Mobile payments

Ant Financial Services Group has formed a strategic partnership with bKash Limited, the mobile payments platform Bangladesh’s central bank established to expand financial inclusion.

PayPal and Barclays have formed a strategic partnership enabling Barclays customers in the U.K. and U.S. to manage their Barclays and PayPal accounts within each app.

Consumers enrolled in Denmark’s Dankort domestic payments scheme may sign up to make payments using only their finger in a pilot that the payments firm Nets is conducting in Copenhagen.

Apple has made moves to acknowledge Alipay's dominance in the market, such as partnering with Alibaba Financial affiliate Alibaba to accept Alipay payments in China's Apple stores.

As marijuana legalization spreads throughout the U.S. and the world, companies in the cannabis market must navigate a delicate tangle of new and old regulations. And many payment providers are unwilling to risk working with dispensaries, leading to some inventive workarounds.

Though financial institutions with online bill payment services still command the largest share of the bill payment market, it’s a category with many friction points ripe for disruption.

Refurbishing ATMs to accommodate mobile payments is less expensive than buying new ones, and is a solid green strategy, according to Mark D. Smith, director of business development for MVP Financial Equipment.

The bank-led P2P service Zelle is on track to move more than $100 billion at its first anniversary in June — a milestone that is at odds with overall consumer awareness of digital P2P options.

Mobile scan-and-go technology can redefine the in-store model for retailers by delivering the "just walk out" experience popularized by Amazon Go (and increasingly demanded by consumers) in a way that is viable, scalable and profitable, according to Julian Wallis, retail director at Rambus.

The cashierless Amazon Go concept is inspiring fear in traditional U.S. retailers, but the idea is already mainstream in China — with one chain opening 300 locations in just two years.

Whether the threat stems from technology or human nature, fraudsters are exploiting any opening they can.

Driving an Uber car isn't like many other jobs, and drivers' payments and expenses are also very different. Much of those differences are built on Green Dot technology, and the bank is ready to see if its platform can work for more than just Uber.

Apple and Ripple may have a potential idea to remove friction from mobile payments, but the implementation could make for a rough ride.

The rapid adoption of voice assistants only adds to the notion they could one day be disruptors in commerce, payments and financial services.

Voice assistants are on a fast track, with ownership of home devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home surging to between 20% and 25% of households from a mere 1% in about two years. The rapid growth is inviting keen interest in many circles about the potential for voice assistants to spark disruption in commerce, payments and financial services.

The Middle East presents a rare opportunity for digital payment innovators to access a populous and high-spending region with good levels of connectivity, writes Tom MacDonald, financial and business services practice head for Global Growth Markets.

Tech-focused private equity firm Francisco Partners is leading a take-private deal of Verifone Systems Inc., a world leader in payment and commerce solutions.

Starbucks has reported an impressive number of in-store sales in the U.S. coming through its mobile app, a figure that has climbed quarter after quarter since the 2009 introduction of the Starbucks Card app — until July 2017, when it reached 30% and has not budged from that number since.

The Masterpass digital wallet will become embedded into the My Phillips 66 app later this year, enabling customers to pay at the pump or in the convenience store.

The U.K. government has committed to a 5G Urban Connected Communities Project for a city-wide trial of 5G wireless technology as part of the fourth phase of the government’s 5G strategy. This trial should spark substantial investment in new payments technology.