For years mobile wallets have been a solution in search of a problem — until now.

While pandemic restrictions cloud the sector's outlook, the London-based payment and fintech company is making hotel booking and other services part of its financial super app strategy.

The card brand's spots will focus less on credit cards and more on real-time payroll, cryptocurrency and mobile commerce.

The technology holds great promise for financial services, but it could be just as powerful for scammers looking to break payment card encryption. Visa, Mastercard and others are already building new defenses.

Apple Inc. is working on a new service that will let consumers pay for any Apple Pay purchase in installments over time, rivaling the buy now/pay later offerings popularized by services from Affirm Holdings Inc. and PayPal Holdings Inc.

The card network and telco are designing systems that use 5G to support more payment processes hosted in the cloud rather than on local hardware. The goal is to make services such as autonomous checkout available to small businesses.

The payments technology provider is adding a handprint biometric digital ID to its authentication system through a partnership with the French fintech A3BC.

The payment company is blending technology from its Swedish subsidiary with other features, such as invoicing, to provide a more robust offering to U.S. merchants.

Building on renewed consumer interest in digital payments, companies such as linked2pay and Pax are making it easier for retailers to add options like ACH and to import shopper data into back-office systems.

The timepieces are meant to appeal to consumers who are comfortable with wearable payments but prefer something simpler than a high-end smartwatch.