Data security

Despite email filters and training programs, bank customers still click on fake emails and malicious links at an alarming rate. Newer technologies and methods hold promise for getting phishing under control.

A white paper released Thursday said the agency might issue new guidance on fintech product development, third-party risk management and new products targeting the underbanked; streamline its licensing procedures; and appoint experts on "responsible innovation." It is still deciding whether to open an office dedicated to monitoring the fintech sector.

Some debit card users are so loyal to their cards that many would go so far as to say using a PIN is more convenient — and less secure — than a using a signature, according to a recent report from Auriemma Consulting Group.

BMO is betting that newly popular biometric authentication options can solve an age-old problem—the headaches business travelers face when managing smaller expenses.

In the coming years, biometrics will be the leading security metric to protect payment systems, but a single ultra-hack could derail this progression permanently.

EBay has become a member of the Fast Identity Online (FIDO) Alliance, making it the first e-commerce company to achieve FIDO certification.

The attention around tokenization — replacing static account numbers with a one-time-use token — has been good for security but worrying for businesses that rely on a static identifier for future reference.

Marriott International's efforts to acquire Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide — combining two major hotel chains that have suffered data breaches — should force both chains to reexamine the way they handle sensitive payment card data.

Fallout from widespread data breaches hurts many payment industry sectors, but this year's tax-filing season brings fresh pain for the prepaid card industry, with new details out connecting prepaid cards with some of last year's biggest tax refund fraud busts.

The capacity for EMV cards to swiftly and drastically reduce payment card fraud in the U.S. is by no means assured.