Bailey Reutzel

Poynt Co., a startup headed by former Google and PayPal executive Osama Bedier, is looking to take advantage of the EMV hardware upgrade schedule to entice merchants to switch to its new app-based payment terminal.

Large payment companies, including PayPal, are increasingly using incubators and accelerators to learn about consumers and to nurture startups that might become partners.

Even after partnering with MasterCard, Zwipe has a long journey ahead before its contactless cards with fingerprint authentication see mass adoption. But the high-tech cards have the potential to suppress fraud and deter security breaches beyond what traditional EMV-chip cards can do.

Online art marketplace Etsy is offering a mobile card reader, Sell on Etsy Reader, to its sellers for free, allowing them to transact in-person.

The Apple Pay effect on m-commerce should result in more attention for mobile-heavy Bitcoin transactions, but virtual currencies are still being held back by unclear regulations, according to payment executives.

Transactions have long been free for consumers, but Ashe Pay is betting that consumers are willing to pay a $1 monthly fee to be part of a network that allows instant payments to vetted merchants.

Jumio Inc. has introduced BAM Checkout, putting together its identification and credit card scanning technology to streamline mobile payment acceptance.

Bitcoin adopters in Ohio have been some of the most vocal about how state laws need to evolve to encourage the use of digital currency, but the Ohio government seems to want that change to come from the courts rather than the legislature.

A third of the veteran-owned businesses certified with the Veterans Administration are already First Data clients, and the processor is working to win over the other two-thirds.

I'd be hesitant to say that mobile payments are ubiquitous today, but during a four-day trip to Texas, I got to see just how far the technology has come when I lost my physical wallet with all my plastic cards.

A future where consumers make payments with wearable devices is not far off, especially in Spain where CaixaBank is working with Gemalto to launch a contactless EMV payment wristband.

London-based technology company Birdback is bringing its card-linking platform to the U.S., where card-linked offers have been gaining momentum for several years.

Pinnacle Corp. has partnered with Sionic Mobile to bring two emerging payments technology trends—beacon-aided transactions and tokenization—to thousands of Pinnacle's fuel retailers.

Square has launched a feature called "Nearby Payments" to Square Cash for iOS 8, allowing users to send money through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

Chase is working with Apple to vet potential developers and merchants after more than 500 people attended and responded to Chase's two live webinars about its three Apple Pay developer labs in Columbus, Ohio, Tampa, Fla., and San Francisco, Calif.

Allied Wallet is integrating several new payment options, including iDeal, Daopay and Rapipago, to extend its payment processing to increase its revenue by an anticipated $2 billion annually.

Payment companies are building mobile loyalty and financial literacy programs to target today's digitally-savvy kids, but are discovering a physical presence is still necessary for redemption.

PayStand, an e-commerce gateway for alternative and traditional forms of payment, is opening up its application programming interface (API) to support payments with credit cards, e-checks and Bitcoin.

Coinapult, a Bitcoin wallet startup based in Panama, has raised $775,000 in venture capital with backing from FirstMark and plans to use the funds to reach new markets.

Nearly two decades ago, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's smart card program became a key means to eliminate the inefficiencies of cash use among military personnel. The payments industry has evolved substantially in that time, requiring the military smart card program to keep pace.