AmEx Q4/14
American Express (AmEx) reported U.S. card service after-tax income declined 23.1% year-on-year (Y/Y) in the fourth quarter (Q4/14) to $665 million, compared to $864 million one-year ago.
PayPal Q4/14
eBay’s PayPal net total payment volume (TPV) for the fourth quarter grew 24% to $64.3 billion. PayPal gained 4.6 million new active registered accounts to end the quarter at 161.5 million, up 13%.
SEQR & FMS
Sweden’s SEQR has forged a deal with MD-based FMS Solutions to offer retail grocery and independent supermarket clients a means for their customers to pay by smartphone.
smart tabletPOS
Ingenico and Beamm, makers of cloud-connected POS and commerce technology for small businesses, launched the smart tabletPOS, combining powerful tablet POS software integrated with cloud-based tools to help merchants ring up sales, manage their business, engage customers and drive revenue.
TSYS & Ingenico
TSYS and Ingenico have buddied to offer merchants a seamless and secure solution for accepting all payment types, including magnetic stripe, EMV, NFC and Apple Pay. TSYS is the first processor to Class A certify Ingenico Group’s new PCI 3.0-certified smart products ” the iCT 220 Contactless and iPP310 PIN pad.
Raise GC Funding
Chicago-based Raise, a major marketplace for gift cards, raised $56 million in a Series B funding, bringing total funds raised by the company to $81 million. Last year the start-up sold more than one million gift cards.
Performics President
Chicago-based Performics, a data-driven performance marketing services firm, has ankled Scott Shamberg as President of Performics U.S.
The Company says Scott takes the reins at Performics U.S. in the midst of a revolution in the consumer discovery and purchase process.
Monitise Sale
UK-based Monitise reports it is commencing a review of all options open to the Company to maximize value for shareholders, i.e. “we are for sale.” The Board believes the Company has an exciting future as an independent business, however it recognizes that there may be other businesses which could leverage Monitise’s capabilities for digital commerce enablement to significantly accelerate the growth of the business and take maximum advantage of the growth opportunities in the market today.
Cannabis Investments
While the banking industry is avoiding the emerging marijuana-related business, mainstream investors are preparing to jump in as it is expected to become legal in many more states within the next three years.
Synchrony & GPShopper
Synchrony Financial is plowing bucks into GPShopper, a developer of mobile apps with a focus on the retail industry. GPShopper’s solutions empower retailers to garner customer engagement and loyalty by bridging the online and in-store shopping experience with the use of mobile technologies.
King Cash
Americans still have an affinity for cash over credit cards. A new survey found respondents between ages 18-64 say they prefer cash/debit over all other forms of payment. Those 65+ prefer credit cards.
Retailers – EMV Ready?
The clock is ticking for the U.S. EMV migration deadline, but new research shows more than 50% of retailers not fully prepared as EMV deadlines approach.