Mobile payments

As it seeks new business in Europe, PayPal is expected to soon launch a partnership with Vodafone that would allow Android smartphone users to make contactless tap-and-go payments at the point of sale. At the same time, Apple has begun securing bank partnerships for an imminent launch in China, according to reports.

As Apple Pay crossed the 15-month mark, a new report suggests consumer awareness and usage of the mobile wallet are falling, despite robust support from banks and an exponential increase in the merchants that can accept Near Field Communication payments.

Visa has accumulated a 9.99% stake in Square, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, giving a boost to the mobile point of sale company, which has faced challenges recently.

Much of the growth in wearable technology is happening without an eye to enabling payments. This is prompting many companies to find a way to add payment capabilities to wearables without forcing users to buy an entirely new device.

The app ecosystem has enabled payments to blend almost invisibly into the background of many cash-based services, such as ride-sharing and food delivery, but sometimes there is a need to let payments take center stage.

Most consumers, when dining, still enjoy the simplicity of dropping cash on the table than using something newer, like an EMV card or a mobile wallet, even when those payment forms are becoming more commonplace in other stores.

The smartwatch revolution didn't begin with Apple, and the early adopters of wearables may not want to upgrade just to add payments. Fit Pay Inc. has a plan to meet this audience halfway.

Visa is rolling out a new transaction-notification service service today through the application program interface-based Visa Developer Platform the network unveiled last week.

PayPal technology exec James Barrese will leave the company April 1, according to an SEC filing.

Hong Kong's status as an iconic financial capital stands in contrast to its relatively lackluster record for technology. The city is regarded as below average as a hub for startups, and MasterCard places Hong Kong in the middle of the pack for mobile payments readiness.

Fit Pay in San Francisco has launched a campaign on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter to raise funds for the final production of a payment-enabled wristband developed for Pebble Time smartwatches.

A consortium of Swiss banks hope the country's reputation for banking, technology and smartphones will give its financial institutions a commanding position for in-store and in-app payments.

For the first time in its nearly 60-year history, Visa is inviting third-party software developers onto its network with the goal of advancing digital commerce.

Seamless, a Swedish maker of mobile payments software, has partnered with Xpress Money for international money transfers.

Square, which has been selling its Apple-friendly new reader for $49 on its own site, revealed Feb. 3 that it will sell the readers for the same price at Apple stores.

Contactless payment company Zapper is integrating PayPal's One Touch to power faster execution for contactless transactions.

Cross-border payments, even small ones, take days to clear, cost 5% to 10% of the payment amount, and can be baffling to the consumer. Zenbanx, TransferWise and Ripple and other startups are trying to change this.

Despite electronic payment innovations, cash is still the most efficient and simplest form of payment for low-value transactions.

Barclays is reportedly informing customers that it is planning to post an update to its U.K. website and through Twitter to indicate when it will support Apple Pay.

The digitizing of payment transactions has become important enough at Visa and MasterCard to remain a top investment priority, even as the networks brace for the economic fallout of collapsing oil prices and volatile stock markets.