Mobile software developers increasingly use common platforms for payments and other functions. And many of those developers rely on Braintree, a company eBay is purchasing for $800 million.

MasterCard Inc. has certified On Track Innovations Ltd.’s Wave Near Field Communication device, which plugs into a phone's headphone jack to allow consumers to make contactless mobile payments.

If independent sales organizations aren't willing to shift their business models in the coming years, they'll go extinct in a payments industry bustling with aggressive, agile startups that skip the middleman and go directly to the merchant.

Mobile point of sale processor payworks and European hospitality technology provider Orderman are designing mobile terminals for chip-and-PIN cards.

Square has officially launched its person-to-person payment system, Square Cash, which lets debit card users send funds by typing an email.

PayPal's plans to extend its payments business inside of stores includes technology that attempts to reduce the need for customers to wait in line at the cash register.

At 800 stores, the Checkers/Rally's fast-food chain may seem overshadowed by giants like McDonald's. But to CardFree, merchants of Checkers' size are ideal customers for its mobile payments technology.

As new mobile payment options storm the market, plastic cards refuse to bend, according to a new study of consumer habits.

Virtual Piggy will deploy Kount's fraud management technology to provide payments security.

Revel is offering PayPal’s mobile payment capabilities as an integrated service within the Revel point of sale system.

VeriFone Systems and National Payment Card Association (NPCA) have launched a payments and rewards product that supports mobile payments at gas stations.

At $12 billion in deposits, FirstBank narrowly misses being ranked among the top 50 banks. But it's rubbing shoulders with the top three as it becomes first non-founding member of the clearXchange person-to-person payments network.

Visa plans to parlay its investment in Near Field Communication technology in Australia through a venture with the top telcos and numerous handset manufacturers to establish contactless payments.

There has been a flurry of activity in payments technology in recent days. But as the dust settles, it's becoming clear that some of the most disruptive products are coming from outside the payments industry.

Heartland Payment Systems and Tabbedout are developing an integrated mobile payment system for restaurants and bars.

The parent of Alipay.com Co., Chinese billionaire Jack Ma's online payments operator, will pay 1.18 billion yuan ($193 million) for a controlling stake in an asset manager as he expands investment in financial services.

Visa Europe has secured the services of Conferma to provide its issuing banks and payments partners with technology that can provide virtual account numbers for business travel customers.

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) plans an electronic voucher program in Lebanon that will enable Syrian refugees to make MasterCard payments.

DataCash and Redecard are providing residents in Brazil with options for making payments with cross-border e-commerce retailers.

Dickie Brennan is a New Orleans staple, a local business owner whose family has operated restaurants in the Crescent City for decades. A protégé of legendary chef Paul Prudhomme, Brennan is also an early adopter of a new mobile technology he hopes will change the way people dine out.