Venture funding

Gift card giant Blackhawk Network will be acquired by the tech investment firm Silver Lake, along with P2 Capital Partners, for $3.5 billion in a move underscoring investor interest in the shift to mobile digital technology, where Blackhawk devoted millions in recent years.

Venture capitalist Spiros Margaris offers a level-headed perspective on the hotly debated cryptocurrency alternative to traditional methods for funding young companies.

The New York company, which offers loans and provides personal finance advice, plans to expand its product line and invest in new technology with the funds.

Swedish payments company iZettle AB is said to be open to a sale as an alternative to preparing for an initial public offering, in a so-called dual-track process, according to a person familiar with the company's plans.

Rather than charge set fees, Aspiration offers customers name-your-fee accounts and donates to charities based on the amount of money it makes.

In a rare show of public support for a security technology, the banks are leading a $40 million funding round for Menlo Security, provider of browser technology that keeps malware at bay — and they’re using it, too.

One of the world's largest bitcoin exchanges, bitFlyer, has landed in the U.S. with a focus on institutional investors — a move that suggests bitcoin's days as a payments instrument are still a long way off.

The digitally driven retail environment has caused lots of adapt-or-die challenges for payment processors and merchant acquirers, including spotting fraud as it moves from one device and channel to another.

Tech startups differ from a bank’s typical commercial clients; many want a trusted financial adviser.

PayStand, a blockchain business-to-business payments platform, has completed a $6 million funding round through BlueRun Ventures.