GoFundMe's new team fundraising feature lays the foundation for bigger groups to use the platform for collecting payments — nudging it closer to the tools merchants use to manage business expenses.

Called Mezu, the P2P platform has been live for about a week and uses a location-based code to execute payments, avoiding the need to even share usernames or other identifying information to move money.

Earlier this week, the e-commerce payments giant announced a $400 million deal to acquire Hyperwallet and its payment distribution technology. The deal for Palo Alto-based Simility takes aim at a different need: applying machine learning to its data collection to prevent various types of fraud.

Malware operators are joining forces, installing each others’ tools on compromised computers to target a wider range of victims, and possibly also sharing the work of harvesting funds using stolen account details.

CRM solutions have proved useful in providing a technological infrastructure for gathering data on a customer, but they are just that—an infrastructure. The larger difficulty is often managing the content and messaging that goes through the CRM pipeline, according to Patrick Kehoe, executive vice president of Messagepoint.

The Australian state of Queensland has selected Cubic Corp. of San Diego to develop a mass-transit ticketing system that will support contactless payments and real-time rider account information for public transportation in the region surrounding Brisbane.

PayPal is spending billions on M&A to throttle the heightened competition it faces from the likes of Square and Stripe.

The online lender wants to provide instant payments and securitizations alongside instant loans, according to CEO Anthony Noto.

Mobile and digital technology are expanding use cases for reloadable prepaid cards beyond their heritage as a tool primarily for the unbanked consumers. Furthermore, mobile commerce is driving broader acceptance of digital versions of both prepaid and retail gift cards.

Paysafe Group has introduced a cash-based online payment mechanism for people who don’t have bank accounts or don’t use cards online due to security concerns. The U.K.-based payments services provider is also expanding its presence in the U.S.

PayPal can combine its payment service, Braintree and Hyperwallet for a variety of use cases for online marketplaces and gig economy workers.

Nets will bring its payments technology reach into Poland through its $85 million acquisition of Dotpay/eCard.

Payment processors have increasingly become full-service providers from equipment to security measures and, most recently, some mobile and omnichannel options.

Scan-and-go payments and other mobile technology can redirect store resources toward more personal service to keep consumers in stores, according to Julian Wallis, retail director at Rambus.

Paytm, one of India’s most widely used mobile wallets, has added TV and games in an effort to keep users' eyes on its app as long as possible.

Longtime Starbucks boss Howard Schultz was so invested in the company's mobile payments strategy that he once stepped down from his day-to-day duties to focus his full attention on the tech initiative. Without his involvement, will Starbucks lose its edge in fintech?

As contactless cards continue their momentum in the U.K., new use cases are popping up for the tap-and-go technology.

As competition from the bank-powered Zelle mounts, the popular social P2P app Venmo is phasing out support for online payments in favor of its mobile app.

Microsoft is the latest to try to help a big retailer jettison cashiers — and the latest to discover how hard that is.

Going back to the debut of the free Square card reader, the mobile payments market has made fees — or the lack of fees — a major selling point.