Payments

Tencent Holdings Ltd. and China UnionPay Co. will soon unify the mobile codes that consumers scan to pay for purchases, granting the Chinese central bank-backed network a bigger foothold in a $27 trillion payments arena.

The thinking has been that additional POS complexity is the only way to give customers what they want and streamline business operations. Yet a typical merchant uses less than 20% of the capability of their POS solution—and not often very well, says Revel Systems' Chris Lybeer.

Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency project has drawn vast political pushback, but also more tangible government action as nations globally consider central bank supported digital currencies. It’s also sparking a potential bottom-up approach in New York.

Comerica Bank won another five-year contract from the Treasury Department to run the prepaid Direct Express card program despite criticism of how it handled past fraud cases and customer service blunders.

Payments security firm MyPINpad has received certification from the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council for its software-based PIN entry on Apple mobile and tablet devices.

Payment fintech Tribe Payments says it has implemented its new software platform at Telleroo to provide the company direct access to payment rails and other banking services for its accounting and bookkeeper clients.

Conflict continues to mount between the card brands and merchants. Merchants say they deserve more input and actual decision-making power and that payments should operate through completely open standards in which all involved parties have had a say.

Most banks already have the means to communicate directly with customers, in the form of a mobile banking app or email. It’s just a matter of putting those channels to good use. Targeted discounts and perks reduce shopping costs, and therefore customers’ stress, says Flybits' Justine Melman.

The economic outlook for the next year has been a moving target, but business payment companies fear that certain organizations are losing patience with the speed of transactions.

Amazon is starting the new year with a major payment technology deployment at more than 11,500 gas stations, providing the e-commerce giant with an added leg to its rapidly expanding payments network ranging from checkout-free stores to Whole Foods to its own planned grocery chain.

More groups said they submitted bids for digital banking licenses in Singapore as companies, ranging from a property giant to Chinese fintech firms, joined forces to go for the sought-after permits.

The term “Amazon effect” is a term increasingly used to represent a digital-first business model where interactions with partners and customers centers on web-based application programming interfaces.

Europe's PSD2 data-sharing mandate is inspiring banks such as BBVA to form unconventional alliances.

Despite the convenience wearable payments hold, there are still obstacles that remain. Some factors are cultural, such as cash usage, or even more deep seated in the human mind, such as concerns over security.

Stablecoins, with their instant settlement and high liquidity, averts the issues that have long plagued cross-border transactions

One of the biggest untapped areas of payment innovation is in consumer bill payment, which makes up 30% of U.S. consumer spending, with banks currently playing a shrinking role in the $4 trillion segment.

In its proposal to obtain one of the full digital banking licenses Singapore will award later this year, online gaming company Razer has laid out the gaps between what traditional banks offer and young adults need.

A recent study from the Federal Reserve outlines consumer habits at the point of sale and offers a preview of how things might trend in the decade ahead.

Automous delivery is a long-term solution, but more creative fulfullment's needed in the meantime, says Roadie's Marc Gorlin.

The winner of this next phase of development won't be an app. Instead, it will be almost invisibly woven into the DNA of the internet of things.