Bailey Reutzel

El Camino Hospital outside of San Francisco has seen an increase from 2% to 33% of patients using online self-service bill pay since it began offering the Simplee Pay platform in January.

Israeli startup BuyCode Inc. has introduced the Pounce mobile payment app, allowing consumers to purchase products they see in print through image recognition technology.

The New York State Department of Financial Services issued subpoenas to 22 emerging payments players, including many that handle the digital currency Bitcoin, demonstrating that new payments models have not yet found their place in the eyes of the law.

Sunrise Banks, based in Saint Paul, Minn., has never shied away from issuing an experimental prepaid card in its mission to help the underbanked find financial stability.

Motorists in downtown Portland, Ore. will be able to pay for parking using a QuickPay Corp. mobile app at City Center Parking meters starting in September.

A federal judge ruled that bitcoins are “a currency or form of money” and therefore subject to relevant U.S. laws in a case against a Texas man accused of creating a fraudulent Bitcoin hedge fund.

Cardtronics' purchase of Cardpoint Ltd. in Europe helps the Houston-based ATM operator expand into more of the U.K. and enter Germany, two countries whose populations rely more heavily on cash.

The Lamassu machine, a so-called Bitcoin ATM, is a rare device that makes it possible for the unbanked to obtain digital currency. It was invented by a pair of guitar-store proprietors who wanted to break into the payments industry — and are prepared to face the music when regulators take notice.

Bango, a direct carrier billing provider, has integrated with Mozilla's Firefox Marketplace, allowing consumers to charge digital purchases to their phone bill.

Coinbase, a Bitcoin digital wallet provider, has launched a microtransactions feature to allow its customers to transfer small amounts between accounts for free.

Higher One, a provider of services to colleges and universities, has acquired PayDivvy Inc., enabling students to make person-to-person payments for the management of bills.

A group of technology companies is working to build digital currencies into Web browsers, a move that could help payment methods such as Bitcoin thrive.

IDT Payment Services, a subsidiary of IDT Corp., launched an international money transfer service to expand its Boss Revolution payment platform.

True Link Financial Inc. has launched a prepaid Visa card for the elderly, with a set of customizable restrictions more commonly associated with cards designed for teens.

Customizable card designs are not just for people wanting photos of their cats emblazoned on their credit cards. Such an offering also has a role at government agencies to help combine ID cards and payment cards.

Heartland Payment Systems Inc., which has been forging multiple partnerships in emerging payments markets, says its net revenue has risen to record levels.

Prepaid cards, widely accepted by the underbanked as a way to facilitate spending, are also emerging as a catalyst for saving and an alternative to short-term credit.

While many people think of Bitcoin as a currency, Jaron Lukasiewicz, CEO and co-founder of Coinsetter, says Bitcoin should be thought of more as a payments infrastructure, allowing quick, inexpensive funds transfer. But for Bitcoin to thrive, banks must agree with this perspective.

Leaders in emerging payments and virtual currency have formed a committee to establish a self-regulating body to ensure regulatory compliance as the marketplace changes.

Bitcoin, a decentralized virtual currency, has been declared illegal in Thailand. Members of the Foreign Exchange Administration and Policy Department made the determination at a meeting on July 29 in the Southeastern Asian country, according to a Bitcoin exchange operator in attendance.