Mobile payments

Mastercard is launching a mobile payment platform to help farmers be more aware of the needs for produce sales in East Africa, calling it the first use case from technology developed at Mastercard Labs in Nairobi, Kenya, which opened in 2014.

The technology revolution requires ISOs and agents to pursue merchant relationships based on a range of services in addition to traditional hardware.

Bigger isn't always better; as card issuers compete to bring in more spending, many are rethinking the way they offer rewards. Some of their approaches focus on streamlining redemption, while others dabble with cutting-edge technology such as virtual reality.

Banks have traditionally used consumer products to serve small businesses. The growth of alternative payment options means banks may lose customers, particularly among young business owners.

Mobile payments company Net Element has partnered with the Russia's Airbnb-like short-term accommodation company Sutochno.ru.

Driverless cars have become a big deal in technology and automotive circles, as what seemed to be science fiction just a few years ago gets closer to applied science. But once cars drive themselves, what will passengers do?

DTCC Moving to the Blockchain; Goldman hires Wiesel as tech chief; Donald Trump's team divided

Around the same time PayPal spun off from eBay Inc. to become its own company last year, it also took on the global money transfer provider Xoom. This acquisition may have been overshadowed by PayPal's bigger news, but it remains key to the company's post-eBay strategy.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show is full of big ideas, from Internet-connected toasters to AI toothbrushes. A few inventions revealed at this year's show could have big implications for payments.

Regulators here made strides to encourage innovation in 2016, while Brexit cast doubt on the London fintech boom. Yet the cross-Atlantic payments battle is just beginning.