Online payments

Klarna will target a range of merchants in the U.S., but will focus on e-commerce merchants that ship tangible goods. Its buy-now-pay-later model would, in most cases, result in the consumer paying for the item after receiving it in the mail.

PayPal's making moves to respond to the maturation of virtual currencies, entering into agreements with Bitcoin payment processors BitPay, Coinbase and GoGoin.

Business-to-business payments provider Traxpay Inc. will expand its reach by routing B2B transactions across MasterCard Inc. rails.

Merchants using Revel Systems' iPad point-of-sale software will now have the option to incorporate Web ordering into the system, and will also be able to accept Apple Pay when Apple's mobile wallet launches next month.

SpendSmart Networks has purchased the e-commerce solutions division of TechXpress and plans to integrate the company's online and mobile services with its existing loyalty program offerings.

The Swedish e-commerce payment company Klarna is coming to the U.S. next year.

LightSpeed Retail Inc., a Canadian retail software startup, plans to introduce a payments system and boost its international presence with $35 million in funding from INovia Capital and Accel Partners Ltd.

Consumers in China using the Alipay Wallet will be able to use fingerprint scanning technology from Nok Nok Labs to replace passwords when engaging the wallet for e-commerce payment transactions.

Apriva has added data analytics and business management tools to its payments software for bank and merchant services clients, along with a Web portal where merchants can review consumer behavior.

China UnionPay has an enticing mix of attributes that make it very attractive for a new travel payments play, said Celia Pereiro, head of Amadeus Travel Payments, a unit of Amadeus IT Group.

Blackhawk Network has completed the acquisition of CardLab, a Dallas-based online provider of business-to-business prepaid incentive and rewards cards.

The term "opinion leader" has been used to describe those consumers who are wealthy, involved in their communities and knowledgeable about the world around them. Turns out, they also spend the most money on credit cards.

The shopping technology vendor Slice is extending its application programming interface (API) for the analysis of electronic payments data, giving merchants visibility into a wide range of consumer e-commerce spending.

Twitter's long-awaited "Buy" button is live, allowing nearly 30 pilot merchants and nonprofits to accept payments from within Twitter's mobile app.

PayStand's integration with e-commerce service provider WooCommerce is meant to enable multiple payment types with very little technology work.

PayPal has launched the PayPal Here software development kit (SDK), which enables merchants to sell in-store or remotely through iOS or Android devices.

Many businesses intentionally delay payments, slowing down the economy, according to MasterCard and Basware, which see an opportunity to clear out the congestion.

Google Inc.'s YouTube now lets Google Wallet users make voluntary payments to publishers on the video site through the addition of a "support" button.

Beer and wine are often used to lower inhibitions about anything new. Why should payment technology be any different? Many companies that manufacture or sell alcohol are at the forefront of payments innovation.

At first glance, it might seem discouraging that eBay and PayPal each list only one woman on their respective executive leadership teams, but to Sarah Hodkinson, director of offers and marketing at PayPal, "looking at leadership in such a narrow, title-driven way is a mistake." In truth, 42% of eBay's employees are women, including 28% of its leaders.