“India’s Financial Software and Systems announced a partnership with Arab Financial Services to bring omnichannel payment solutions to the Middle East and Gulf regions.  FSS, a Chennai, India-based payment processor and AFS, a fintech enabler in the Middle East and Africa, said the new partnership is designed to help acquiring banks grow their merchant acceptance business. The companies said they have launched services in Oman and Bahrain and will expand into other markets.”

“FedEx and Walgreens are partnering to make online returns more convenient, in a move that’s part of a growing trend where brick-and-mortar retailers cater to the needs of e-commerce shoppers in order to increase foot traffic at their stores. Under the new agreement, consumers will be able to drop off their online returns at thousands of Walgreens locations nationwide. They’ll also be able to print their return shipping label in the store, if need be.”

“Nets, a leading player in the European payments industry, and Swish, the number one payments app in Sweden, today announce their collaboration on an in-store payments pilot programme.  Until now, Swish has mostly been used for account-to-account transactions and, more recently, ecommerce payments. Now, the popular payment app is working with Nets to expand into the retail and service sectors by piloting in-store mobile payment functionality. The pilot programme is the first of its kind in Sweden and is being conducted at two restaurants owned by one of Sweden’s leading corporate cantina. The pilot will expand to additional merchants after the summer.”

“The new Square Online Store allows sellers to grow their business in person and online, with a professional eCommerce website and integrated tools including Instagram selling, shipping, in-store pickup, and more. The new product also brings the Square Online Store experience to restaurants, allowing sellers to offer seamless online ordering from their website, customized pickup times across multiple locations, and the option to easily pay ahead for online orders.”

“Wirecard, the global innovation leader for digital financial technology, has announced enhanced software development kits (SDKs) for mobile in-app payments and is a further step closer to making its vision of a fully digital financial commerce platform a reality. The new mobile payment SDK libraries for iOS and Android were created to enable merchants to integrate in-app payment options more easily as well as facilitate PCI compliance.”

“To offer a genuinely omni-channel experience, merchants must be able to engage with customers in a consistent manner across multiple channels, which include merchants’ online points of sale, bricks and mortar, and social media.”