Square, Inc.

In particular embodiments, techniques include generating a user account for a user of a payment service. Funds are received from another user and the user account of the user is identified as a recipient. An amount of the funds is credited to a balance of a first sub-account associated with the user account. The user account is further associated with a second sub-account. A payment instrument is associated with the user account that is usable for making one or more payments using funds associated with at least the first sub-account. Transaction summary records are generated based on transaction data associated with one or more transactions of the user account. A user interface is presented by an application executing on an electronic device of the user. The user interface presents the one or more transaction summary records for tracking activity associated with at least the first sub-account and the second sub-account.

In some examples, methods and systems may process one or more payment transactions between a merchant and a customer by registering, by a biometric sensor of a payment object reader or a mobile device, a biometric characteristic as a biometric payment instrument, for example by obtaining data corresponding to a biometric characteristic of the customer. The data is converted into a digital signature of the biometric characteristic and compared with a registered biometric instrument at the time of transaction. If a match is obtained, the customer effects payments through the registered biometric instrument.

In some examples, a system generates an identifier for association with a user financial account. The identifier may have a syntax including a currency indicator and a string including one or more characters concatenated together such that the currency indicator appears immediately before the string. The system generates a user-defined identifier and maps, in a database, the user-defined identifier to the user financial account. The system receives a message indicating an intent to transfer funds from a sending user to a receiving user. The message may include the user-defined identifier in lieu of account information of the user financial account, to identify the user as the receiving user. The system parses the message to identify the user-defined identifier and accesses the account information of the user financial account using the identifier. The system initiates a transfer of funds from the sending user account to the user financial account.

In one embodiment, a method includes identifying, by a payment service, a plurality of security assets for inclusion in a pack of security assets. A value of the pack of security assets may be determined based on weighted values of a base unit of each of the security assets. Information may be sent to a first user's client device to display a user interface to purchase the pack of security assets. In response to receiving a purchase request in a specified amount, the payment service may calculate, for each of the security assets in the pack, the base units of the security asset based on the respective assigned weight and the value of a base unit of the security asset. Finally, for each of the security assets in the pack, ownership of the calculated number of base units of the security asset may be assigned to the first user.

Provided is a process, including for lending, with a smart contract executable by a decentralized computing platform, money to a borrower. The process includes securing, with the smart contract, the loan by obtaining control of cryptocurrency of the borrower and monitoring, via the smart contract, whether the cryptocurrency satisfies a loan-to-value threshold. In response to the monitoring, an amount of cryptocurrency secured with the loan can be adjusted.

Customer-device application sites (e.g., content presented via a progressive web applications) that are accessible via merchant-managed identifiers (e.g., identification codes) are described. An identification of a physical location associated with a merchant can be associated with an identification code. The identification code can be received from a computing device of a customer and, based at least in part on receiving the identification code, merchant data associated with the merchant can be caused to be presented via a web browser of the computing device of the customer. In an example, the merchant data can be presented via the web browser by a progressive web application downloaded onto the computing device of the customer via the web browser. An indication of an input received via the progressive web application can be received by the computing device of the customer and an operation based at least in part on the input can be performed.

Introduced here is a technology that enables a merchant to create customer-targeted, customized communications by use of a merchant platform executing on a financial service system. The merchant platform generates content for communications that is based on a particular customer segment. The customer segment includes one or more groups of customers segmented based on one or more attributes associated with each group of customers. An attribute is determined based on data collected by the financial service system, where the data is related to transaction data of a plurality of merchants.

Disclosed are method and apparatus that enable a cardless payment transaction to be executed from a merchant point-of-sale (POS) system. A user is enabled to check in at a merchant by using a mobile device of the user and then to pay by simply appearing at the merchant and mentioning his name. By emulating card read events and intercepting receipt printer outputs, the technique cleanly integrates into a conventional merchant POS system, without the need for customized software or hardware to accommodate individual POS vendor-proprietary application programming interfaces (APIs).

The disclosure describes, in part, techniques for performing pre-authorization during a transaction between a merchant a customer. For instance, a payment service may receive, from a merchant device, payment information of a payment instrument that is used to satisfy a cost of a first item. The payment service may then send an authorization request to a card payment network to hold a first amount of funds based on previous purchase activity. The payment service may further send the merchant device information associated with the customer. Next, the payment service may receive an indication that the customer requests to purchase a second item. In response, the payment service may send a request to the card payment network to capture a second amount of funds that is based on the cost of the first item and a cost of the second item. In response, the payment service may receive approval from the card payment network.

A payment reader and a POS terminal may communicate over a wireless connection. The methods and systems include monitoring one or more parameters corresponding to a payment reader and another device in proximity to POS terminal. The POS terminal, through a set of customized instructions, determines whether behavior of the second device substantially corresponds to the first device, in order to detect suspected hardware or software intrusion associated with the secure device. On successful detection of a suspected intrusion, the POS terminal generates an alert for a user of the first device if illegal intrusion is suspected by the processor.