Merchant Commerce Exchange (MCX) describes itself as the "only merchant-owned mobile commerce network" (see mcx.com). The website shows otherwise competing merchants participating in MCX, including: Walmart, K-Mart, Target and Best Buy as well as Rite-Aid and CVS.
MCX merchants are acting together as a union against banks and payment processors (e.g.: Visa and MasterCard) to promote the exclusive use of their own CurrentC mobile payment solution over more secure NFC-based systems. However, in a fair market economy, competing merchants should not be allowed to collude in this way to manipulate the price of electronic transactions.
It is no different than if eBook sellers colluded to refuse a specific publisher to drive down prices. That would be illegal. The DOJ should investigate MCX