Various terminal makers have come out with their own devices and services designed to support payment card acceptance using mobile phones. But one independent sales organization has decided to do so on its own, and at least one observer says the company could succeed with the proper marketing.

Verizon Wireless is working with two mobile payment companies to allow its customers to charge digital content purchases to phone bills.

Barclaycard and wireless-network operator Everything Everywhere Ltd. this summer plan to launch the United Kingdom’s first contactless mobile-payment system, the companies announced Jan. 27.

Mobile banking in rural India received a huge push this month with the country’s two biggest banks signing agreements with the two largest mobile-network operators in India for the launch of mobile platforms designed to bring banking services to more consumers.

A fresh round of Apple Inc. rumors indicates the technology giant will include Near Field Communication in the next versions of its iPhone and iPad. And while the technology continues to stay atop the leaderboard as the payments industry’s ideal mobile-payments method, at least one observer believes barcode technology ultimately will prevail.

MasterCard Worldwide and Spanish telecommunication company Telefonica SA are starting a joint venture to develop mobile payments services in 12 Latin American countries, the companies announced Jan. 25.

Visa Europe and Wireless Dynamics Inc. are teaming up to offer a mobile contactless-payment service for Apple Inc. iPhone users in the United Kingdom, the card association announced Jan. 25.

MasterCard Inc. confirmed that it is hiring Mung-Ki Woo as group executive for its mobile business.

Safaricom Ltd., the largest mobile operator in Kenya, is working with U.S.-based payments provider PayPal Inc. on a platform to enable consumers to pay school fees directly to institutions’ bank accounts using their mobile phones, the companies announced earlier this month.

After a year in testing, RDM Corp.’s smartphone check-imaging application Simply Deposit Mobile is now available for all merchants, RDM announced Jan. 20.

SoftBank Mobile Corp. will start a Near Field Communication payment pilot with smartphones powered by Android 2.2 operating system late this quarter, the Tokyo-based subsidiary of Japanese telecommunication operator SoftBank Corp. announced Jan.18.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has filed suit against a local college professor over the patent rights to Square, a credit card reader that can be attached to smartphones.

EBay Inc.’s PayPal Inc. unit in 2010 nearly tripled its eBay Mobile gross merchandise volume to $2 billion from the previous year, driven by strong holiday shopping, John Donahoe, eBay president and CEO, told analysts Jan. 19 during a conference call to discuss fourth-quarter earnings.

At first glance Xipwire Inc.'s mobile payments system seems obsolete next to competing services — its software isn't based on a sleek-looking digital wallet application on a smartphone and it doesn't rely on payment chips that turn mobile devices into tap-and-go credit cards.

Tanzania Posts Corp. and Vodacom Tanzania Ltd. have inked a mobile-banking agreement in which Vodacom will use the postal service’s network of branches as agents to support its M-Pesa funds-transfer service.

Acculynk Inc. has worked over the past two years to position its PaySecure product as the standard for Internet PIN-debit transactions. It now plans to bring the same payment technology to smartphones.

Starbucks Corp.’s Grande-sized mobile payments trial has gone Venti.

Gemalto NV is participating in a Near Field Communication payment pilot in Japan that launches this quarter, the France-based technology provider announced Jan. 18.

At least 10 new clients adopted Mitek Systems Inc.’s mobile check-capture software last quarter, including three of the top 10 U.S. retail banks and a top-30 credit union, the San Diego-based vendor announced Jan 18.

Using mobile phones to track and redeem credit and debit card loyalty points soon may become key elements of loyalty marketing, according to Andrew Davidson, senior vice president at Mintel Comperemedia.