Mobile wallets

Seamless transactions are the key to engaging and holding onto consumers, says Tim Tynan, CEO of Bank of America Merchant Services.

The millions of people displaced by war, famine and other hardships face distinct challenges and dangers when accessing and using money, and these pain points are being addressed by a blockchain-powered payment app that is part of Western Union's accelerator program.

By creating a close tie between digital debit cards and the major third-party mobile wallets, Bank of America is doing something few banks are — and expecting a payoff in broader use of digital financial services and “top of wallet” spending.

By creating a close tie between digital debit cards and the major third-party mobile wallets, Bank of America is doing something few banks are — and expecting a payoff in broader use of digital financial services and “top of wallet” spending.

Merchant holdouts are finally warming to the likes of Apple Pay, years after the mobile wallet's launch. Competitive offerings have also flourished from mobile operating systems and phone providers.

Spanish bank BBVA and duty-free travel retailer Dufry are partnering to accept mobile payments from China's WeChat Pay at the Madrid airport.

European mobile wallet providers Bluecode, ePassi, Momo pocket, Pagaqui, Pivo, and Vipps are working together with China's Alipay for the first time to promote a unified, interoperable QR code that would connect Europe's current fragmented mobile payment landscape.

Top executives from banks, card brands, credit unions, fintechs and more weighed in on the major issues and innovations for the payments industry.

Apple's App Store was a game changer for mobile payments. But Apple's ecosystem was also very much a digital Wild West, with app developers and Apple itself sometimes running afoul of regulators and legal authorities.

Amazon is undeniably a juggernaut in the realm of e-commerce and digital payments — but its journey was filled with missteps and failed experiments.