consumers, the merchant processor said today while reporting fiscal fourth-quarter earnings.

Gary Peterson used to discourage merchants from accepting Discover cards. He resented the card brand because its 800-member sales force competed with his independent sales organization. But those bad old days of the '90s have ended

As big companies lock horns to bring mobile wallets to the point of sale, smaller companies are focusing on a different opportunity — improving payments in mobile e-commerce.

TSYS' net income rose in the second quarter by 24.4%, to $68 million, from a year earlier as it prepares for a strong pipeline of new accounts.

Uncertainty plagues the acquiring business. Recently introduced disruptions include merchants' new freedom to quote interchange fees to consumers, and one company's claim to banish interchange entirely.

Isis is seeking independent sales organizations to promote mobile payments to merchants in a test of its mobile wallet this year in Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas.

Target Corp., one of the biggest retailers in the country, has joined groups that include the National Association of Convenience Stores in opposing the proposed $7.25 billion settlement of a lawsuit brought by a group of retailers against Visa and MasterCard and a dozen large banks.

CHICAGO — A small "sound off" session here Thursday at a trade show could signal the beginning of better communication between acquirers and the rest of the payment industry.

Security and compliance are still daunting issues for merchants. Phoenix Managed Networks hopes to ease this pain by offering its network security product to "hundreds of thousands" of merchants through a new partnership with Sysnet Global Solutions.