Visa introduced a new digital payment system July 16 called Visa Checkout, replacing the V.me digital wallet that formally launched in 2012. The idea is to move away from the "digital wallet" concept and convey a message of simplicity.

Payza is adding new features with the goal of helping merchants improve their conversion rates.

More merchants are interested in accepting payments on tablets and phones, and they have many choices of providers. What are banks and vendors doing to set themselves apart? (Image: ShutterStock)

Powa is reaching out to individual software vendors around the world in an attempt to accelerate integration of its point of sale tools with local mobile apps.

WorldRemit is targeting mobile wallets in emerging markets in a bid to eventually set a standard for international mobile money transfers.

Australian supermarket Coles is launching a tap-and-go mobile wallet to customers this week.

Apple has launched an automated account loading feature in Japan, a product that eliminates the need for plastic gift cards and may signal the beginnings of a pure digital wallet.

First Data Corp. has added technology from Perka, its customer loyalty subsidiary, to its Clover Station point of sale tablets. This is the latest of several updates First Data has made to boost the appeal of its Clover offering.

Visa has made an investment in digital transaction company DocuSign, giving the card network closer ties to a suite of technology that automates payments documents.

As Square's competitors pile on features to win business from the mobile payments pioneer, the company may be seeking to one-up its rivals by adding non-payment services.

The alternative payments provider Dwolla insists that regulating Internet traffic will hurt startups, and it is among a group of companies that will argue this point before the Federal Communications Commission on July 15.

Affirm, which launched in early 2013 with a product that resembles a digital version of a charge card, is making its payment schedules more flexible in an effort to attract more merchants and consumers.

Apple's iBeacon wireless technology, already used by payment companies like LevelUp and shopkick, may soon be incorporated into Apple-branded hardware, according to a report depicting a diagram Apple submitted to the FCC for certification.

Visa has partnered with international e-commerce company Borderfree to promote shopping at U.S. merchants by customers in the Middle East, extending a partnership that began last year with a focus on Southeast Asia.

What's in a name? Many payment companies have struggled with this question, finding out too late that the name they chose sent the wrong message or was rendered unusable by situations outside the brand's control.

MasterCard and Sacombank are equipping the Ben Thanh market in Vietnam with mobile point of sale capabilities, introducing digital payments to what had been a cash only market for more than a century.

DoubleBeam, a mobile commerce solutions provider, is partnering with SK Planet Inc. to integrate its Slyde beacon-enabled shopping app into the GoPago mobile point of sale system.

Oink is partnering with Optimal Payments to provide an payments option for products purchased online.

If Seamless Distribution AB is going to pitch U.S. merchants on being able to duplicate the successful Starbucks mobile payment experience at their businesses, its new relationship with prepaid product provider InComm potentially provides a significant boost.

In Ireland, credit unions are speeding up the launch of their electronic payment alternatives and working with Visa and MasterCard to offer debit cards to compete more aggressively with local banks.