Amazon.com Inc. has agreed to buy Dubai-based online retailer Souq.com, betting that e-commerce in the Middle East is poised to take off.

With AmazonFresh Pickup, a brick-and-mortar extension of its grocery delivery services, Amazon is edging further into the crowded grocery market with a model that downplays the process of wandering the aisles of a physical store. But unlike some of Amazon's other retail efforts, this one is not as big a departure as it first seems.

Passwords are often restrictive, undynanmic and draw attention from fraudsters. And there's also the risk of repeated cybercrime linked to old authentication.

The business-to-business payments market is one of the laggards in transaction automation, and a reason often given is the lack of customization options. Businesses are using consumer-style technology for business purposes, and the fit isn't right.

Given the pressures of cart abandonment and showrooming brought about by digital marketplaces, traditional retailers are trying lots of ways to fight back with digital techniques of their own.

It's difficult for acquirers to have the proper payments technology available when merchant interest peaks. This is even more difficult as efforts such as Smart Cities and Internet of Things initiatives overwhelm retailers with options.

As trends in payments technology take hold or taper off, it's safe to say that one is firmly entrenched: The shift to mobile and integrated point of sale devices.

As multi-factor identification becomes the norm, biometrics can be one or more steps that consumers can easily execute.

Germany's state-owned development bank KfW, which gained publicity for erroneously transferring hundreds of millions of euros to Lehman Brothers the day the U.S. firm filed for bankruptcy, has done it again.

Technology never stands still, and even the most successful mobile wallets in the market need to keep pace with the needs of consumers and merchants. A few are making changes that position them for new markets and platforms in the near future.

Rent is one of the few payment types where automation has made very little headway, still relying heavily on mailed checks that the landlord deposits in person at a bank. One strategy to change that is to borrow a concept from the gig economy, in which the payment rides along with other services.

Esso gas stations in Canada have launched the Speedpass+ mobile payment app through Imperial Oil, giving motorists the option to pay for gas through their smartphones.

Starbucks customers will soon be able to send Starbucks gifts to other iOS device users via Apple Inc.’s iMessage platform with Apple Pay.

In the shift to online and mobile shopping, one group often left out is the 65 million Americans with poor or no credit. But as more retail categories like furniture move online, a growing number of e-commerce merchants is adding instant finance options for the subprime crowd.

As connected devices expand in use and add payment capabilities, retailers and technology companies will need to move fast to stay safe and ahead of the curve.

Mastercard has named longtime exec Rama Sridhar to the newly created role of executive vice president, digital and emerging partnerships for the Asia Pacific region.

Within the payments industry, Braintree was a well-known technology provider even before it became a unit of PayPal in 2013. But as the company expands, it finds that its reach has its limits.

Tencent Holdings Ltd. is planning to spin off its e-book business as it boosts spending on payments and content to lure users and keep them glued to its WeChat service.

Some new data rules, such as the one in New York state governing cybercrime protection, require complex technology work to remain compliant. But the rules also leave room for outside help.

Royal Bank of Canada has long been enthusiastic about payment technology that most other banks usually see as long-term projects.