Mobile payments

Android Pay is Google's third attempt at a digital wallet, following Google Wallet and Google Checkout. How much has the technology giant learned from its past experiences?

CHICAGO — Mobile payments got the kind of promotional kick it will need in the future — from a veteran country music star — at the annual Mobile Payments Conference this week.

CHICAGO — The mobile commerce revolution is pressuring legacy payment companies to quickly diversify to stay relevant, leading Discover Financial Services to build a gateway where merchants can add digital transactions and other services.

CHICAGO — Financial institutions have fallen behind the payments innovation curve, though they can catch up quickly by adopting the faster payments initiatives that are accompanying mobile and digital transactions.

What happens when you combine mobile wallets with the emerging hype about beacons? You get a winning combination for retailers that boosts shopper loyalty and in-store spending.

Barclays is attempting a diverse range of tactics to move customers beyond plastic cards, with its latest attempt being a "fashionable" jacket that's linked to the wearer's bank account.

CHICAGO — First-generation mobile wallets found themselves in an "unfair fight" against the likes of Starbucks and its branded mobile pay and loyalty system, forcing Google to rethink how it would position Android Pay, Google executive Jack Connors said.

Competition among e-commerce payment gateway providers in Australia has heated up, as key companies have had more than a year to get footing in a country increasingly adapting to new payments technology.

Swedish payments startup iZettle AB has raised 60 million euros ($67 million) to expand in Europe and fund a plan to offer merchants cash advances on future card sales.

London-based mobile point of sale provider SumUp has received 10 million euros [$11.2 million U.S.] in funding from investors, including American Express, Groupon and BBVA Ventures.

The smartphone can add significant security to payments, but it is also a tool that fraudsters can exploit. Researchers and scammers have already found several unique attacks that rely on mobile devices.

The "buy buttons" that are popping up on social media platforms are intentionally simple, often meant to enable one-click purchases of individual products. But as the technology's popularity grows, so must its capabilities.

European mobile point of sale gateway provider payworks will offer its service through Miura Systems' EMV and Near Field Communication mobile terminals.

Hackers can already take control of a car. And as vehicles become rolling shopping malls, cybercriminals will have an opportunity to snatch your identity, too.

Dylan Richard was the lead engineer for President Obama's reelection campaign, where the use of unstructured "social data" forever changed how presidential win the support of their constituents. Four years later, he's one of PayPal's newest recruits.

Electronic multi-card device maker Coin has added technology to enable contactless payments at some retail locations.

MasterCard will offer its mobile payment system at the PGA Tour golf event in New Jersey that starts on Aug. 27.

Loyalty programs have often been considered a key motivator to shift consumers to mobile payments and away from cash and cards. But few companies have actually blended mobile with loyalty in a compelling way.

U.K.-based grocer Sainsbury's is readying a contactless payment shopping app that allows consumers to pick out items before they even get to the store and confirm payment upon leaving through a "payment zone."

Wireless transactions provider Apriva and payment technology services company Global Payments have teamed up to release a white-label EMV mobile payment offering.