On Twitter:

Proud to be working with Google --> "Google closes Checkout, pushing thousands of merchants to Braintree" pandodaily.com/2013/05/20/goo…

— William Ready (@williamready) May 20, 2013

On the web:

• Square will challenge PayPal with its own peer-to-peer cash service - GigaOm - "We reached out to Square to get more details on the mysterious service, but the company isn’t revealing any more details for now."
• Google closes Checkout, pushing thousands of merchants into Braintree’s arms - PandoDaily - "For customers without their own way to process payments in-house, Google has partnered with Braintree, Shopify, and Freshbooks to offer discounted migration programs."
• Email Money to Friends With Square Cash (But Only if You Work For Twitter, Pinterest or Box) - AllThingsD - "Ultimately, this could be a faster way of getting more people to link up their checking accounts to Square’s service…"
• Bitcoin 2013 in review - CoinDesk - "The more than 1,000 Bitcoin enthusiasts who converged on San Jose were an impassioned bunch — some fired with the excitement of getting in on something big the ground floor…"
• ATM Cash-Outs: A Major Escalation - Portals and Rails - "This highly sophisticated and coordinated attack is a game changer for the security controls of all types of card management applications." Google I/O payment announcements: is a revolution with no insurgency possible? - TekFin (Yann Ranchere) - "The more interesting announcement was in my view Google Instant Buy…"
• How Amazon's Rising Headwaters Could Threaten Google - ReadWrite - "I’m convinced the day will come — sooner rather than later — when Amazon unleashes its data and announces itself as an advertising powerhouse."
• Google takes lessons from PayPal, Apple’s Passbook to drive mobile wallet adoption - Mobile Commerce Daily - "Google Wallet Objects is similar to Apple’s Passbook in that it enables developers to integrate their loyalty programs and offers into Google Wallet…"
• Apple retail revenues per visitor reach new record - Asymco - "In the US, on a sales per square foot basis, Apple retail continues to perform twice as well as Tiffany & Co…"
• NFC mobile payments – fixing the big issues - Mobile News - "The widespread introduction of NFC-based mobile payments could be delayed for years as retailers, operators and finance firms continue to disagree on how best to implement the system and the logistics of making payments."
• Mobile Payment Startup Payvia Buys Mogreet To Add Messaging-Based Marketing To Its Payment Platform - TechCrunch - "Payvia says that it has the largest direct carrier connected messaging and mobile payments platform in the U.S..."
• GrubHub to Merge With Seamless as Food Orders Go Mobile - Bloomberg - "Food-delivery sites and mobile applications are gaining in popularity as more people order their meals online..."
• Harnessing the Remittance Boom - "Adding up the cost of the transfer, travel, and time, remittances are far too expensive for people living in poverty."

On the wires:

• Intuit Realigns Organization to Accelerate Growth - "The new structure comes as the company increases its focus on two strategic outcomes: being the world’s small business operating system, and providing winning solutions to do the nations’ taxes in the U.S. and Canada."
• Tabbedout Now Offers Google Wallet as a Payment Option - "For a limited time, when a user pays with Google Wallet in the Tabbedout app, they'll get $7 off their next tab."
• Huntington Bank Introduces Commercial Card Featuring Payables Automation and Monthly Rebates
• NCR and LevelUp to Take Mobile Payments to More Restaurants - "NCR understands what it takes to help restaurants keep pace with technology, and by integrating LevelUp, we are helping them get the great tools they need to run their businesses better."
• PayAnywhere Launches Phase Two of Aggressive Retail Channel Rollout - "The partnership takes the PayAnywhere mobile point of sale (mPOS) solution beyond the big box retailers the company announced partnerships with in 2012…"
• CorFire™ and OLO Partner on Integrated Mobile Commerce Solution for Restaurants - "Instead of requiring separate mobile apps for mobile payment and mobile ordering, this integration will provide brands with a one-stop shop for all forms of mobile customer engagement through the industry’s proven, best-of-breed providers."

On the web:

• Visa Says China May Open Yuan Payment Processing Market - Bloomberg
• ReadyForZero Helps Users Pay Off $12.5M In Debt - TechCrunch

On the wires:

• Western Union Rebrands eBillme as 'WU Pay'
• UChoose Rewards from Fiserv Experiences Double Digit Growth in 2011
• New Aite Group Report on the Prognosis for Purchasing and Corporate Cards
• New Mercator Report on Evaluating Multinational Card Programs for Commercial Cards
• Kachingle Premium to Revolutionize Freemium Conversions

On the web:

• Bitcoin Seeks New Life In Africa - MIT Technology Review
• Google Said to Rethink Wallet Strategy Amid Slow Adoption - Businessweek
• Eventbrite Moves Into Mobile Payments With its Own Credit Card Reader - NYTimes.com
• Vantiv Goes Public at $17 a Share - Reuters

On the wires:

• Citi Launches Program Audit Tool for Commercial Card Clients
• Paysafecard Group Reports 30% Growth in 2011
• New Mercator Report on Debit Processing Solutions

On the web:

• PayPal: Mobile payments and Location-based Offers Go Hand-in-Hand - GigaOM

On the wires:

• New Mercator Report on U.S. Commercial Card Market
• HSBC Card & Retail Services Renews Private Label Credit Card Agreements With Saks Incorporated and Three Other Top Companies

On the web:

• PayPal Tests New NFC Mobile Payment App in Sweden - MobilePaymentsToday.com
• Isis looks for Mobile Payments Partnerships beyond the US - Rethink Wireless
• Western Union Targets Small Businesses with Payments Portal - American Banker
• InspirePay Launches Online Payment Tool - Boulder County Business Report
• Target To Sell Credit Card Business, Focusing On Core Biz - Forbes
• The Many Flavors of EMV - Portals and Rails

On the wires:

• Citi Expands Global Coverage of Its Commercial Cards Business in Israel
• BillingTree Enlists IP Commerce to Expedite Merchant Boarding Services

Citi has announced the launch of the Citi Corporate Chip and PIN card, a compliant smart card designed for U.S. corporate cardholders traveling abroad

"Many of our clients are leading multinational organizations with cardholders that travel extensively,” said Julie Monaco, Head of North America Global Transaction Services, Citi. “They require a payment product that can meet their needs wherever their business takes them and Citi is at the forefront of bringing this product innovation to our commercial card clients."

On the wires:

• Citi Commercial Cards Launches Citi Project Card
• Bill.com Expands Mobile Offering
• Sequent Selects ViVOtech to Provide Trusted Service Manager Software for NFC Mobile Payments

On the web:

• CUinsight: Wescom Resources Group to Market PayPal P2P Solution to Credit Unions
• Marketing Magazine: Starbucks Announces UK Contactless Payment Trial

Visa has announced the global launch of Visa IntelliLink Compliance Management, a web-based solution offering enhanced control, compliance and cost-savings for businesses using commercial card programs.

Visa IntelliLink Compliance Management converts commercial card transaction data into information that card program managers at government agencies and private sector enterprises can use to minimize and deter commercial card misuse, such as using cards for personal expenses. A complement to the Visa IntelliLink product suite, this new service gives organizations a more detailed view of commercial payment program data, complementing existing card management and issuer reporting systems for a 360 degree view of commercial payment solution activity.

Susan Herbst-Murphy of the Payments Cards Center in the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has released a discussion paper on the use of Commercial Cards in Business to Business Payments.

Providing efficiency and cost-savings over paper payments (cash and checks), commercial payment cards are among the fastest growing card segments in recent years. Today, they account for nearly one in every five dollars spent using general-purpose payment cards. And since business and government payments are three times larger than consumer transactions, there is ample room for future growth.

Chase has announced that it is offering new commercial card payment solutions and capabilities to its mid-market corporate client base using single-use accounts technology with new online reporting and program management capabilities. The bank also has revamped its mid-market corporate rewards program and introduced a streamlined Executive Card program. READ MORE »

BNY Mellon Treasury Services and MasterCard have announced that BNY Mellon will be integrating the MasterCard Payment Gateway into its suite of payment solutions for corporate clients. According to BNY Mellon, "complementing the ACH, wire transfer and check payment services already available from BNY Mellon, the MasterCard Payment Gateway will allow BNY Mellon clients to take advantage of the speed, cost efficiency, security and disbursements management benefits of electronic B-to-B card payments as part of a comprehensive array of payment alternatives." READ MORE »

Chase has announced the addition of two new credit cards - Ink and Ink Capital - to its Ink portfolio of business cards that provide additional purchase rewards or an interest-payment refund to customers with Chase business checking accounts. READ MORE »

J.P. Morgan has announced that it has "significantly advanced its commercial card expansion initiative in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to provide corporate clients with higher degree of visibility and flexibility on spending and expenses in today’s challenging economic environment. As part of its continued investment in its global Treasury Services business, J.P. Morgan has introduced several new commercial card product offerings and service enhancements in the region, while a number of new product offerings are due to launch early next year." READ MORE »

Visa has announced Visa IntelliLink Spend Management – calling it "a new global information tool that provides extensive reporting and expense management capabilities for organizations of all sizes on a single scalable platform." READ MORE »

Chase Card Services has announced Ink℠ from Chase, a suite of business cards developed specifically for small businesses. The new business card portfolio includes four distinct cards "to deliver on the unique needs of small business owners and marks Chase’s introduction of a pay-in-full charge card – a first from issuers of Visa or MasterCard." READ MORE »

MasterCard and CyberShift have announced an alliance to provide businesses with CyberShift's Expense Management Automation solution. According to the companies, "the agreement provides MasterCard issuers with a compelling travel and expense management solution that they can offer to their corporate card customers. Through the combined capabilities of CyberShift and MasterCard, corporate card customers will have access to a flexible expense management solution, open integration to travel booking systems of choice, superior travel and spend analytics, BlackBerry(R) smartphone support, digital receipts filing, hotel folio data and much more, all delivered via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model." READ MORE »

MasterCard has announced enhancements to its corporate meeting solutions portfolio that it says will "provide companies with greater control, efficiency and transparency around meeting planning and management. The company has partnered with two leading providers of online meeting solutions to address the needs of different stakeholders in today's fragmented corporate meetings market." READ MORE »

J.P. Morgan has announced the launch of Total Settlement, an electronic payment solution that helps businesses simplify the payment of supplier invoices and lay the foundation for complete order-to-pay automation. According to the bank, "Total Settlement consolidates Automated Clearing House (ACH), commercial card, wire, and standard paper check payments in a single file, eliminating the extra effort in accounts payable involved with processing multiple payment types. A self-service web portal for suppliers provides valuable payment status information, remittance details and allows suppliers to maintain their own contact and payment-related information." READ MORE »

American Express OPEN has announced the OPEN Forum, a new online resource and networking site for business owners. According to Amex, "the site is designed to forge meaningful business connections and provide practical, actionable information and insights from influential bloggers, industry leaders, and savvy entrepreneurs. In addition, the site will aggregate relevant online small business conversations from Twitter." READ MORE »

Newly available over on our PaymentsViews.com sister site is a new Glenbrook research brief titled "Credit Card Acceptance for B2B Payments" by Glenbrook's Erin McCune and Carol Coye Benson.

This new research brief is based findings from a series of interviews conducted with business-to-business suppliers about credit card acceptance conducted earlier this year. There's a form in the article for you to request a download of the report.

In an article titled "Cutting Off Mom & Pop Credit", Andrew Martin writes for the New York Times about how a "crackdown on credit limits by card companies is squeezing the nation’s 27 million small businesses, exacerbating the problems brought on by a stagnant economy."

See this earlier post about the drastic action that Advanta had to take against its small business borrowers.

BusinessWeek notes this week in an article titled "No Relief for Small Business Cardholders" that the "Credit Card Accountability Responsibility & Disclosure Act doesn't apply to small business cards." This issue also includes a comparison of various small business credit cards currently available.

In a press release, the National Small Business Association has urged that "the Senate to approve the Landrieu-Snowe Amendment to the Credit CARD Act of 2009 (H.R. 627/S. 414) in order to guarantee that small-business owners are fully protected by the critical safeguards included in the bill. Small business reliance on credit cards is at an all-time high with 59 percent of respondents to the recent NSBA Small Business Credit Card Survey (NSBA Survey) using credit cards to finance their business--up from 49 percent just four months ago." READ MORE »

Late yesterday, Advanta announced that, due to the negative performance of its securitized credit card portfolio, it was taking steps to "designed to dramatically limit the Company’s credit loss exposure and maximize its capital and its liquidity measures." One of those steps involves shutting down all of its small business credit cards to future use as of June 10. Beginning on that date, Advanta's credit card customers would not be able to make new purchases using their Advanta-issued credit cards.

See also this front page article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer by Harold Brubaker.

MasterCard Worldwide has announced that the U.S. Postal Service and Dunkin' Donuts have joined the list of merchants that provide small businesses with automatic discounts and savings through the MasterCard Easy Savings Program. Eligible MasterCard business credit and signature debit, U.S. cardholders enrolled in the program will now receive an automatic 5 percent rebate on Click 'N Ship purchases made with the United States Postal Service at usps.com, and an automatic 5 percent rebate on purchases at Dunkin' Donuts. READ MORE »

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) has released a report titled "Credit Cards and Small Business: Benefits, Opportunities and Policy Debate" that looks at the importance of credit cards to the small business community, and explains the "ill effects of increased government regulation on the industry." READ MORE »

In a press release, MasterCard Worldwide said it has been named the "Best Corporate Cards and Expense Services Provider" by Global Finance magazine for the third consecutive year.

The award was bestowed to MasterCard for innovative solutions that enable value and efficiency in commercial payments. MasterCard was selected by the publication's editors who incorporate input from industry analysts, corporate executives and technology experts in determining the award's recipient. The results of the exclusive survey are published in the March 2009 issue of the magazine.

US Bank says that "businesses that are looking for ways to add to their bottom lines now have a new way to save and earn rewards while managing expenses with the U.S. Bank Cash Rewards Business Platinum Card. Cardholders can enjoy savings on the business purchases they make most, earning three percent cash back on cellular, gas and office supply purchases and one percent cash back on all other purchases." READ MORE »

American Express Global Commercial Card has released a new study "detailing how companies are instituting best practices and driving savings to control their costs in an economic downturn. Working with Accenture, American Express interviewed a number of Fortune 500 companies in industries ranging from consumer products to business services. These companies had median gross revenues of $30 billion, and were identified as having leading T&E spending policies." (Full study here ). READ MORE »

After falling to its lowest measurement ever in November, economic confidence among small business owners rose slightly in December. The Discover Small Business Watch rose to 72.8 in December, up 5.3 points from November. The index was buoyed by increased optimism that their own business prospects are improving and an indication that more will increase spending on business development in the next six months. READ MORE »