Payments


How many sides can you put on a coin?

There are two sides to every coin, but with Bitcoin those sides simply could not be farther apart. Its promise is extraordinary: for those afraid of inflation, it is gold redux, while for those who hate exchange rates, it is a way to pay internationally. For merchants it is a way of avoiding high transaction fees and for former Presidential hopeful Ron Paul, it is the destruction of the US Dollar.

Blog: Intelligent Interactions Improve Customer Service, Boost Loyalty

While there are now a dozen ways to build and maintain relationships with customers, many organizations often still treat these channels as separate silos, creating a disjointed customer care experience. By sharing data across channels, you’re more likely to have less frustrated, more loyal customers.

Viewpoint: The Future of HSAs

How employees are using their accounts can have a dramatic impact on an employer’s overall HSA strategy and benefit plan. As we approach the 10th anniversary of the enabling legislation for HSAs, the industry, employers and brokers/agents all have the opportunity to move HSAs forward with the use of insightful reporting and analytical tools.

Blog: 2014—Diversification for E-Money

2014 is shaping up to be a big year for e-money and those players with the ability to spot opportunities (think loyalty and mobile), and the agility to react to them, will increase market share and thrive.

Mobile Solutions Can Assist Underbanked Consumers

According to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, innovative mobile banking features can help underserved consumers obtain safe, secure and convenient options that foster financial inclusion.

Retailer Group to Appeal Card Fee Settlement

In the latest development of the ongoing credit card interchange fee dispute between merchants and Visa and MasterCard, the National Retail Federation (NRF) has appealed a $5.7 billion settlement with the payment card networks.

U.S. Appeals Court Panel Hears Arguments on Interchange Rate-Cap Dispute (Jan. 21, 2014)

Three judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. convened last Friday to ask questions of lawyers representing debit card issuers, the Federal Reserve and merchants, as the panel weighs the Fed’s appeal of a lawsuit vacating its rule capping debit interchange rates at 21 cents in 2011, in accordance with the Durbin Amendment in the Dodd-Frank Act.

Five Minutes with First Data

Paybefore chats with First Data’s Ben Love to get some insight into the company’s recent moves, as well as the future of payments.

TD Bank Launches Teen Card (Jan. 16, 2014)

TD Bank, the Cherry Hill, N.J.-based subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, has launched a Visa-branded GPR prepaid card for teenagers—giving them the ability to make purchases in stores and online and enabling parents to track spending and set limits.

An Inside Look at the CFPB (Jan. 14, 2014)

As the payments industry awaits new rules on GPR prepaid cards set to be issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in May, an in-depth piece in Sunday’s Washington Post offers a fascinating look at the inner workings of the agency—and valuable insights into the CFPB’s origins, culture and motivations.

Scope of Target Data Breach Widens; Neiman Marcus Also Hit (Jan. 13, 2014)

The scope of the data breach Target Corp. initially disclosed last month has expanded from 40 million credit and debit card customers to as many as 70 million more Target customers whose names, mailing addresses, phone numbers or emails may have been exposed, the retailer said on Jan. 10. The second set of data, which […]

RBC, Bell Wallet Now Live in Canada (Jan. 13, 2014)

Royal Bank of Canada and telecom provider Bell Canada have gone live with a mobile payment system that enables RBC customers to make purchases online and in stores using NFC-compatible smartphones over Bell’s mobile network.