Payments

Payments processor Elavon will handle mobile payment transactions generated through iZettle mobile card readers in Europe.

Square Inc.'s new partnership with Staples treats the office supply seller as both a distribution channel and a showroom for its Square Stand point of sale system.

MasterCard Inc. has partnered with the apparel seller J. Crew to target "digital mom" shoppers with the MasterPass digital wallet.

Citibank Hong Kong and wireless carrier 3 Hong Kong are jointly launching the 3 Citi Wallet, which was designed for Hong Kong, but establishes a technology Citi can export to other regions.

Xoom Corp. has expanded its bill-paying services in the Philippines through a partnership with the Bayad Center.

WASHINGTON—More consumers are becoming comfortable with paying their bills on the fly and using their smartphone to make a retail purchase, a new CUNA study reveals.

DES MOINES, Iowa—Rising rates may bring an end to many credit unions' fixed-rate card programs.

LOS ANGELES—CU Wallet has added 10 new credit union partners since the initiative's September unveiling, for a total of 25 credit unions representing 3 million members across 17 states.

NEW YORK—The coveted "Millennial" generation of consumers ages 18 to 34 is central to the success of any new payments technology-but this group also has a wide range of financial goals that make it hard to target with a one-size-fits-all product.

BOSTON—Though the prepaid card market's image is changing and its usage is climbing, credit unions aren't rushing to bring the offering into their cards mix.

New York—As the market for prepaid cards expands and diversifies, many companies are experimenting to see what works - and in the process, they are learning that a product-based mindset could hold them back.

CyberSource, a Visa e-commerce subsidiary, has partnered with Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao (BCEL), Laos' largest commercial bank, to provide online payment services to merchants.

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.