As the digital era continues to force banks to rethink what and who they are, institutions are increasingly pressured to relay their brand messages to consumers through newer mediums and in emotional ways rather than hard sales pitches.

Reports that last week’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., may have been financed by a $28,500 loan from Prosper Marketplace have sparked a wave of scrutiny of online marketplace lending, where fraud rates are much higher than credit cards.

Exciting growth opportunities exist for small and medium businesses taking advantage of the ever-increasing holiday shopping season. However, amidst this positive backdrop, lurks the negative threat posed by hackers and cyber criminals that prey on holiday shoppers and businesses.

A lot happened in 2015 to advance digital security, but a lot also happened to challenge the status quo and force merchants and banks to rethink their strategies. Here are some of the key changes that took place in the past year.

Capgemini has agreed to add VocaLink's managed payment service product to its cloud-based banking product.

Even though Walmart has been a key member and driving force behind the Merchant Customer Exchange joint venture to establish a new mobile wallet, the retailer's addition of Walmart Pay to its mobile app is consistent with strategy, and will lead to a wave of individual bank and retailer initiatives.

Boku had to stay mum last week about its involvement in powering Apple Inc.'s carrier billing option in Russia, but there is no such gag order this week regarding the company's partnership with Microsoft.

One of the leaders of the retailer-driven Merchant Customer Exchange mobile payment system, Walmart is stepping out with its own alternative to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Android Pay.

Like the long shutter times required for old photographs, a payment transaction at a hotel can remain exposed for a while, creating a distinct fraud risk that's not often found at other merchants.

A typical word cloud from the payment community might be heavily weighted like this - Loop, Apple, bitcoin, e-gifts, Near Field Communication, contactless, mobile wallets, tokenization, and digital encryption.

The House Financial Services Committee approved a data security bill Tuesday that would require all financial companies to have similar security protections and notification requirements as banks.

Umpqua Holdings wants other banks to join its recently announced innovation lab in Silicon Valley. The company says if smaller banks pool resources they can compete with the deep pockets of the big banks in disruption.

The House Financial Services Committee approved a data security bill Tuesday that would require all companies that handle sensitive financial data to have similar security protections and notification requirements as financial institutions.

Financial institutions' growing curiosity about so-called blockchain technology has spawned a new category of technology: blockchain as a service.

For mobile commerce provider Cardfree, landing a deal with Dunkin' Donuts to upgrade its app to include pre-ordering and payment is like a trip to the past.

If a fraudster doesn't know a credit card verification value code, it creates a major hurdle in attempting a card-not-present transaction with stolen cards or credentials.

CU*NorthWest on Tuesday said two more credit unions have signed with the CUSO for their core processing needs: Northern Colorado Federal Credit Union, Greeley, Colo., and Comunidad Latina Federal Credit Union, Santa Ana, Calif.

Vodafone is extending M-Pesa to Ghana, making it the 11th country to offer the mobile money service to unbanked consumers in developing markets in Africa, India and Europe.

Most information technology departments are often viewed as a boys’ club with few women in the mix. But the annual Women in Technology International (WITI) Geek Glam Runway Show aims to change that viewpoint.

Major cloud, consulting and software providers like Microsoft and Deloitte are plugging "blockchain as a service" for financial institutions that want to experiment with this technology without making huge investments.