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.

Purchase, N.Y.-based MasterCard is working with Sao Paulo, Brazil-based Itau Unibanco in establishing and operating an electronic payments network in the South American country.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s finance arm, which owns Alipay, plans to use a partnership structure to allow top management to maintain control of the company's board after an initial public offering, according to people familiar with the matter.

Of the many smartwatch apps teased during last week's Apple Watch reveal, only one came from a bank: Citigroup.

As payment providers shift more of their operations online, they may still find a need for spoken communication with their clients — even when those clients also sell exclusively online.

Apple gets it. The way to make things appealing is to make them simple, convenient and valuable for consumers.

Fime has updated a validation tool with Barnes International for issuers to test Visa's cloud-based Host Card Emulation processes and payment tokens for contactless payments.

Square's decision to scuttle its consumer-facing Order app shines an uncomfortable spotlight on the challenges inherent in creating technology that appeals to both consumers and merchants.

Wirecard, a German white-label electronic payment provider, will offer its "boon"-branded mobile payment app to Drillisch, a German telecommunications provider.

The mobile wallet landscape has always been dynamic, and recent consolidation and upheaval have changed it once again. As older products fade or rethink their model, newcomers are bringing bold new ideas to market.

Israeli payments technology provider Zooz has recently moved into the financial capitals of the world, opening offices in both New York City and London.