Payments

Seven years ago, the armored truck company Brink's began adding payments features to its product list. It's one of the many unlikely candidates making a name for itself in the payments world.

ATM and branch locator apps can serve a valuable purpose for consumers seeking cash in unfamiliar territory, but there are many hurdles to keeping their data current and the machines properly branded.

With credit and debit cards facing growing price and competitive pressures -- as well as the potential for increasing fraud costs from data breaches -- credit unions cannot afford to leave their payments programs on autopilot anymore.

Consumers in December filed 1,254 complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau against a total of 383 debt collectors. The status of the complaints include 1,246 with timely responses.

Monitise PLC has boosted its Mobile Money service throughout Europe and the Middle East with the acquisition of a Turkish mobile technology company.

The likes of Apple and Amazon are becoming bigger threats to incumbent payments companies, but MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga says his company views these players as potential allies.

Five years ago, Starbucks was primarily a coffee company. Today, it's a pioneer in mobile payments technology with a significant portion of its U.S. transactions made using its smartphone app. And according to the company's CEO, this is only the beginning.

Clinkle, the well-funded mobile payments startup staffed by former executives of PayPal, Netflix and other e-commerce companies, appears to have had data leaked from its person-to-person payments app, exposing personal information and photos of some of the company's employees.

Acquirers could find themselves looking a lot like marketing firms in the near future.

The likes of Apple and Amazon are becoming bigger threats to incumbent payments companies, but MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga says his company views these players as potential allies.

A professor is suing the payments company Square over charges that he was shut out of the startup he says he helped create.

If the recent holiday shopping season is any indication, consumers may be setting aside their caution with credit card spending and are back to consuming through debt.

Payline Data wants to add smaller businesses to its roster of merchant services clients, and figures "no swipe" mobile payments is good way to get in the door.

Online payment provider Acculynk is offering online merchants a real-time service to make payments directly to the debit card account of small businesses or individuals.

Amazon.com is developing a person-to-person payments system that would compete against the likes of PayPal, according to a job listing on the e-commerce company's website.

Credit unions cannot afford to wait on EMV, according to a panel of cards experts.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is changing his responsibilities to place a greater emphasis on mobile payments and other digital initiatives.

Starbucks CFO Troy Alstead has been promoted to become the company's chief operating officer, a new position, in a move meant to place more emphasis on the coffee company's digital and mobile plans.

Ribbon is extending its payments services beyond merchant acceptance to include person-to-person payments.

Oberthur Technologies is offering its MoreMagic mobile wallet technology to the unbanked population of Myanmar through the country's Myanmar Mobile Money Co. Ltd.