Fintech not only solves problems for banks and their customers, it also helped break a curse.

To identify the fintech startups deserving of special recognition this year as part of the FinTech Forward program, we asked our judges to consider several factors: Is this organization solving relevant problems for the banking industry? Is the organization creating change? Is the solution timely? Does it speak to the challenges the industry faces now? The following 20 companies are the standouts.

The mobile wallet will initially be available to clients of Sberbank and Mastercard, according to an Oct. 4 news release from Sberbank, which did not indicate if or when it might extend that access to other credit card operators and financial institutions.

Online fraud is on the increase, but the good news is emerging technology can protect digital identities.

The Federal Reserve said Tuesday that 19 private-sector proposals are now under review by nearly 500 members of two separate task forces, one of which was established to chart a path toward a faster payment system, and the other focused on payment system security.

The number of firms vying to build a faster U.S. payment system has been whittled down slightly.

Mastercard is introducing Identity Check Mobile, the app that allows customers to verify their identity using a fingerprint scanner or by snapping a selfie, to 12 European markets.

Google is placing more emphasis on hardware and voice-controlled assistance, and its payment technology is coming along for the ride. Here's a look at Google's history in mobile payments—what worked, and what got cut over time.

Every merchant knows the saying: "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." But perhaps Visa knows.

Blockchain and payments have come to go hand-in hand since it emerged to power bitcoin, but the real pain financial institutions are looking to solve is enhancing global currency transactions and shortening settlement cycles.

It's hard to sell a big bank something regardless of the tech company's size. But for early-stage startups with only a handful of employees and a product still under development, the challenge is far greater than for seasoned tech vendors.

Facebook officially launched Marketplace today to make it easier for its users to buy and sell stuff with others near them. But for the time being, Facebook is keeping the payments aspect of this project at arm's length.

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the double-edged sword that comes from broadly sharing their personal data.

EMV chip cards have delivered on their promise to halt counterfeit fraud at the physical point of sale. But for a technology developed long before the invention of e-commerce, mobile wallets and the word "omnichannel," delivering on its promise still feels like falling short.

Restaurants are burdened by a basic payroll issue that might be easily solved by technology, and investors are taking notice.

The private student loan market is dominated by large players, but some community banks are turning to a third-party tech company to help them get in the game.

Figuring out the technology needs of millennials is just a warm-up for how an even younger generation will expect to be able to interact with credit unions.

KCB Group Ltd., Kenya’s biggest bank by assets, is in talks with companies including Facebook Inc., Apple Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. about collaborating on digital payments through its new financial-technology unit, Chief Executive Officer Joshua Oigara said.

Simple, the digital-only "neobank" owned by BBVA Compass, is testing out its second product, a contemporary twist on the traditional joint account.

A year after the U.S. EMV liability shift kicked the country's migration into high gear, there are still major hurdles to widespread adoption. The shift took effect Oct. 1, 2015, placing liability on the party unable to handle EMV security, but even this incentive wasn't enough to get everyone on board at the same time.