Uber

Uber is clearly doing more to get into payments, but is hampered by a heavy regulatory burden and self-inflicted wounds to its brand.

Uber Freight, the ride-hailing giant's load-sharing app for the trucking industry, is collaborating with fleet card giant Fleetcor on a payment card that offers drivers discounts for gas, engine maintenance and tires.

Putting money directly in people’s pockets requires more speed and efficiency through innovative technologies and payments systems, writes Deirdre Ives, managing director of Wirecard North America.

Uber’s announcement that it had been hacked in 2016 — resulting in the exposure of 57 million accounts — was shocking. The breach itself did not include payment information, but does that really matter from the consumer's perspective?

Merchants’ fates are inextricably linked to what customers want. So, as they continue to embrace frictionless experiences, merchants are under mounting pressure to deliver or risk losing out, writes Joseph Daly, COO of North American Payment Processing for Paysafe.

Many companies in financial services say they want to be the next Uber. But the reverse may also be true, with the ride-sharing company adding a cobrand card that can be managed from within the Uber app.

The third-party wallets don't market interoperability or share much data, frustrating the process of adding new riders.

Same-day and real-time payment products are designed for basic transfers that don't meet the more complex needs of Lyft's ride-sharing service, contends Ashwin Raj, Lyft's vice president of payments.

While many fintech companies and payment startups have good ideas, they don't yet understand the complexity of integrating into a community bank’s core banking system. That's where partnerships can help, writes Steven J. Ramirez, CEO of Beyond the Arc.

The gig or sharing economy has transformed and disrupted the global workforce. It has redefined what we should expect from our payments, writes Ralph Perdomo, a research analyst and writer at Nvoicepay.

As long as we can create enough trust between the parties involved in a payment transaction, the system works, writes Francis Limousy, principal adviser for UL Transaction Security Advisory Services.

Both merchants and consumers still see the act of making a payment as a barrier and again look to technology to enhance the experience, writes Chris Koide, senior advisor and vice president of financial services for Bambora North America.

The ride-sharing service Uber is reportedly considering hiring a female chief executive to help it move past the reputational damage it suffered under ousted co-founder Travis Kalanick.

A dad challenges JPMorgan Chase’s parental leave policy. A shareholder proposal to address the gender pay gap gets shot down at Citigroup. Plus, Cathy Bessant, Yolande Piazza and Elizabeth Warren.

Consumers are comfortable with push payments, which makes them a good fit to boost usage of digital wallets and other mobile payment options.

Contextual commerce is the next big thing in retail as the payments transaction slides to the background. But it relies on building sophisticated consumer relationships.

As consumers use digital channels more, merchants are under pressure to not only make payments seamless, but tie transactions to broader customer-facing and internal functions.

Uber and other digital commerce plays are drawing attention to online fraud and innovation. Payment companies and merchants will need to adjust to meet the pace of change in the year ahead.

The new year will ring in developments in the ways banks use chatbots and other artificial intelligence, and produce digital products and services.

India's cash crisis may threaten the country's traditional wedding season. Uber is attempting to solve some of the problem with a new car booking service.