Square Introduces New Invoice App; Apple Launches Credit Card: News Roundup
PaymentFacilitator’s News Roundup is a curated mix of the past week’s news and articles from around the web, including company announcements, global payments news, and other coverage and analysis of topics relevant to payment facilitators.
Big Brands Getting Bigger
Is 2019 the year for M&As? According to Wedbush Analyst Moshe Katri, it certainly seems so. Katri claims this year holds strong momentum for mergers and acquisitions that fall into two main categories. The first is “mega-deals,” like the Fiserv/First Data and FIS/Worldpay acquisitions. The second is centered around big global brands looking for integrated payments capabilities or expanding into niche SMB segments. For this he cites Amazon and JPMorgan Chase as examples. From Benzinga.
Apple edges into the credit space. The global technology guru has launched its first credit card. What makes it different from your standard card? For starters, it’s digital and accessed via the Apple Wallet App. And while there will be a physical card as well, it will have no card number, CVV or expiration date. All this is stored in the app itself. The card can be used anywhere Apple Pay is accepted and according to analysts, it has the potential to “disrupt everything” in the credit space. From The Verge.
Shopify continues quest towards retail hub for all merchants. The once online-only platform has since expanded its reach into the brick-and-mortar sector in an effort to become the central hub for all merchants – online and offline alike. In an effort to fuel its mission, the company has hired former head of UberEATS North America, Ian Black. From Betakit.
Mswipe goes retail. The Mumbai-based PF is planning on venturing into the organized retail sector by adding a few frills to their card transactions. Inventory management and billing will be offered as functionality in tandem with credit card processing and this will put Mswipe in competition with players such as Paytm and Reliance Jio Infocomm – both of which are attempting to shake up the offline payments space. From ET Tech.
To Swipe or Not to Swipe?
Sweden pushes for cash. As the Nordic nation sails full steam ahead into a cashless society, Sweden is expected to force through a proposal that will require banks to keep offering cash to those customers that require it. Key lawmakers suspect the government will seek to enact legislation that has been categorized as “potentially illegal” by the banking industry. From Bloomberg.
Data Demise
Data disagreements impact Shopify and Mailchimp relationship. In what way? The two are currently taking a break, so to speak. Shopify has cut off Mailchimp from its app store due to a disagreement in the management of their shared customer data. And both sides are blaming each other. But according to some, this is just one of many battles to come this year in the realm of data and APIs. From ZDNet.
Startup Success
From grassroots to billionaire. MINDBODY mastermind Rick Stollmeyer just recently sold his garage-based startup for $1.9 billion. And in an interview for the DealMakers podcast, he goes into the story of how the SaaS digital payments space is booming with potential and what this journey looked like for him. From Forbes.
Industry News
Square: New Square Invoice App Takes the Worry and Work out of Getting Paid for Small Business
Worldpay: Worldpay Announces Australasian Expansion
Mastercard: Lazada and Mastercard Collaborate to Empower Brands and Sellers in eCommerce
First Data: First Data Acquires ayCash, a Leading Digital Merchant Network Services Provider in Germany
USA Technologies: USA Technologies Named Top 10 Retail Payment Consulting/Services Company for 2018