Legal & Regulation

Legal & Regulation
SEC’s Bitcoin Crackdown
June 04, 2014

It seems everyone lately is looking to bring bitcoins into the legally controlled mainstream, and now the SEC is getting in on the act. Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against bitcoin marketing site FeedZeBirds and the operator of bitcoin betting site SatoshiDice...

Exclusive Series
FTC Calls For Greater Data-Broker Transparency
June 04, 2014

Today, Big Data is all the rage, as retailers, banks and others in the payments and commerce ecosystems want to know more about their customers so they may support targeted promotions offering products and services most appropriate for them. Technology also is coming more into...

Legal & Regulation
Merchants Want To Take Debit-Card Fee Fight To US Supreme Court
June 03, 2014

The neverending battle between merchants and banks and the Federal Reserve over debit-card fees is set to enter its next chapter as the retailers take their case to the Supreme Court. The merchants argue that the Fed allows debit-card fees, which are assessed every time...

Company Profile
Putin: “Da” to Visa and MasterCard Staying In Russia
June 03, 2014

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly has signed amendments to a recently enacted law that make it easier for MasterCard and Visa to remain operating in that country. Specific details, remain sketchy, and there may be a $3 billion string attached to the deal.

Cybersecurity
Back To School: Lawmakers Again Targeting ‘Abusive’ Campus Banking Practices
June 02, 2014

It’s been half a decade since Congress stepped in to thwart banks’ efforts to promote high-cost credit cards and loans on college campuses. Lawmakers are back at it again, this time targeting conflicts of interest and kickbacks between financial institutions and schools related to debit...

Alternative Credit
Bots, Overstock and DishTV
May 30, 2014

The US celebrated Memorial Day this past week, but it might as well have been the 4th of July. Fireworks exploded in the bitcoin community over David Evans’ piece on Overstock’s acceptance of bitcoin, including from Patrick Byrnes himself. Then there were those pesky bots.

Cybersecurity
Taipai Lawmakers Question National Mobile Payment Policy
May 30, 2014

Lawmakers in Taipei are questioning a two-way authorization policy for customers making small transactions on mobile. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily...

Alternative Credit
ControlScan Hopes To Better ‘Guide’ Customers With Site Redesign
May 30, 2014

ControlScan announced on May 29 that it had redesigned its PCI Compliance Guide website. The payment security and compliance solution provider said in a company statement that the website is meant to keep merchant service providers (MSPs) and small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) current on changes...

Exclusive Series
Consumer Groups Set Sights On Debit, Prepaid
May 29, 2014

On the fifth anniversary of the Credit CARD Act, several leading consumer-advocacy groups now say more needs to be done to reign in debit and prepaid card fees. Among the chief targets are overdraft fees. Not so fast, say opponents to such moves, including the...