The payment landscape is still very fragmented with local solutions holding their own against global giants and new technologies such as AI and blockchain keeping the payments market very enterprising, writes Eva Murphy Ryan, trade development executive for financial services and technology at Enterprise Ireland New York.

The cryptocurrency boom has encouraged attackers to expand their focus from other methods such as utilizing malware to steal data and impose ransoms or launching a disruptive DDoS attack, to employing tools and techniques to gain access to the computing power of enterprises to generate cryptocurrency payouts, writes Carolyn Crandall, chief deception officer at Attivo Networks.

At Tropical Smoothie, a new IT project will deploy new cloud-hosted point of sale terminals, handheld devices and kitchen display systems over the next few weeks across its 700-location footprint.

There has been a dramatic decline in cryptocurrency market activity, portending a severe contraction

Fintechs can get what they need from a traditional bank charter with the FDIC, as long as the agency is willing to play ball and step up its approach to innovation.

Emotional connections can make a difference when consumers have many different ways to shop and pay, according to Tom Caporaso, CEO of Clarus Commerce.

International migration has hit an all-time high in recent years, with 250 million migrant workers across the globe. This has created a booming new international payments market for remittance providers.

Singtel Group, owner of Singapore Telecom, launched a QR code-based cross-border mobile payments alliance with Thailand’s largest digital bank, Kasikornbank and Thailand’s largest mobile phone operator Advanced Info Service or AIS.

Comparing the U.K. payments landscape to that of the U.S. is sometimes like comparing apples to oranges according to Ankit Kumar, manager of digital payments and mobile financial services at Gemalto.

In/PACT wants to encourage higher charitable donations by having donors use their banks’ online platforms instead of going directly to the charities.

Wirecard is partnering with Visa in Romania on a white-label digital wallet service enabling any card issuer to offer mobile contactless payment solutions through a wallet featuring card controls and account notifications.

PayPal launched a new merchant app called PayPal for Business, aimed at driving usage and adoption of its invoicing and payments services among freelance workers and small businesses in India.

Banks and merchants are rapidly deploying chatbots for answering basic account questions, shopping and accessing the internet of things. But new data suggests consumers don’t fully trust chatbots yet with payment account details and personal information. Here’s a look at what consumers think of chatbots and why it matters.

Cryptocurrency platforms need to take precautions as the number of security incidents seems to be increasing, writes Gaurav Banga, founder and CEO of Balbix.

Payments will melt into the wider commerce experience and create new incremental value for consumers, according to Brendan Miller, a principal analyst at Forrester.

China’s Golden Week started on Monday and with it, global cities and merchants are boldly promoting Alipay in an effort to capture Chinese tourist dollars. At the same time, merchants are building out a competitive acceptance network that could someday rival the major payment card networks.

For merchants to reap the full benefits of the modern mobile payments ecosystem, their payments strategy can go beyond accepting a contactless tap-and-go card and encourage use of smartphone payments at the point of sale, writes Jason Oxman, CEO of the Electronic Transactions Association.

Visa is pursuing the online criminals to prevent future fraud. Visa also works with law enforcement agencies to quantify potential losses and, where possible, assist in the threat mitigation.

The potential for voice payments is massive and drawing significant attention from developers. But limited use suggests it's not ready for prime time.

As with many mobile apps and services, I think we underestimated the fragmentation issue. That includes consumers preferring different operating ecosystems, and also different versions of Android or iPhone hardware, according to Ankit Kumar, manager of digital payments and mobile financial services at Gemalto.