Retailers

Retailers should determine how new mobile payment systems will work within the structure of their business, rather than fret over the specifics of the technology, says Jamie Henry, senior director of payment systems at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Banks are in an ideal position to develop a mobile wallet that could survive in a market that is otherwise "a hodgepodge of various wallets looking to stake a claim in banks' traditional payments industry stronghold," according to a new mobile wallet report from Mercator Advisory Group.

American Express, in naming Edward P. Gilligan as president, rewarded the executive's three-decade career with the company and filled a spot that was vacant since Alfred Kelly left the position in early 2010.

Virtual Piggy Inc., an alternative payment provider for teens, announced three new members to its board of directors.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has launched a new user interface for Works, the institution's online program management tool for commercial card clients in the U.S. and Canada.

Less than three years ago, Visa described a financial institution's request to issue EMV-chip cards as "a unique situation" and "not an everyday query." Times have certainly changed.

American Express has promoted Edward P. Gilligan to the role of president, the company announced April 15.

LevelUp's partnership with Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services could expand the mobile payment system's presence in the Midwest, a region that has received less attention from startups than San Francisco and New York.

Evertec Inc., a significant acquirer processor and card issuer in Latin America and the Caribbean region for 25 years, is casting part of its business as that market's Square Inc. and looking to supercharge its payments business after its April 12 initial public offering.

The 25th Card Forum & Expo brought hundreds of payments professionals together in Boca Raton, Fla. to share strategies and ideas. Here's a recap of some of the most talked about subjects from the event.

Canada is now the second country offering consumers MasterCard Inc.'s MasterPass digital wallet, with an emphasis on e-commerce sites for travel, grocery and discount stores.

Elavon and Banco Santander confirmed their plan to launch a joint venture to provide merchant services in Spain.

Bank of America says it and other banks, which have a full view of each customer's financial needs, are well-positioned to succeed as mobile payments providers.

MoonClerk is a new company that's targeting a distinct segment of the payments technology market—the startups and small businesses that want to build a Web payment acceptance engine, but don't have the right tech expertise in-house.

In the four months since buses in London began accepting contactless payments, more than 1 million trips have been paid for with the technology.

Mobile payment provider Payleven is adding two new features to lure larger businesses—the ability to manage multiple chip-and-PIN card readers from a single master account and support for both mobile and stationary printer systems.

The retailer-driven Merchant Customer Exchange mobile payments venture is making a lot of noise, though it has yet to reveal its product. But since the final MCX app will interact with those made by its individual retailers, CVS Caremark Corp. can serve as an early example of the venture's potential.

FamZoo says its bundled prepaid cards and online dashboard work as teaching tools, which can bridge a knowledge gap about payments and budgets, particularly among young people.

The CEO of SignaPay, an Irving, Texas-based acquirer with 14,000 merchants, says he's again taking an active role in the day-to-day business of moving the company forward.

As the Merchant Customer Exchange asserts its position in the mobile wallet market, it emphasizes that the path to a consumer’s physical wallet runs through retailers.