The prominent daily-deals provider Groupon is reportedly branching into payments with a device that competes with Square Inc.

Elavon, a unit of U.S. Bancorp, is taking a different approach to mobile card acceptance by using a wireless card reader that is as big as the phone it pairs with.

Accepting payments on the go is taxing enough without having to worry about the government's cut. To address this pain point, Intuit added a geolocation feature to its GoPayment mobile card reader to determine where a payment is being accepted and apply the appropriate tax rate.

Payments innovations frequently seem to come about from situations where people worry they might not have enough cash on hand for a tip. Years ago, taxis added card readers in part to address this issue, and today, parking valets are experimenting with something similar.

Mobile payment development may be held back by the unnecessary confusion surrounding mobile wallet security and standards, according to a top MasterCard executive.

Target has once again proven to be a breeding ground for payment innovation. The retail giant, which gave an early boost to the Starbucks mobile payment app and the American Express low-fee prepaid card, has given shopkick the go-ahead for a nationwide rollout of the vendor's mobile rewards system at its stores.

U.S. Bancorp is using technology from Fiserv to offer an iPad banking app with a heavy focus on payments.

Zynga's social games — especially its hit Facebook game FarmVille — are a big deal in digital payments. Its games are the key to the success of Facebook Credits, and they may provide a similar boost to American Express' Serve.

BillMyParents is working with Extole to promote the SpendSmart card for teens. BillMyParents' card provides parents with real-time notices of teens' purchases and allows parents to shut off the card's ability to transact.

Credit unions must adjust soon to the impact of mobile payments, which can disrupt their revenue from traditional payment systems like credit and debit cards.

Less than one-third of U.S. consumers have used their phones to make payments, whereas two thirds of consumers in China have, new data show.

In a deal that could enhance shopping at one of China’s leading supermarket chains, China PnR Mobile Payments Solutions Pvt. Ltd. recently announced it would provide supermarket retailer Suning Tesco Inc. with mobile-payment services.

I recently introduced the MasterCard Mobile Payments Readiness Index (see story) to a group of c-level bankers, and told them that one of our top-level findings is that it's the early days for mobile payments.

Mobile payment is revolutionizing the payments industry, suggests the widespread sentiment among industry insiders and observers.

Digital security provider Gemalto N.V. anticipates its new partnership with three companies in Mexico will provide more opportunities throughout Latin America to help provide mobile financial services.

This article has been updated from its original version.

Large corporations increasingly need better mobile channels to collect small payments on the fly from customers in the field.

For many banks, deciding what new mobile-banking features to offer is a matter of following competitors’ moves or waiting to see what technology their core banking vendor begins to offer.

The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority this fall plans to pilot a mobile ticket-buying system for its rail commuters designed to cut cash-handling costs and generate useful data about riders' habits.

Using smartphones to make financial transactions will be a normal part of everyday life by 2020, new research suggests.