Disruptors

As computing devices get closer to the body and more Internet-connected, payment platforms will have to be flexible enough to work in a vast number of environments, according to PayPal's Joel Yarbrough.

A technology called "host card emulation" made a big splash when it became part of the Android operating system in late 2013, but 2014 marked the year in which the tech became a foundation for future mobile wallet development.

For MasterCard's Mung Ki Woo, the future of payments is an app that unlocks new consumer habits by literally unlocking their doors.

While many mobile wallet companies look to complement credit and debit card acceptance, South Africa's SnapScan is focused on merchants who accept only cash.

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., will accept Apple Pay as a companion to its own contactless payment cards and wristbands.

There is a lot of competition in mobile payments, and sometimes it takes an odd idea for a product to stand out. These banks, card networks and other companies dared to bring something new to the market, but only a few can claim the risk paid off.

LevelUp, a mobile payments provider known for its playful office culture — and a CEO who prefers to be called a chief ninja — may need to mature as its competition gets serious.

White-label mobile payments and commerce provider Mozido LLC has acquired mobile wallet provider CorFire, which developed mobile wallets for retailers like Dunkin' Donuts, to fuel its global expansion.

For American Express' Nik Sathe, developers with no experience in the payments industry are among the best to hire.

Rather than try to change consumers' behavior, Barclaycard is acting on research it conducted of 2,000 consumers who told the U.K. issuer what type of wearable payment device they'd prefer. Their preference: gloves.

One big question in the debate over regulating cryptocurrencies is whether to apply existing rules to these new technologies or craft new ones. A state regulators' trade group recognizes that there may be no one right answer.

The field of P2P competitors has grown significantly since JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo founded clearXchange LLC in 2011, and the mega-banks' initiative still looks very much like it did three years ago.

The online art marketplace Etsy is steadily expanding its range of payment services, with its latest move taking aim at social media.

Initiatives such as Apple Pay and the upcoming CurrentC wallet are placing pressure on banks and retailers to accommodate the higher transaction speed, volume and performance expected on smartphones and tablets.

Many disruptive technologies come from startups, but just as many seem to come from companies that have been around for decades. Whether developing a new system in-house or providing a necessary proving ground for a partner, these older companies are bringing fresh innovations to the payments industry.

Earthport, a cross-border payments service provider, has partnered with the digital currency network provider Ripple Labs to allow enterprise businesses, including banks, to more efficiently transmit money worldwide.

Earthport, a cross-border payments service provider, has partnered with the digital currency network provider Ripple Labs to allow enterprise businesses, including banks, to more efficiently transmit money worldwide.

Nearly four years ago, U.S. Bancorp debuted a medical bracelet that could also make payments. The product was short-lived, but the bank is taking a fresh look at the advancement of wearable technology in recent years and its potential for payments and other financial functions.

Apple Pay launched in late October, facing a few early hiccups and an unclear future. But in the month of November, Apple's strategy began to come into focus even as competitors closed in.

The billionaire investor George Soros is in talks to throw his support behind the peer-to-peer finance industry, which is increasingly leaning on traditional capital sources to lower its costs of funding.