Online payments

Hoping to convince e-commerce merchants to let Facebook target offers to customers, the social media giant is placing a strong emphasis on “dynamic ads” that include payment buttons.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. shares rose the most in almost two-and-a-half years after forecasting sales growth that topped every analyst’s estimate, defying expectations that growth must slow by dint of a decelerating economy and its own sheer scale.

As payments get more complex, money laundering and other risks increase. Audits and advanced regulatory technology can help companies keep up, writes Performline CEO Alex Baydin.

Walmart is piloting a delivery program that leverages its store staff as delivery drivers in a decidedly manual response to the digital threat of Amazon.com. And it just might work.

Business are still reluctant to automate payments and billing, though that can hurt companies financially, writes Daniel Andrew, a vice president at Corecentric.

Visa plans to support 3-D Secure 2.0 in an upcoming enhancement to its Verified by Visa service, giving merchants and issuers real time accurate customer authentication of cardholders and a superior end user checkout experience.

In this market, Amazon no longer has the advantages it once held over physical booksellers. As grocery stores prove increasingly innovative and tech-savvy, can Amazon viably compete in their domain, where digital expertise may not be enough?

PayPal has worked to build support from retailers and consumers, positioning it well in the competitive e-commerce game, writes Lauren Freedman, senior vice president of digital strategy at Astound Commerce.

Pizza Hut has played a large role in building China's middle class. It's also a major cog in Ant's investment in Yum China.

SkyShopper enables Emirates NBD’s credit and debit card customers to make purchases from retailers through a single portal.