Mobile payments

Apple Pay scooped up one million payment cards in its first 72 hours, 60% of which were Visa cards, but MasterCard's chief executive still expressed optimism for the payment network's chances in the rapidly shifting mobile landscape.

Because of the conflicting messages from providers of mobile payments, consumers are not yet sold on the possibility that they can use apps to replace their plastic cards.

The Merchant Customer Exchange is facing harsh scrutiny after some of its merchants shut off all Near Field Communication capabilities to show allegiance with the merchant mobile wallet over Apple Pay.

Apple Pay was supposed to deliver a victory blow for Near Field Communication payments, but its launch seems to be doing as much damage as good for the cause of NFC.

The Merchant Customer Exchange is informing individuals and businesses involved in the testing the venture's CurrentC mobile payment system that "unauthorized third parties" have obtained some of their email addresses.

MasterCard plans to launch MasterPass, the card network's digital wallet, in Taiwan.

Poynt Co., a startup headed by former Google and PayPal executive Osama Bedier, is looking to take advantage of the EMV hardware upgrade schedule to entice merchants to switch to its new app-based payment terminal.

Large payment companies, including PayPal, are increasingly using incubators and accelerators to learn about consumers and to nurture startups that might become partners.

McDonald's is putting more promotional muscle behind Softcard, the telco-backed mobile wallet, at a time when Apple Pay is raising overall awareness of mobile payment technology.

The "marriage" that Apple's CEO and Alibaba's founder are hinting at could create a mobile wallet with a global reach that well exceeds that of most banks, telcos and other mobile-wallet developers active in either company's home market.

The number of consumers using contactless Near Field Communication payments may quadruple in the next five years.

Apple's Tim Cook and Alibaba's Jack Ma took to the stage separately at a tech conference and spoke about working together on mobile payments.

An older mobile-wallet technology is getting fresh attention at Westpac Bank in New Zealand, which wants to encourage people without the latest iPhone or Android handset to make contactless mobile payments.

A number of large retailers are pushing back against Apple Pay, making clear the power merchants wield in the developing mobile payments market.

Apple Inc.'s bid to replace the consumer wallet with its mobile payment system ran into a roadblock as CVS Health Corp. and Rite Aid Corp. disabled the technology in their drugstores.

Apple Pay has launched to considerable buzz, but the technology giant has done little to communicate where its new mobile wallet can be used, leaving its partners to fill the void.

Apple Pay's launch coincided with the start of SourceMedia's PayThink conference in Phoenix, where executives from many banks and other financial companies provided their impressions of Apple's new mobile wallet.

U.S. Bank has been trying to get iPhones to make contactless payments for a long time, but most of its efforts didn't pan out. The launch of Apple Pay and the rapid advancement of mobile technology may breathe some new life into the bank's old ideas.

Credit unions make up a substantial number of the financial institutions that have enrolled with Apple Pay, and some unofficial lists suggest the majority of early uptake is coming from credit unions.

Online art marketplace Etsy is offering a mobile card reader, Sell on Etsy Reader, to its sellers for free, allowing them to transact in-person.