Google probably could have hired anyone it wanted to be chief financial officer. For those trying to ascertain why Google chose Ruth Porat of Morgan Stanley, her experience in banking is likely one of her key selling points.

Selfies, or self-portraits typically taken with a smartphone's camera, are an all-too-common consumer habit. And the practice is now migrating to formal business use, such as for authentication.

It's a sure thing that the founders of the Pony Express in 1860 didn't have a futuristic vision in mind of what a digital Pony Express might look like — but Google Inc. reportedly has chosen that branding for its next payment service.

Zumigo, an identity provider, is expanding the reach of its mobile location verification service to online merchants.

Mobile payments will replace cash and cards. Or the technology will stall for lack of consumer interest. It all depends on which report you read.

There is a growing opportunity for health care providers to benefit from adding a self-service option, particularly as the portion of revenue they get directly from patients increases.

EBay Inc., which is spinning off its PayPal division later this year, plans to pay each of the two new companies' chief executive officers $14 million in total compensation after the split.

In keeping with the growing market for global e-commerce payments, Stripe has developed a new version of its Connect service tailored for international startups.

EBay Inc. appointed two independent directors in advance of its planned spinoff of online-payment platform PayPal this year.

Matt Swann, who was in charge of Amazon Register and the defunct Amazon Wallet, has left Amazon.com for a role at Citigroup, according to a report by TechCrunch.

The mobile wallet market takes no prisoners. Startups and big companies have an even playing field, and many have already scrapped one or more products — while others have given up the fight entirely.

In just one week, Swedish company Seamless has expanded its SEQR mobile payment service to three more countries in Europe.

In the Chinese payment processing space, which is dominated by government-controlled entities such as UnionPay, the dynamic of pursuing new customers is markedly different from in the U.S. This point was a key factor when investment firm TA Associates chose to invest in YeePay, a company with limited ambitions.

Everlink Payment Services has created a prototype wearable payment device that works with Interac Flash.

Flint Mobile is joining the many technology companies that are evolving from their roots as payment providers to become enablers of a broad range of services.

For the most part, big banks and trade groups have run the conversation on deploying a faster payment system in the U.S. But Nacha's recently proposed 8.2-cent fee for same-day Automated Clearing House payments has merchants taking notice.

The coffee chain announced plans on March 18 to begin testing delivery in New York and Seattle, with the iconic 102-story office tower serving as its Big Apple proving ground. In New York, customers will order through a Starbucks website and eventually transition to its mobile app.

Apple's Near Field Communication-based wallet was not universally welcomed by banks and merchants, but the in-app Apple Pay system is steadily gaining momentum as more retailers see it as a way to latch onto Apple's cachet without overhauling their point of sale.

Facebook's Messenger app will soon let users send funds to one another, and the social network's use of payments to drive advertising and other business services is unlikely to stop there.

The megabank-led clearXchange digital payment network, which now counts U.S. Bank as a participant, plans to use its considerable reach in the coming year to diversify its capabilities while also pushing for collaboration among other providers.