David Heun

The ClearSpend app will allow businesses to see real-time updates and make changes to company card accounts instantly.

Under GDPR, nothing can happen with the European consumer's data unless they explicitly opt in. American consumers tend to ignore the fine print on company statements regarding the potential uses of their data, leading to an environment where companies expect them to opt in by default.

The voice-activated payment option through Assistant has been added to Google Pay's features to address situations in which consumers have to pay someone back, for example, after a weekend activity.

Samsung Pay became available Thursday, allowing users to load UniCredit credit cards, MyPay and MyOne prepaid and debit cards for payment directly from the Samsung Pay app.

The IATA said it's investigating how to apply faster payments to passengers, whether directly from the airline or indirectly via travel agents. Globally, airlines absorb more than $8 billion in costs for merchant fees and fraud.

China's declaration on Wednesday that its payments market is now open to foreign companies gives Chinese payments processors an opportunity to grow globally — but it's made similar moves before, with little effect.

Visa has appointed Marcello Baricordi as general manager for Middle East and North Africa, replacing Ihab Ayoub, who has left the company for personal reasons.

As gas stations add EMV-chip card acceptance at the pump, they will also find themselves rebuilding systems for loyalty programs and special offers that were reliant on their older hardware.

A partnership between SumUp and iZettle to provide mobile card readers will help the Church of England offer contactless, virtual terminal and mobile payments to its congregations.

The Clearing House expected to take some time to introduce its new network to financial institutions and play up its benefits.