Technology

An Israeli company is hoping to make installment plans a routine part of credit card transactions in the U.S., relying on retailers, banks and other partners to promote its technology.

Apple Pay is a watershed moment that will do more to stimulate mobile commerce than the sum of all previous efforts. But it also has an impact on branding that should make it part of a broader mobile menu for banks and retailers.

An executive order signed by President Obama on Friday that mandated the adoption of chip and PIN technology in government cards and enabled its use in facilities like Post Offices is a "meaningless gesture" that smacks of politics over substance.

The Chicago Transit Authority approved the free Ventra Android and iOS app this week, but riders won't be able to use the app for tap-and-go payments with Near Field Communication-enabled smartphones until early 2016.

As Apple Pay launches Oct. 20, the new mobile wallet will be put to the test. It has the prestige of Apple and the participation of hundreds of card issuers, but it also faces several challenges that may be difficult to overcome.

The White House is slated to unveil a major package of initiatives on Friday to increase data security for financial transactions, including an executive order to add chip-and-PIN technology to government-issued credit and debit cards.

MasterCard will launch a contactless card with a built-in fingerprint sensor in the U.K. in early 2015 with Norwegian payment technology provider Zwipe.

Almost half of merchant payment-card terminals in the U.S. will be able to handle more secure EMV- chip technology by the end of 2015, according to an industry group.

WASHINGTON — To hear the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau tell it, the private student loan market is a mess, filled with angry borrowers many of whom claim to have been taken advantage of by banks and servicers.

A third of the veteran-owned businesses certified with the Veterans Administration are already First Data clients, and the processor is working to win over the other two-thirds.