Alternative acquirers

I made a provocative comment, as it turned out, during my keynote at a recent conference. The comment was picked up in a press article that reported I said "the coding behind virtual currency bitcoin could also prove to be enormously transformational, potentially even replacing the Swift network for interbank payments."

The focus on the smart-home device marks the latest frontier in the ways in which banks and payment companies are testing features on cars, fridges, watches and other internet of things.

Verifone's presence in the mobile point of sale market is as old as Square's, but it has had a bit more trouble reaching Square's market. This year, Verifone's strategy will be to move the goalpost — and to chop it up into smaller segments.

The mobile point of sale market is getting more and more crowded, even as the market's largest and most established players struggle to find footing.

Square is "betting big on Near Field Communication," but not to the point the company would consider bringing back its own Square Wallet app, CEO Jack Dorsey says.

Square Inc. reported fourth-quarter revenue that topped analysts’ estimates, suggesting the digital-payments business will continue to grow in the face of increasing competition from PayPal Holdings Inc. and Apple Inc.

Capital One Financial in McLean, Va., has added Amazon's former chief information security officer to its board of directors.

As the spread of mobile technology continues to erase borders, more companies are teaming up to bring their offerings to audiences they would have been unable to serve just 10 years ago. Many of these companies already had global reach, but needed the technology or local expertise of a partner from overseas.

Visa has accumulated a 9.99% stake in Square, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, giving a boost to the mobile point of sale company, which has faced challenges recently.

Global Payments Inc. has finalized an agreement to distribute Mobeewave’s contactless mobile card acceptance technology to its Canadian clients beginning this spring.