Vehicles Can Be Fleet Cards
Proprietary identity management technology from Car IQ can turn a car or truck into a vehicle that transacts directly with a merchant for payment of fuel, repairs, parking, tolls and more, replacing the use of a fleet credit card.
Bango Buys NTT Docomo Carrier Billing Business
Payments made for purchases of games, apps, subscriptions (cable TV, telecom, mobile) and streaming services reached $230 billion in 2021—app store spending was $170 billion and streaming entertainment was $60 billion.
Digital Currency Update
Mastercard partnered with Hi, a crypto exchange and app provider, to produce personalized debit cards featuring the image of an NFT avatar the cardholder already owns. The Hi card will support NFTs from approved collections, which include CryptoPunks, Moonbirds, Goblins, Bored Apes and Azukis.
Digital Currency Update
NearPay, a crypto protocol provider, launched virtual-card and digital-wallet services for residents of the EEA and the UK. The NearPay Wallet is available for iOS and Android operating systems and supports 38 cryptocurrencies.
Mastercard Prepares for Quantum Computing with D-Wave
Real-world applications that leverage the great power of quantum computing technology are not years away from making a commercial impact as many IT department heads believe. Financial institutions including Bank of Canada, BBVA and CaixaBank are already working with the technology, which uses the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that are too complex for legacy, silicon-based “classical” computers.
Amex’s Global Pay for Cross-Border B2B
Small businesses in the US that hold American Express Business Card accounts are being offered a business-to-business (B2B) digital payment service for domestic and international transactions that will clear and settle outside of the company’s merchant network.
Digital Currency Update
Binance will launch a Mastercard prepaid card in Argentina. The card will be issued by Credencial Payments and will be the first crypto card from Binance issued in Latin America.
Visa and Mastercard Halt Payments for Adult Content
Visa and Mastercard halted payments to the Pornhub platform in 2020 after The New York Times published an opinion piece that cited the Luxembourg-based company’s tolerance of exploited minors on its website.
Global Network Card Results in 2021
Purchase transactions worldwide for goods and services initiated by credit, debit and prepaid cards carrying brands of the global networks—Visa, UnionPay, Mastercard, American Express, JCB and Diners Club/Discover—amounted to a combined 581.22 billion in 2021, an increase of 24.5% over 2020.
Digital Currency Update
Gemini, a cryptocurrency exchange and custodian, has expanded its partnership with Plaid in the US and the UK. The partnership lets Gemini users share account details with other services, including apps for financial planning, net worth calculations and tax advice.