Retailers

Point-of-sale terminals five years from now may not look much different from today’s devices, but big changes are anticipated for the software running on them, new research suggests.

Guest column

VeriFone Systems Inc.’s move to buy the point-of-sale terminal business of card maker Gemalto NV could be a good fit for the terminal maker, especially if its quest to buy rival Hypercom Corp. fails, analysts say.

VeriFone Systems Inc. and Gemalto on Oct. 20 announced a comprehensive strategic partnership.

After experiencing success with a similar initiative supported by MasterCard Worldwide, Online Resources Corp.’s efforts to encourage payment card acceptance by utilities is beginning to receive the backing of other card brands.

Total System Services Inc. this month announced new and extended payment-processing service agreements with three banks outside the U.S.

An Asian bank has started deploying the first of 26,000 Hypercom Corp. Optimum point-of-sale terminals in Indonesia, Hypercom announced Oct. 19.

Point-of-sale terminals five years from now may not look much different from today’s devices, but big changes are anticipated for the software running on them, new research suggests.

The association representing independent Little Caesars franchisees has endorsed Heartland Payment Systems Inc. for payroll and transaction-processing services.

Companies continue to release mobile point-of-sale acceptance services amid few, if any, signs of the trend abating.

Independent sales organizations and acquirers will have work to do because of the Federal Reserve Board’s impending regulations that will set policy for establishing “reasonable and proportional” debit card interchange rates, panelists at the Western States Acquirers Association conference in San Diego told attendees this week.

Mobile payments settled over the automated clearinghouse system officially have entered the mobile-payments space, but not without sparking debate.

Card-skimming attacks are on the rise this year as crooks devise relatively simple, inexpensive new ways to compromise payment terminals, the Payment Council Industry Security Standards Council’s top technology executive told attendees last week at SourceMedia Inc.’s ATM, Debit & Prepaid Forum.

Point-of-sale terminal maker VeriFone Systems Inc. says it will continue its attempts to buy Hypercom Corp., its Scottsdale, Ariz.-based rival, even though VeriFone’s $5.25-per-share offer is more than a $1 shy of Hypercom’s $6.35 closing price Tuesday.

Merchant acquirers once again may offer retailers dynamic currency conversion on Visa Inc.’s network now that the card brand has ended a six-month moratorium on expanded use of such services.

Global Payments Inc. this week reported $440.1 million in revenue for its fiscal first quarter ended Aug. 31, up 7.4% from $409.9 million in revenue during the same period last year.

Discover Financial Services said Wednesday that it had signed a merchant acquirer agreement with First National Bank Alaska.

Merchant acquirers once again will be able to offer merchants dynamic currency conversion on Visa Inc.’s network now that the card brand has ended a six-month moratorium on expanded use of such services.

Merchants wanting to integrate their transaction data into other business-management software have a new option.

VeriFone Systems Inc. said it is pressing ahead with its hostile takeover bid for Hypercom Corp., despite Hypercom's increasingly vocal rejection.