The task at hand for retail app developers is increasingly clear: Make it as easy as possible for consumers to pay through a mobile device.

While banks are in various stages of development when it comes to distributed ledger technology, the industry is further along than many would assume, big-bank technology executives say.

This morning it was announced that Fiserv is to acquire UK mobile payments veteran Monitise for 70 million pounds ($88.72 million). This is quite a bargain considering that at its peak, Monitise was valued at around 2 billion pounds. But beyond the firesale price tag, what exactly does Fiserv get out of this?

So far, the use cases for digital payments from connected cars seem too specific to spark a widespread shift in consumer habits. But connected cars may yet prove to be drivers of change.

Due in part to the U.S.'s lackluster adoption of contactless cards, mobile wallets had a slow and difficult time gaining hold among consumers and merchants that were unfamiliar with the tap-and-pay process or didn't have the right technology. The opposite problem plagues Canada, where contactless cards are so widely used that mobile adds little value.

The financial institution-owned person-to-person network formally went live Monday, enabling direct transfer of funds across 30 U.S. FIs. There are a lot of questions around whether it can compete with the current kings of P-to-P — Venmo and PayPal — but Zelle may not be aiming to take them head-on just yet.

At its core, PayPal remains sharply focused on digital payments. But like other payments providers and processors during what has been a renaissance period for payments technology, the San Jose-based company has had to reinvent itself to keep firm control of its role.

The bank-owned person-to-person network formally went live Monday, enabling direct transfer of funds across 30 U.S. financial institutions. There are a lot of questions around whether it can compete with the current kings of P-to-P — Venmo and PayPal — but Zelle may not be aiming to take them head-on just yet.

This morning the bank owned P-to-P network, Zelle, is formally going live, enabling direct transfer of funds across thirty U.S. financial institutions over the course of the next twelve months. There are a lot of questions around whether it can compete with the current kings of P-to-P — Venmo and its parent company PayPal — but Zelle may not be aiming to take them head-on just yet.

Grocery shopping may not seem conducive to e-commerce due to the category's massive cart sizes and perishable goods, but many companies are trying to put a digital spin on the process. Here are a few of the latest innovations.

Hoping to convince e-commerce merchants to let Facebook target offers to customers, the social media giant is placing a strong emphasis on “dynamic ads” that include payment buttons.

ExxonMobil's contactless and mobile payment system, Speedpass, is well known as a way to help drivers accelerate the payment process after they fill up on gas. The system's latest updates focus less on the payment process and more on flexibility and rewards.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. shares rose the most in almost two-and-a-half years after forecasting sales growth that topped every analyst’s estimate, defying expectations that growth must slow by dint of a decelerating economy and its own sheer scale.

The username and password are dying. Only biometrics can unify the age-old opposing forces of user experience and digital security in replacing an antiquated method.

Physical cash is likely to have utility for years to come. If it passes away, better the death blow comes from superior commercial payment systems than government edict.

Within two years, a consumer will be able to tell a voice-activated device like Amazon Echo to order the week's groceries – and the device will know exactly what to order and how to pay for it, without any further instructions.

Amazon customers in Japan can now charge purchases to their mobile phone bill through a new deal with Bango.

Audi is the latest to adopt a built-in service through a deal with Parkopedia, a London-based provider of dashboard services, to locate and pay for parking spots.

Regulatory moves to reduce paper money often have confusing, and even dangerous results, writes Eric Grover, a principal at Intrepid Ventures.

As the gig economy expands, at least some consolidation is inevitable. As a result, companies that already have complex webs of payments, billing cycles and workflows will need a way to merge their systems with those of their acquisition targets.