John Adams

Visa and Kofax are attempting to simplify complex invoice payments in Asia by introducing technology into processes that have long been handled manually.

Wearable computing is very much a nascent market, but by using flexible programming methods PNC hopes to be ready to deploy payments apps when the technology takes off.

Payments innovation normally migrates to the U.S. from Canada, which is at a more advanced stage of deployment with EMV-chip cards and other technology. But that's not the case for business-to-business payments.

Nearly four years ago, U.S. Bancorp debuted a medical bracelet that could also make payments. The product was short-lived, but the bank is taking a fresh look at the advancement of wearable technology in recent years and its potential for payments and other financial functions.

Monitise has picked up some well-heeled backers to fuel its move into global markets, as MasterCard, Telefonica and Santander join to take a stake in the mobile technology company.

Toronto's new express train will provide a mobile ticketing option, though whether that technology can transfer to the rest of the city's transit system remains to be seen.

Square is adding global support for its Register merchant services app, a move that allows the company to measure demand in new markets before investing in the distribution of its hardware and other services.

PayPal's support of the Pebble smartwatch, an older and less expensive alternative to the Apple Watch and Android Wear watches, signals the acceleration of mobile payments in devices other than smartphones.

It's not just merchants, issuers and technology companies that are using mobile technology to sell new payment services. As a business software provider, Intuit has been uniquely positioned to link its products to a number of payment initiatives.

Square, which made a short-lived attempt at digital gift cards in late 2012, is debuting a new gift card service today with a heavy emphasis on an older payment instrument: plastic.

Apple Pay's launch about a month ago was accompanied by an almost unprecedented amount of hype and media attention, but it takes more than buzz to shift the world to mobile payments, and Apple's job is far from over.

McDonald's Corp. has tested a wide range of mobile payment technology throughout the world, and its ability to do so is rooted in an old decision based as much on customer service as technology.

For payment technology developers, the stakes couldn't be higher as the FCC develops new rules that could support or eliminate net neutrality, a system in which Web access is equal for most users, regardless of size.

Alibaba's cooperation with Apple may start with offering Apple Pay in the Chinese market through an intermediary to skirt regulatory hurdles, Alibaba Vice Chairman Joseph Tsai told a Chinese-language news wire.

Alibaba needs help to build a market in the West and is openly courting cooperation with Apple and PayPal, suggesting sweeping e-commerce alliances and even acquisitions may soon follow.

Merchants are enticed by the lure of the huge e-commerce market in China, enough to give a number of early client wins to Alipay's U.S. merchant acquisition effort.

As the mobile point of sale market matures, more merchants will migrate from smartphones to tablets, which Roam's Scott Holt said requires device-specific changes in design and technology.

As payments leave plastic behind, the pressure is on banks to stay in front of merchants and consumers. But in its pilots of payment-capable wristbands, Royal Bank of Canada is finding that there are some areas that banks should steer clear of.

As Apple and the Merchant Customer Exchange battle it out over smartphone-based payments, Royal Bank of Canada and MasterCard are jumping past the phone to cement their roles in the fast-growing market for wearable payments.

Verifone is changing its logo and marketing to signal the many pivots it is making to provide a broader range of services to merchants that must embrace mobile and digital technology to stay relevant.