Payments

With the launch of "KitKat," the newest version of Google's Android mobile operating system, Android smartphones get Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities that may break down many of the barriers to hardware-based mobile payments.

Sony Corp. now lets PlayStation 3 owners fund their game and media purchases with PayPal accounts directly from their video game consoles.

Apple, Google, Samsung and others are making changes to the way their phones handle payments. Some of these changes remove restrictions on Near Field Communication payments, whereas others take mobile technology in an entirely different direction.

Moven, a financial services startup, now lets users activate and deactivate debit cards from their smartphones.

One of the main promises of the 2009 credit card reform law was that clearer disclosures to consumers would prompt them to make more prudent financial decisions.

As the U.S. adoption of EMV-chip cards encounters legal roadblocks and merchant opposition, critics have questioned whether the card networks' October 2015 deadline is overly aggressive.

Microsoft is attracting interest in multiple countries for its collaboration with FreedomPay, which enables banks and large businesses to use consumer purchasing data for targeted offers.

Despite the surge of emerging payment technologies, consumer behavior is slow to change —giving banks time to adjust.

Mozido LLC is providing a Coca-Cola bottler in Mexico with a mobile payment system for storeowners to use to pay for deliveries of soft drinks.

MasterCard, echoing remarks made 16 hours earlier by Visa, is placing security at the heart of its emerging payments strategy.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has stepped down from Square Inc.’s board, to be replaced by former Goldman Sachs CFO David Viniar.

Retailers that have long criticized the card networks' plan for them to accept EMV-chip cards are starting to view the smart-card migration as a reason to adopt mobile payments.

Visa, which reports its fraud rate is at a historic low of 6 cents for every hundred dollars processed, is positioning itself as a safe haven for payments services.

Starbucks Corp. reports that it receives 11% of its U.S. and Canadian sales through its mobile app, continuing its momentum in enticing customers to pay with the mobile version of its closed-loop Starbucks Card.

America First Credit Union introduced a mobile app this month that allows its Visa cardholders to personalize their debit or credit cards with photos they've uploaded from their smartphones.

PayPal is offering to waive $50,000 in processing fees for startups designing mobile or Web-based services through the eBay unit's Startup Blueprint Program.

Heartland Payment Systems is making investments in tablet technology to attract merchant clients while combatting mobile payments startups.

About 40% of Domino Pizza Inc.'s customers use digital methods of ordering, with about one-third of those customers choosing the mobile app.

Consumers are using retailer discounts linked to their payment cards, but banks and merchants have to simplify the deals and make sure their customers are aware of them.

Isis and Google have been very publicly testing their mobile wallets, exposing the developing technology to harsh scrutiny, and both companies say their hardships are about to pay off.