Mobile payments

The card brand is navigating almost daily changes in the payments industry, resulting from company mergers and partnerships to advancing payments delivery and security.

Sometimes an idea is ahead of its time. Many of the most ambitious products in fintech were dismissed as absurd or overambitious at the time — only to feel perfectly normal years later as culture and consumer habits evolved.

In many instances, mass transit systems have proven to be catalysts for adoption of new payment technology, starting with the genesis of contactless cards for access to buses and trains in Hong Kong and Japan in the late 1990s.

Despite millions spent on promotions and marketing for Apple Pay and other proprietary options from banks, mobile payments volume is still weak.

American Express has acquired artificial intelligence technology provider Mezi, which has powered the AskAmex application in the past to help card members find and book travel, dining and entertainment through messaging via iPhones.

While there's lots of fintech innovation globally, some of the most exciting moves are coming from China, Japan and South Korea, writes John Mitchell, CEO of Episode Six.

While Zelle is working hard to become the Venmo for grown-ups, it is also pushing into retail payments, particularly in opportunities for displacement of cash and check and where funds are needed in minutes rather than days or weeks.

The U.S. may be undergoing a sea change in attitudes to contactless cards.

Starbucks has for some time been the poster child of mobile payments acceptance in the U.S., but even this success may be tapering off.

Sometimes an idea is ahead of its time. Many of the most ambitious products in payments and fintech were dismissed as absurd or over-ambitious at the time — only to feel perfectly normal years later as culture and consumer habits evolved.

A crucial challenge for payment apps and cashless banking is how they adapt to provide services for the unbanked, writes Michael Kordvani, head of SEO for app development agency Fueled.

The mobile POS hardware and software provider is propelling its relationship with Apple to deliver technology for Major League Baseball that will allow entry into stadiums through digital tickets and Near Field Communication readers.

Digital channels are likely to delight customers, but poorly performing websites are a major concern, especially as these sites come under heavier traffic loads, writes Mehdi Daoudi, CEO of Catchpoint.

Much like small businesses, small banks can't take on huge IT projects and rely more on targeted deployments to build a user base for future technology.

Alipay and WeChat have become so common in China that many tourists are finding it difficult to pay for goods and services without the apps, writes Mike Ward, CRO and CEO of North America for WorldFirst.

China's WeChat Pay mobile wallet has secured a partnership to launch the app in Italy next month, making it easier for Chinese consumers in that country to make online or in-store purchases with their smartphones.

The mix of airlines, hotels and other companies that make up the travel industry have lost an innovative edge, in part because a once-cutting edge system of combined booking and payments has not aged well.

Mastercard is teaming with SIX Payment Services to enable cashless payments at the Hahnenkamm, a top European ski race in Kitzbühel, Austria, to speed up service and eliminate lines.

Rather than searching for a "silver bullet" and relying on a single line of defense, FIs and merchants should adopt a layered model combining different approaches and technologies, writes Elina Mattila, executive director at Mobey Forum.

While most Generation X-ers have been accustomed to learning new technologies, mainly through interacting with early adopters, they aren’t always enthusiastic about learning new systems, writes Hamidreza Ghanbari, CEO of Pilatus Bank.