Category: Archive | Page 34

Visa Makes QR Code Onboarding Simple

Visa took its turn this week announcing support for the new QR code specification recently released by industry standards body EMVCo.

Its Visa Ready Program supports the new interoperable standards, making onboarding simpler for merchants who want to implement the mobile POS solution, the company said. The program provides tools that allow banks, processors and payment facilitators more easily deploy the solution for their merchants.

Paysafe to Acquire MCPS, Receives Private Equity Offer

London-based payments technology provider Paysafe has been the poster child for activity in the payment processing space this week, as it looks to expand its services while receiving a possible offer from suitors of its own.

Paysafe, which also operates as a payment facilitator, announced that it has agreed to acquire Houston-based processor Merchants’ Choice Payment Solutions (MCPS) for $470 million.

QR Code Use Expanding with New Global Specification

In another sign that QR code payments are gaining ground globally, EMVCo has released its first QR code specification.

China’s payment network UnionPay, a member of EMVCo, led the working group that developed the specification, the company said in a press release, calling it “the first globally interoperable technical solution for QR code payment.”

U.K.: Contactless Payments Reach Halfway Point

Recent surveys from the U.K. again highlight the difference between the market for contactless cards there vs. in the U.S.

A survey from Barclaycard says that British consumers now use contactless payments for more than half (51%) of their transactions under the limit of 30£.

Enabling Cross-Border and Omnichannel Commerce: News Roundup

Much of the news over the past week has focused on enabling merchants to be everywhere. Several companies, including Wirecard and iZettle, have launched products to allow selling across borders using preferred local payments methods or unifying the consumer experience across mobile, e-commerce and the physical point of sale.

We also have news from Mastercard and an acquisition for Blackbaud in this week’s roundup.

Klarna Takes Disruption to the Banks in Europe

Stockholm-based Klarna has secured a banking license from the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority.

With this license, the company can operate as a bank across the European Union. And according to Klarna, securing the license makes it one of Europe’s largest banks right out of the gate, with 60 million customers.

The company sees itself as a formidable competitor to Europe’s banks.

Airbnb Embraces Better KYC with Trooly Purchase

This may come as a surprise to some, but people who use Airbnb aren’t always on the up-and-up.

Despite the home-sharing marketplace’s efforts to keep fraudulent listings and other bad behavior off the site, scams still make headlines. The company is apparently hoping that technology can help.

Wirecard Offers Omnichannel in SE Asia

Businesses that have embraced the payment facilitator model often do so because they recognize the need to simplify the complex business of payments for their merchant clients.

They understand how important it has become to integrate payments into a merchant’s offerings in a flexible way that helps them serve their customers. A natural extension of that is the omnichannel approach – enabling the merchant to seamlessly connect with customers through both digital and in-person touchpoints.

Wirecard Enables Payments for Subscription-Based Site in Turkey

Munich-based payments processor Wirecard continues to expand its global reach, this time with a new partnership in Turkey.

Wirecard Turkey recently announced that it is enabling payments for Istanbul-based Startsub, operator of the web site Aydanaya.com.

Building the Next Amazing Marketplace? Your Top Five Payment API Must-Haves

If you’re familiar with payment facilitation, chances are that you’re already savvy about payments. As a payment facilitator, you become a “mini-acquirer,” managing your own community of merchants.

Payment facilitation can be critical to enabling new business models, but for developers it can present gnarly technical challenges. The top five “must-haves” for payment facilitator APIs are described below.