Retailers

The Merchant Customer Exchange, backed by Walmart, Target and other mega-retailers, now operates in a market where Apple changed the ground rules. Though the initiative has yet to formally launch its CurrentC mobile wallet, MCX has already been forced to adapt many times.

The Costco cobrand card was a huge win for Visa, but nevertheless the card network's chief executive, Charlie Scharf, found himself defending the terms of the partnership.

Corporate payment cards usually have sophisticated restrictions or controls designed to make unauthorized use difficult, if not impossible.

Data security organizations have developed an EMV chip-card education program to help independent sales organizations and software vendors simplify testing and certification for their merchant clients.

Bindo is providing merchants using its iPad-based point of sale software an entry into e-commerce.

The line between in-store and in-app payments is blurring and the channels are not as distinct as they used to be.

Dekkers Davidson, called a "rock star" of mobile payments when he became head of the Merchant Customer Exchange two years ago, has left the building. But the show must go on for the merchant mobile wallet.

On Amazon.com, shoppers can spend hours browsing and buying products, watching movies and listening to music; on the Apple Watch, however, Amazon is challenged to complete all interactions in a matter of seconds.

Best Buy's move to accept Apple Pay in its stores is the clearest public sign yet that the Merchant Customer Exchange has radically altered its vision of and ambitions regarding a retailer mobile wallet.

MasterCard Inc. agreed to buy Applied Predictive Technologies Inc. for $600 million as it seeks to expand technology offerings for merchants.

The U.K.’s retail spending in the first three months of 2015 was 2.8% higher than the same period last year earlier. But despite the rosier outlook, consumers’ trust in the banking industry is yet to return, together with their desire to use credit cards.

Mobile apps have become an ingrained part of air travel, providing everything from boarding passes to entertainment, and are increasingly handling payments as well.

Success seems to come easily for Starbucks' mobile payment efforts, but only because the company did its heavy lifting elsewhere.

Apple Pay represents a new cost to the issuing community. The issuers accept this because there is little choice but to operate on Apple's terms, including paying a fee to support Apple Pay.

To address integration concerns for retailers, Bindo is connecting its iPad-based point of sale software to Powa Technologies' hardware for clients in the U.S. and Asia.

Most people remain skeptical of the libertarian utopia wherein the government cedes control of the money supply to Bitcoiners. But some are starting to come around on the blockchain technology that enables Bitcoin as an important part of our digital future, as well as an advancement that threatens the third parties that often manage financial transfers.

Loyalty programs have long relied on the point of sale interaction to inform consumers of their rewards and discounts, but the rise of mobile is changing consumers' expectations.

By using simplified processes for payments and other services, a new generation of innovators is disrupting major financial institutions and demonstrating how a technology-first approach can vastly improve customer experience.

EBay Inc. gave a quarterly profit forecast that topped estimates as the Web marketplace recovers from a security breach that forced users to change passwords and a Google Inc. search change that curbed traffic to the site.

Total System Services Inc. will begin processing payments for third-party clients that participate in the American Express OptBlue program.