Technology

Banks and credit unions that have watched from the sidelines as the likes of Square, PayPal and Intuit built a mobile-payments market from scratch now have their own product to offer — a product merchants can't get off a retail-store shelf or from an independent sales organization.

Advanced encryption methods, mobile payment security and various other technologies figure to be major topics once again when the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council's participants meet this week.

Discover is pushing aggressively to be at the heart of many mobile-payments initiatives. It's doing a lot that its rivals are not — but there are a few ways it might lose ground.

As ShopKeep POS reviews the results of its recent mobile-wallet test with PayPal, it is rolling out a new iPhone app for merchants that use its tablet-based register system.

As technology evolves, Square is proving its savvy by making the most of its social-media expertise. It uses Twitter not just as a highlight of CEO Jack Dorsey's resume (Dorsey co-founded the micro-blogging company) but as an effective channel for immediate sales.

Soon the question every clerk asks at checkout may not be, 'paper or plastic,' but instead, 'mobile bar code or NFC?'

The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council plans to recruit more soldiers in its ongoing war against fraudsters and cybercrooks. A new program allows any qualified individual to become a certified PCI Professional.

VeriFone's stock price tumbled after the maker of payment terminals reported third-quarter sales that fell short of analysts' estimates, citing unfavorable currency swings, competition in Europe and a fire in Brazil.

Ingenico continues to pursue U.S. market share to capitalize on the breakup of rival payment-terminal maker Hypercom last year, and wireless terminals are a key part of that strategy.

Online marketplace Etsy is putting more marketing muscle behind its PayPal alternative, Direct Checkout, as it waives processing fees this month and makes Direct Checkout a requirement for accepting its virtual gift cards, which launch next month.