Retailers

At least 30 countries have either implemented a real-time or near-real-time payments system or are in the midst of implementing or planning one.

Seven months after revealing its branded mobile payment app, Walmart is making Walmart Pay available in more than 4,600 of its stores throughout the U.S., with early figures indicating consumers approve of its "connected" app model.

Payments processor Vantiv Inc. and buyout firm Warburg Pincus are among suitors seeking to buy a U.S. payments business owned by Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal, according to people familiar with the matter.

Recent headlines are revealing just how challenging it is to send cross-border payments into emerging markets. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the case of sending low-value mass payouts for business.

ACI Worldwide has named technology veteran Marco Bravo vice president for its Latin America division.

Merchants are facing consumer lawsuits stemming from the introduction of EMV-chip card security at the point of sale in the U.S., exposing the issues many stores must contend with now that they are held liable for fraud and chargebacks.

As we approach the midpoint of 2016, two of the most pressing matters in the payments industry have become more acute—the push for greater transparency and accountability in merchant acquiring and processing.

Merchants have long sought to change how the card networks charge fees, and are getting a new chance after more than a decade of court squabbles.

Initial coin offerings are the latest fad for many emerging cryptocurrency companies and projects. From the recently completed Lisk, Waves and Mycelium coin offerings to the historic crowd sale by the DAO – which was subsequently hacked for about $60 million – to Bitland, Project Decorum, Elastic Project and a good number more sales, the trend is clear.

Grocery chain Aldi, which manages overhead by requiring consumers to bag their own groceries, is a late adopter--but it is starting to add new payment types.