Point-of-sale

When Square created the market for mobile point of sale devices, Verifone got defensive. Today, with the rollout of its Engage platform, Verifone is going on the offense.

Stockholm-based Seamless is threading currency exchange into its QR code-based mobile payment platform SEQR.

October 1 marked the dawn of a new era in the U.S. payment card marketplace. While there are not yet rules from the card brands that demand all parties utilize EMV technology, the financial liability shift is a significant first step across a line in the sand that cannot be erased.

With its IPO out of the way, First Data is accelerating its focus on merchant technology, and that means luring the developers who are rapidly changing how people shop and pay.

Payment technology that comes with the EMV stamp of approval already in place may get a boost as a result of the bottleneck newer systems face in getting certified.

The changing demands of consumers who are increasingly mobile, and the emergence of disruptive technology, are changing the payment model for financial institutions.

When Apple revealed that Starbucks plans to accept Apple Pay in its U.S. stores, the move spoke less to Apple's persuasiveness and more to the fallout of the country's ongoing shift to EMV security.

Apple Inc. is rolling out its mobile-payments service for select Starbucks Corp. stores by the end of the year, and will reach 7,500 company-owned stores in 2016, the coffee chain said in a statement. KFC stores and Chili’s Grill & Bar will make Apple Pay available in next year as well, Jennifer Bailey, the Apple vice president in charge of the service, said at the Code/Mobile conference Oct. 8.

Like everywhere else on the planet, African retailers are struggling with the mobile payment chicken-and-egg dilemma — how can they accept mobile payments if consumers aren't using the technology?

Gas stations have had a complicated relationship with mobile wallets. Pump hardware is notoriously difficult to upgrade, and besides that, many consumers believe that it's a fire hazard to use their phones while fueling up.

The gaming market is evolving and becoming more lucrative by the year. As developers continually aim to recreate new ways to monetize game content, mobile payment operators hold a unique position in this profitable market.

Twitter Inc. named co-founder Jack Dorsey as chief executive officer, betting its co-founder and former leader will be able to revive fortunes at a social-media company that failed to impress investors following its 2013 initial public offering.

It was expected that e-commerce giant PayPal would develop and complete new partnerships after its official spinoff from eBay Inc. last summer.

In time for the EMV liability shift, Moneris announced the launch of eight new point-of-sale tools compatible with the chip technology.

Like campaign managers at the end of a long election trail, top payments executives spent the final hours leading up to and shortly after the official EMV liability shift launch supporting the efforts of the past four years and providing the latest details on chip-card migration.

U.K. e-commerce firm Powa Technologies is teaming up with Mexico-based point-of-sale software provider Sophitech to launch a tablet-powered cash-out counter for Mexican businesses.

When Samsung Pay launched in the U.S. on Monday, it did so on schedule but with less issuer support than had been expected, with only Bank of America, Citi, American Express and U.S. Bank announced as participants.

Verifone has entered an agreement to use Barclays' Pingit mobile payment app as part of Verifone's PAYware Ocius mobile gateway. Initially, this deal will support only e-commerce sites but Barclays said the pair may bring the technology to the physical point of sale in a later phase.

The boost of wearables also has significant potential to drive mobile payment adoption. This potential is based on the ability of wearables to expand the number of devices and places from which mobile payments can be made.

Once placed inside of payment cards, computer chips can catalyze uses well beyond merchant security, argues MasterCard's Carlos Cornejo, who adds the card network plans to expand card utility through the mix of chips and tablets.