Two new Blackberry devices are the first Subscriber Identity Module-based Near Field Communication smartphones to receive MasterCard Worldwide PayPass certification, Research In Motion Ltd. announced Oct. 26.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia on Oct. 26 unveiled a mobile-payment platform to enable iPhone-owning customers to do online banking, instantly send funds to Facebook friends or to anyone’s email address or telephone number, and, with the use of a special cover, make contactless payments.

Taking mobile payments to new heights, MasterCard Worldwide soon will conduct a test of contactless-based payments at 30,000 feet, enabling passengers to purchase refreshments using its contactless PayPass technology aboard planes from WestJet, a Calgary, Alberta-based airline.

CHICAGO–The mobile-commerce market is littered with various wallet models, acceptance devices and applications, and this is forcing merchant-service providers to seek out ways to bring the elements together to help retailers maximize the channel’s potential, notes one mobile-payments executive.

The Beijing branch of China Telecom Corp. Ltd. has begun enabling customers to make payments using their China UnionPay cards over its mobile network as part of a pilot that launched Oct. 20.

Roughly half of adults in major global markets are interested in mobile payments because of the ease and simplicity they offer, but significant doubts persist about mobile-payment security, according to a study of consumers in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Germany and Malaysia released in early October.

Accepting card payments with a mobile phone is becoming as American as baseball and apple pie now that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is selling the Square Inc. reader that turns any smartphone into a card-acceptance device.

Security Service Federal Credit Union has signed with VSoft Corp. to implement the company’s back counter capture and ATM remote deposit capture services to decrease response times and improve employee and member experiences.

Eliminating the need for Near Field Communication hardware or computer chips, French electronic transactions provider Tagattitude is using digital sounds at the point of sale to accommodate mobile payments without storing card data in smartphones, the company announced Oct. 19.

Google Wallet is riding on an active trend to connect retailer loyalty programs to mobile-payment systems.

USAA always has been an early adopter of new digital banking technology, partly because of its customer base of military personal, who often are dispatched to locations around the world on short notice.

PayPal Inc.’s brand recognition with consumers is helping parent EBay Inc.’s payment unit to position its mobile offerings as the most secure product in the marketplace, eBay’s CEO noted during a conference call to discuss the company’s third quarter earnings.

China’s mobile-payments market is expected to grow considerably in the coming years even as concerns remain about security and the lack of cooperation between telecommunication operators and banks, a new report suggests.

Google Inc. is entering the transit space through a partnership with the New Jersey Transit Agency, which will enable Google Wallet users to purchase tickets at select vending machines and ticket windows and pay fares on seven bus routes.

New innovation in remote deposit capture is coming fast as banks move into mobile capture and combine automated check deposits with other mobile and Web-based financial services.

Consumers in the United Kingdom are concerned about security when considering using mobile-wallet payment systems, according to new research Intersperience Research Ltd. released Oct. 14.

Marketing analysts who say mobile access is the future of loyalty programs with retailers and restaurants are closely watching to see how consumers respond to new mobile apps linking card purchases to rewards credits.

U.S. Bank’s launch of a mobile credit card application for iPhones could improve customer service for retail audiences, market observers say.

China is gearing up to form a new national mobile payment standard to streamline technology for operators and users, as well as optimize existing resources in the sector.

CHICAGO—Consumers will decide which mobile wallets they want to use and that is why financial institutions should participate in as many as possible, a Citigroup Inc. executive on Oct. 12 told attendees here at the BAI Retail Delivery conference.