John Adams

Square has purchased Evenly, a company that provides services for person-to-person payments. The move heightens Square's competition with PayPal and bolsters its own Square Cash product.

Global Payments and mobile operator 1O1O have launched a mobile point of sale service in Hong Kong.

PayPal has invested in Loop Commerce, which offers a software-based gifting service for retailers.

Payments servicing provider Nortridge is integrating with PayNearMe's electronic cash transaction network to enable borrowers to make payments at 7-Eleven and ACE Cash Express stores, thus reducing the risk lenders would face in in accepting cash payments at their own locations.

Square's updated mobile card reader adds a lot of new technology, but its omissions speak volumes about the company's strategy.

DB Networks has joined the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council.

The Merchant Customer Exchange has added Exxon Mobil, Rite Aid, Kum & Go and Giant Eagle as participating merchants in its mobile wallet.

Monitise is starting with a relatively simple mobile money deployment in Hong Kong, with plans to turn it into a major payments business throughout China.

Clinkle, the mobile payments startup that's attracted high-profile investment form Silicon Valley, has laid off 16 employees.

DNB is the first bank in Norway to deploy a new Near Field Communication-based mobile payments scheme that will eventually involve most of the country's largest financial institutions.

Square has released a new mobile card reader that is meant to improve accuracy and durability.

Kiind has released a gift card in Canada that doesn't charge the giver until the card is used.

Entertainment and mobile technology company Pimovi has released CamFusion, a mobile app that enables in-app payments for content accessed by wearable computing.

Jennifer Schulz is the new group president of Experian's vertical markets group, which includes the automotive, public sector and healthcare businesses in North America.

For Cyriac Roeding, CEO and co-founder of shopkick, the marriage of virtual and physical shopping has never as close as it is now.

Billing outsourcer BillTrust has developed new invoice technology that uses streamlined processing and dispute resolution to boost businesses payments automation, a segment that has traditionally lagged consumer payments in reducing paper processing.

Clinkle, the payments startup that's generated financial backing from Silicon Valley investors and rampant speculation about its technology model, has hired a pair of Web technology veterans as it ramps up for a launch next year.

CO-OP Financial Services is upgrading its Sprig digital wallet to allow broader person-to-person payments, and is also adding mobile credit and debit card control and alert features.

Joe Proto, a payments executive and founder of several technology companies, is the new board chairman at prepaid card marketer The SpendSmart Co.

Mobile technology builder C-Sam has created a version of its mobile app development platform that's preconfigured with MasterPass specifications for financial institutions and processors to more easily build custom versions of MasterCard's digital wallet.