Technology

Mobile commerce is here and isn’t going away. We can all agree on that. And I think we can all agree that it’s the banking industry’s opportunity to lose, but to date, most banks remain very slow to take action.

Less than two weeks after expanding into 15 Latin American markets, online remittance provider WorldRemit has launched its services in the U.S.

There is a lesson for bankers in the recent decision by Bitcoin ATM provider Robocoin to stop using biometric authentication on its teller machines.

Virtual Piggy, which provides the Oink online wallet service for their youths, will release a prepaid Discover card to extend its offering to retail stores.

Banks and other traditional payment companies need to keep an open mind when assessing the market today as new entrants build systems to disrupt the old models, said Christine Cumming, first vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Square is adding global support for its Register merchant services app, a move that allows the company to measure demand in new markets before investing in the distribution of its hardware and other services.

Alternative lender FastPay, which specializes in lending to digital media startups, received $15 million from newly formed Oak HC/FT, a $500 million growth-equity fund that invests in health care and financial technology.

U.K.-based terminal maker Spire Payments has purchased the electronic funds transfer division of STS, a company that provides point of sale payment devices to more than 40 customers across the Middle East.

An estimated 30% of American smartphone owners will use Apple Pay or Google Wallet while holiday shopping, according to a study commissioned by Stratos Inc.

Mobile payments provider iZettle is expanding into the Netherlands with its payments application, mobile card reader and business management software.