Technology

Large merchants are EMV-ready, but they're less likely to support NFC-based mobile payments; the opposite is true for smaller merchants.

Banks are playing a more active role in the next phase of fintech, both as investors and partners, says David Sica, partner at venture capital firm Nyca. That change is shaping how the firm looks at new investments.

The era of banks and fintech companies cozying up to each other is in full bloom. Fintechs realize they can better disrupt the industry from within, while banks are looking for partners to help them navigate the digital world. Here's a look at how banks worldwide are buying, investing in and in some cases lending to fintech firms.

The son of a Russian lawmaker was convicted of orchestrating a global hacking bonanza in what a U.S. prosecutor called one of the most prolific credit card trafficking schemes in history.

Near Field Communication tags — stickers embedded with wireless technology — were seen as a bridge technology for contactless payments in the U.S. before phones came with NFC built-in. In India, however, NFC tags are proving to have a much longer shelf life.

The most important cybersecurity questions in banking are also the most basic: Who has administrator access? What kind of programs are installed on computer systems? "If I can't answer those questions, I'm sure the criminal can," says Andre McGregor, director of security at Tanium.

Apple Inc. is planning a new iPhone feature for Japan that will enable users to pay for mass-transit rides with their smartphones instead of physical payment cards. A future iPhone will include technology called FeliCa, a mobile tap-to-pay standard in Japan developed by Sony Corp., according to people familiar with the matter.

Because of zero liability rules, consumers rarely share the extent of the concerns banks have over account security. But their fears might be growing.

The refrain is familiar by now—health care payments are more complicated than consumer payments and require special technology and products. But there's another difference between health care providers and the rest of the world, one that's just as vexing and equally attractive to technology vendors.

For many JPMorgan Chase customers and Android device users, a hint of a marriage between the large issuer and the prevalent mobile wallet is welcome news.