David Heun

The payments industry was the most active segment for mergers and acquisitions in 2014, but saw a shark 21% decrease in 2015 to fall behind capital markets, the top category.

Cash remains the payment method of choice for nearly four out of five consumers needing to pay someone back, including the notoriously tech-savvy millennials.

Seven years after placing its first smart terminal in Africa as part of a financial inclusion program, French terminal maker Ingenico says the program has progressed to where it now has 50,000 terminals that aid financial services in the region.

Through a partnership with Intel, terminal maker Ingenico Group has developed a contactless payment technology that is being used in a Panasonic tablet.

Discover has taken a deeper step into the airline miles rewards card competition, shifting the tone of its TV advertising with its first commercial for the It Miles card it introduced last year.

Avidia Bank has been operating a new integrated platform for a few weeks that brings together third-party processor compliance, risk management, ACH and card payment acceptance, and remote deposit capture on one platform.

Though Apple Pay is advertised primarily as a high-tech way to make payments in stores, the Apple wallet's in-app purchase volume is a significant key to its growth.

Chase Commerce Solutions has sold its entire independent sales organization portfolio of accounts and associated contracts to First American Payment Systems.

To facilitate its push into the U.S. market, Splitit (formerly PayItSimple) recently added its cloud-based interest-free installment payment technology as a free plugin for e-commerce merchants using the WooCommerce platform.

The research says it over and over: Banks should move quickly to adopt or develop new payments technology, but it leaves banks with a very long 'to do' list.

Payments technology provider Elavon says it is among the first payment processing companies to offer Apple Pay to Canadian businesses.

From fairly humble beginnings three years ago with the low-fee Bluebird prepaid Amex card and the Serve platform, Walmart has gotten more and more aggressive — and welcoming — with payments innovation.

Near Field Communication has been the burr in the saddle of emerging payments technology these past five years.

Since the dawn of the modern mobile payments era, Starbucks has positioned itself as the poster child for how the technology can resonate with customers. And it's not about to rest on its laurels.

Several organizations, such as Swift and The Clearing House, announced faster payments initiatives this year. Those initiatives will likely play critical roles in 2016 in helping the Fed plot ways to modernize the U.S. payments system.

Several organizations, such as Swift and The Clearing House, announced faster payments initiatives this year. Those initiatives will likely play critical roles in 2016 in helping the Fed plot ways to modernize the U.S. payments system.

Square has long enjoyed the first-mover advantage that came with democratizing payment acceptance. But as the payments industry advanced and Square's own needs became more complex, the company is more challenged than ever to stay relevant, even to the merchants who accept credit cards only because Square made it easy.

As the Federal Reserve continues its push to establish faster payments in the U.S., other organizations are developing the pieces it needs to assemble a working system.

The concept of a multi-merchant rewards program appeals to cardholders, but the widely advertised Plenti program managed through American Express has not yet reached its potential, according to new data from Auriemma Consulting Group.

MoneyGram is offering European customers the option to send funds within minutes to most personal Nigerian bank accounts.