The payments industry has turned its attention inward, focusing on securing its own technology from fraudsters without driving off their customers.

Ripple Labs Inc., a venture capital-backed challenger to Western Union and Bitcoin, is for the first time gaining access to the U.S. banking system, and security hawks are raising eyebrows.

PayPal's making moves to respond to the maturation of virtual currencies, entering into agreements with Bitcoin payment processors BitPay, Coinbase and GoGoin.

The payments industry has changed dramatically over the past year, and so has the mindset of those in the industry. The focus is shifting from mobile payments and Bitcoin to fraud mitigation and security.

As the Bitcoin industry matures, narrowly-focused companies are working to take market share from the companies that came first to the digital currency ecosystem.

Braintree, a payment technology business owned by eBay and PayPal, has opened up Bitcoin acceptance to its merchant clients, including airbnb, GitHub, Uber and LivingSocial.

Beer and wine are often used to lower inhibitions about anything new. Why should payment technology be any different? Many companies that manufacture or sell alcohol are at the forefront of payments innovation.

Bitcoin wallet and merchant services provider Coinbase has insured the bitcoins it holds against theft and loss.

Josh Rossi is best known for starting the first Satoshi Square, a gathering of Bitcoin enthusiasts who trade the virtual currency for cash in New York City's Union Square, in 2013. He has since brought his ideas to new companies and new parts of the world.

Online electronics retailer Newegg is now accepting bitcoin payments from Canadian customers.

Lamassu Bitcoin Ventures is sending its Bitcoin ATMs to areas that may not be completely welcoming to digital currency, with its newest machine touching down today in the West Village of New York City, the birthplace of the "BitLicense" regulatory concept.

Jesse Powell knew Mt. Gox was not long for this world more than two years before the once-dominant bitcoin exchange went bankrupt in February. Powell founded a competitor, Kraken, which is now in talks to offer services in Japan

Braintree a payment technology business owned by eBay, is reportedly looking at accepting the popular and controversial digital currency, Bitcoin, as a form of payment.

Pockio, a U.K.-based company that re-sells gift cards for cryptocurrency, has expanded the number of brands it offers from 30 to 160 in only a couple of months.

Social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook, have been enticing but sometimes hostile environments for payments innovation. Some startups are pushing past the platform providers to appeal directly to their users.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a warning to consumers about the danger of digital currencies, sparking questions about whether the agency could soon seek to write new rules in that area.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau weighed into the debate about the future of digital currencies like Bitcoin, issuing a warning Aug. 11 that they pose significant risks to consumers.

BitPay's recent decision to eliminate its fees for small merchants sacrifices some of the company's revenue to boost the larger Bitcoin economy.

Global Payments Inc., a global processor servicing more than one million merchants, will enable its clients to accept digital currency in a move that may attract more international shoppers to brick-and-mortar merchants.

In politics, every penny counts to secure a candidate's position in office. Bitcoin's low cost of acceptance, accompanied by increasing clarity from regulators over its role in campaigns, is making it a more appealing choice for accepting donations.