David Heun

The April 1, 2013 deadline for U.S. acquirer processors to accept EMV smart-card payments has arrived.

As the U.S. adopts the EMV smart-card standard, banks must address their own needs, such as replacing the transaction switch of their payment routing systems, according to Acquirer Systems of Dublin, Ireland.

Cashcloud SA, a start-up venture in Luxembourg, is testing a mobile wallet and rewards currency throughout much of Europe.

Nine Italian banks will begin a nationwide rollout of MyBank, an electronic payment system that allows bank customers in the Single Euro Payment Zone to make e-commerce purchases through online banking.

Acculynk's PaySecure will soon allow China UnionPay debit cardholders to make online PIN purchases at U.S. merchant websites.

If biometrics is ever going to be a part of how consumers make payments, PayTango Inc. figures the best place to find out is on college campuses.

With an eye toward making sure more small and medium-size merchants are aware of the need to comply with the Payment Card Industry data security standards, Dallas-based acquirer SignaPay will utilize ControlScan services.

The smaller debit networks are ready to join the larger networks in supporting Discover's technology to meet federal rules on routing EMV debit transactions, but they still await clarity from Visa and MasterCard.

Mobile network operator Orange is working with a music promoter and outdoor advertising company to establish Near Field Communication posters that enable fans to purchase it digitally from their mobile phones.

Even as debit networks and other participants finally get on the same page for EMV chip-card acceptance, the U.S. is still a long way off from widespread consumer adoption of EMV cards.

It’s been a busy month for mobile and online payment technology provider Stripe, which took another step in its expansion plans by partnering with mobile application developer Parse.

MasterCard plans to charge a digital-wallet fee to third-party payment providers as part of a new registration process, a move Visa's CEO called "totally appropriate" — but Discover says it is on a different path.

The major regional debit networks have unanimously chosen Discover's technology for a common code, or application identifier, for routing EMV debit transactions in the U.S. — but the debate isn't over yet.

A pending MasterCard "staged wallet" fee, set to take effect in June, is setting a new tone for the emerging payments landscape.

As VeriFone Systems Inc. seeks new leadership to help it tackle its ongoing challenges, smaller rivals are looking at their own operations to determine which opportunities to seize in the payments hardware market.

About a month after declaring dissatisfaction with Visa or MasterCard's options for a common code to allow routing options for EMV debit transactions, regional debit networks have chosen to work with Discover Financial Services.

The European banks that own Visa Europe are reportedly considering selling the entity to U.S.-based Visa Inc. to clear the way for an eventual rival system in Europe.

About six months after its successful debut of a mobile payment app at College Fest 2012 in Fenway Park, PXT Payments Inc. has another deal in place with Fenway Sports Management for its app, called "looped in."

Genesco's $13 million lawsuit against Visa Inc., filed last week in a Tennessee court, has a similar ring to it as a countersuit Cisero's Ristorante and Nightclub in Park City, Utah filed last year against its acquiring bank and processor.

The U.S. may not follow other countries' lead in forcing EMV chip-card users to use a PIN, but data from a biannual Federal Reserve Board survey indicates there is value to sticking with PIN.