Samsung Wallet, an Android wallet app that largely resembles Apple's Passbook, is now available on the Google Play marketplace for Android smartphone apps.

Companies such as CenPOS, Ingenico and BillingTree are accelerating payments innovation by customizing their technology for the automotive industry.

PayPal's cloud-based mobile wallet, which authenticates shoppers by presenting a photo of their face to the cashier, has arrived in the U.K.

Building on an earlier partnership, Isis and American Express are integrating their software and allowing Isis mobile wallet users to access their Isis accounts with Amex's Serve prepaid cards.

Motorists in downtown Portland, Ore. will be able to pay for parking using a QuickPay Corp. mobile app at City Center Parking meters starting in September.

The Visa Ready Program has approved Swiff, SCCP Group's chip-and-PIN mobile payment acceptance technology.

Launched in April 2010, Think Computer Corp.'s FaceCash application signed up 25 Bay Area merchants and 500 consumers to use its novel technology, which combined mobile bar code scanning and photo identification. Then regulators put it out of business.

Honey, which obtains coupon codes for consumers who shop online, plans to use its data management and analytic tools to enable merchants to offer coupons directly to Honey users in real time.

Eric Lefkofsky, a Groupon co-founder who ousted Andrew Mason as chief executive officer in February to take the job on an interim basis, was made permanent CEO, the Chicago-based company said in a statement today.

To facilitate the launch of a mobile wallet unveiled in February at the Mobile World Congress 2013 event, a major bank and a telecommunications company in Norway have formed a joint venture.

As mobile wallets expand their services, they more closely resemble full-fledged bank accounts. And PreCash Inc. says it can do at least one job better than banks do today.

Cabela's Inc. employees are using Sage Mobile Payment card readers to accept payments at the company's bank-sponsored outdoor sales events this summer.

Alliance Data Systems Corp. is adding augmented reality technology to the tools it offers to drive the use of retail payment cards.

Photo-based mobile bill pay can help banks overcome the adoption challenges of traditional online bill pay.

Bango, a direct carrier billing provider, has integrated with Mozilla's Firefox Marketplace, allowing consumers to charge digital purchases to their phone bill.

Payment processor Moneris and restaurant hardware provider TouchBistro are partnering to provide iPad payment products for U.S. clients.

BitWall, a Bitcoin content monetization startup, will launch next week to allow people to sell low-value digital content, putting one of the digital currency's favored use cases to the test.

Visa has elevated former PayPal and Yahoo executive Sam Shrauger to head of digital, part of an internal reorganization at the card network that took place at the end of July, according to an analyst report from Janney.

To create effective mobile payments products, developers must treat merchants and consumers as separate customer segments that have of inextricably-linked needs.

Virtual Piggy, which provides an online youth payment system, now offers digital gift cards on its website through a deal with the prepaid card company InComm.