Mobile payments

Ant Group was dealt another blow by more regulations to contain risks in the country’s burgeoning online lending industry as Jack Ma’s financial technology giant prepares for its initial public offering.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced retailers and consumers alike to consider the benefits of shopping via a mobile app, providers of shopping and loyalty apps were seeking partnerships with security vendors to deploy fraud prevention technology.

Apple's legal dispute with Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, has exposed a potential nuclear option that the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant can use against any company that sells online.

Besides providing a safe, sanitary no-touch payment option for consumers, there are other advantages to contactless payments, such as line-busting, says Todd Barstow, vice president of payment solutions for GK Software USA.

Many of the changes on the horizon were inevitable, but the pandemic has accelerated the shift to digital payments and finance, forcing banks to reevaluate their models and pivot toward faster technology adoption.

The fintech and the Minnesota bank it acquired last week, renamed Mid-Central National Bank, intend to pioneer a new method of storing and moving money for consumers.

Donor management provider Pushpay has added new software that will help churches target donations through digital channels while providing more interactions and communication within congregations.

Walmart’s membership service undercuts Amazon Prime on price and offers myriad perks, including access to streamlined checkout and deliveries — two areas where Walmart has struggled in the past.

The retailers seeing exponential growth are the ones who have tailored and localized their payments offering to a global audience, says PPRO's Steve Villegas.

Close collaboration between leading payment innovators and regulators could help regulators better understand the direction the industry is headed, says Arkose Labs' Vanita Pandey.

Several months after the pandemic took hold, Diebold Nixdorf and NCR have adopted an ATM recovery strategy that stresses contactless access as well as innovations that are similar to other industries that traditionally rely on kiosks.

Close collaboration between leading payment innovators and regulators could help regulators better understand the direction the industry is headed, says Arkose Labs' Vanita Pandey.

Billionaire Jack Ma’s Ant Group filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong and Shanghai to bankroll its expansion in financial services and bolster its lead as China’s largest online payments platform.

Retailers and banks must cater to local purchasing preferences if they seek to meet the changing needs of their domestic consumers or conduct business across borders, which includes growth opportunities and innovation, says SafetyPay's Gustavo Ruiz Moya.

7-Eleven’s not a quick serve restaurant chain or an e-commerce marketplace, but it still found substantial use for its app as a way to quickly address the health worries of its customers.

Providing core payment capabilities, like debit and credit or P2P, are a business necessity. But you must also have a host of complementary services and capabilities that surround these services, says Fiserv's Himanshu Patel.

The massive shift to digital has created new challenges in cross-border payment processing, says Tipalti's Manish Vrishaketu.

Facebook Inc. unveiled a new group to pursue payments and commerce opportunities and put David Marcus, co-creator of its Libra cryptocurrency project, in charge of the initiative.

The coronavirus has slammed merchants. For many, providing a better online experience by the holidays is their last chance, says Zycada’s James Brear.

The deal is said to be well-suited to the coronavirus era, when in-person transactions have been limited by social distancing and other factors.