As wearable devices like the Apple Watch gain an audience, banks and retailers are exploring ways to make the most of this new style of consumer technology. But a number of hurdles stand in the way.

Alibaba is reportedly upping its game in India, on the heels of its half-billion-dollar investment in Paytm in May.

When mom-and-pop merchants need a loan, they are increasingly turning to some big names in the payments business, which are quickly becoming noteworthy players in small-business lending.

Amongst all the hype and bluster around mobile payments, consumer adoption has lagged, and a fundamental question seems to be largely overlooked – why use mobile payments?

After testing Messenger person-to-person payments in New York City, Facebook has expanded the money transfer service to the entire U.S.

As more retailers consider uses for tablets in their stores, Moki Mobility Inc. figures it is in the right place at the right time to offer its cloud-based point of sale management technology.

Payment providers that don't move to support more integrated digital commerce may find themselves unable to serve the "connected consumer" of the future.

NCR Corp. will support its mobile cash withdrawal service through China's Bank of Ningbo's mobile app.

Nearly a third of U.S. smartphone users owned or planned to purchase a wearable device in the next 12 months. Among this group, 82% wanted them to enhance their in-store experience and 22% specifically wanted them to provide touchless, one-click payments. The bottom line: financial services companies have a lot of work ahead to meet consumer expectations.

In an effort to appeal to more businesses by helping them manage their employees, Square has launched Square Payroll.

Just as the Apple Watch prepares to land in the U.K., Barclaycard is launching three new high-tech accessories of its own — and borrowing Apple's practice of attaching a higher-than-average price tag to its wares.

Vending machine payments company PayRange has raised $12 million in Series A funding led by Matrix Partners to help the company extend deployment of cashless transaction hardware.

Kickstarter is rapidly adding countries, which makes Stripe's increasingly international technology tools a good fit, according to the crowdfunding service.

As mobile payment systems mature, they still face several hurdles to adoption. Some of these problems are as much cultural as they are technological.

Only two weeks after launching its SEQR mobile payment app in the U.S., Seamless is bringing the wallet service to the U.K.

Canada's suretap mobile wallet provides service to most of the country's mobile carriers, but its coverage map omits Apple handsets and most Canadian banks.

Groupon has launched an Apple Watch app that combines shopping, deals and payments.

Adding a payment mechanism to online advertising is becoming a popular way to close the conversion gap between mobile shopping and purchasing.

As mobile payments fuel financial services in countries where traditional banking infrastructure is underwhelming, many in the payments world applaud.

Online payment processor Allied Wallet has joined the Saxo Payments Banking Marketplace, allowing it to immediately accept and settle payments globally in multiple currencies at a lower cost.