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.