Germany

Andreas Dombret, the head of banking supervision for the German central bank, talks with American Banker's John Heltman about the need for international cooperation, how blockchain changes regulation, and the difference between the German and U.S. banking systems.

Germany's Wirecard is expanding again through the acquisition of MyGate Communications, a small but fast-growing payment services provider based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Ever since Apple opened its Siri voice assistant to outside developers late last year, payment companies have been experimenting with the potential of voice-controlled payments. Here's a look at what some of the early adopters have already accomplished.

How much do Germans like cash? Consider the following common German phrase: "Geld stinkt nicht," which roughly translated means, "money doesn’t stink."

Buying clothes can be a tedious process of waiting in lines to get into the dressing room, and then waiting in line again to make a purchase. As it turns out, eliminating the second half of this process can also reduce the first half.

ISOs and agents have a firm hold on selling payment terminals, but that's not where the real action is. Today, merchant acquiring is about tying payments to things such as advertising, marketing and loyalty programs.

Wirecard Card Solutions is taking over as the issuer of Bread4Scrap, a prepaid card program used by U.K.-based Payment Card Solutions (PCS) to distribute funds to scrap metal dealers.

Swedish payment company Klarna has entered a deal to buy BillPay, a German consumer financing company, bolstering Klarna's merchant reach in central Europe

German car maker Daimler AG has acquired PayCash Europe SA as part of its plans for a broad range of new vehicle-related mobile payment services dubbed “Mercedes Pay," in the latest deal linking automobile manufacturers with payment providers.

Volkswagen Financial Services has acquired PayByPhone, a Canadian parking payment provider, for an undisclosed amount.