Cards

In the U.S., Visa Direct has emerged as one of the few go-to tools for fast payments in a market that is overdue for such options. The product's true test begins now, as Visa launches it in Europe, where faster payments options are far more plentiful.

New York plans to dramatically digitize its subway system, phasing out its iconic MetroCard to install contactless tap-and-go technology, bringing a dose of the 21^st century to a system that dates to 1904 but often feels even older than that.

The Canadian payment system is evolving into something almost completely different, an evolution that's birthing new ideas to handle authentication.

Startups and banks have watched for years as young consumers shifted from credit cards to debit cards to, finally, P-to-P apps. But what's driving that shift may not be what the providers intended.

Certain prepaid debit card issuers that didn’t initially adopt EMV technology — because of a lower perceived security threat for these limited-use cards — are now going the EMV route.

Now two years on from the U.S. EMV liability shift, chip cards are commonplace in American wallets. But the benefits of EMV cards — a longer five-year lifespan and a reduced need to reissue in the event of fraud — have muted the demand for new cards.

Financial institutions should consider personalized campaigns and offers designed to convert customers to their debit or credit card, writes Bob Koehler, executive vice president of project management for SRM.

The industry has the opportunity to expedite gains in interoperability and realize significant cost savings and productivity gains for both the clinical and administrative sides of the industry, writes Chris Seib, chief technology officer and cofounder of InstaMed.

It is often difficult to imagine how something will disrupt an industry because it may seem that the industry is already functioning with no problems. But there are inefficiencies that may not be apparent, writes Mariam Nishanian, a representative for Dentacoin.

The U.S. and Canada are far behind Europe and Asia in contactless adoption in general. A handful of mass transit agencies are stirring hopes about NFC fare payments, but even these cities are taking a cautious approach to open-loop payments.