Someday, such a thing as an alternative payment no longer may exist.

A year ago, banks expressed an interest in mobile banking and payments during discussions with Fiserv Inc. This year, those that have not already made a real play to support the technology appear ready to do so, Fiserv says.

Visa Inc. may be preparing to debut its ties to Google Inc.’s Google Wallet mobile-payments scheme in London at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, sources suggest.

Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. are just starting to rev up their marketing engines for their daily-deal services. Groupon Inc. and LivingSocial are the mainstays for now, but all four companies soon will face competition from PayPal Inc.

Various technology and banking analysts have identified mobile banking as a hot area for new and expanded information-technology investment, with Ovum and Celent, for example, both placing mobile high on their list of bank IT priorities for the next year.

The silence is almost deafening.

Mobile and online payments startup Zipmark has secured $2 million in funding from a group of venture capital firms and others, the company announced Dec. 14.

WISeKey S.A. and The Bancorp Inc. are hoping to give greater peace of mind to customers who conduct transactions online.

Though the mobile-payments market is still nascent, the early successes seem to be those developed by technology companies and mobile-phone carriers–not banks. A new product from Sequent Software Inc. might level the playing field.

Isis, still almost a year away from launching its mobile-payments application, is partnering with an industry heavyweight to serve as the security guard for its wallet.

Hold the phone! Google Wallet appears to have a security leak.

If the world of mobile and contactless payments moves so fast it seems like a wild ride, MasterCard Worldwide and Lo-Q PLC have targeted the perfect setting.

Could consumers’ fears about crooks intercepting their financial data and spying on their locations dampen adoption of mobile payments?

Banks trying to make up for lost revenue should consider adding fees for new products and services such as mobile banking or payments, rather than charging customers for using debit, market-research experts at Mintel Comperemedia advise.

Fraud has not yet become common through mobile-banking channels, but experts warn that cyber criminals likely have mobile banking and mobile payments on their radar.

Google Inc. could score much-needed points in the mobile-payments market if rumors prove true and the company succeeds in launching its Google Wallet application in London in time for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, one mobile-marketing expert believes.

Young, tech-savvy adults may be the quickest to embrace new technology, but don’t bet on them trusting social media sites or funky startups with their cash. Banks win out easily, at least for now.

More consumers are using smartphones to pay monthly bills, and cards are their preferred method of payment, according to new research from Fiserv Inc.

A wristwatch in the United Kingdom can do a lot more for its owner than provide an accurate time, if it happens to be a new watch2pay model that can complete contactless payments.

Verizon Wireless’ decision to deny Google Inc.’s mobile wallet a place on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Nexus smart phone likely has more to do with compensation than security, some observers contend.