The U.S. is a long way from widespread adoption of EMV, but security analysts say the boom in online shopping—plus a surge in consumers' use of mobile devices for holiday purchases—will make it easier for fraudsters to hide their moves as they redirect their efforts from retail to online channels.

Mobile payment users are still in short supply, and the growing range of options may be seen as too chaotic for consumers who haven't yet used a mobile wallet.

Apple Pay has reportedly made plans to launch in China by early February.

To counter the rising rate of e-commerce fraud, U.K.-based myPINpad plans to provide a virtual PIN pad for mobile-generated online transactions through the VocaLink network for the next five years.

ShopKeep's most recent survey of its 20,000 merchant clients shows two mobile payment trends at odds with one another.

The volume of payment apps is reaching critical mass. From retailers to coffee shops to airlines, companies across virtually every industry have developed a mobile app to make the payments experience simpler and faster for their customers – and to gather more data on who they are and how they spend their money.

Banks give a lot of reasons for providing chip cards that work with signatures, rather than four-digit PIN codes, but none of them are convincing.

The goal of adopting chip cards — to provide tighter security — is a noble one. But by going partway, authorizing transactions with signatures rather than four-digit codes, banks are watering down that security, at least for lost and stolen cards.

Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf — which plan to merge under the name "Diebold Nixdorf" — were already in the midst of major projects to digitize bank branches and retail stores before the pressure from mobile devices led them to join forces to keep pace with innovation.

The proliferation of easy-to-use analytics tools has allowed community banks to do what used to take teams of quants to accomplish. Some are using it to get an edge in M&A, others are using it to improve efficiency.

Chase Visa cards are now compatible with Samsung Pay, the smartphone maker's mobile payment system that combines magnetic secure transmission and Near Field Communication.

Small business professionals using the New Zealand cloud accounting software Xero can be alerted on their finances through Apple Watch.

Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati has invested Zipscene, a firm that specializes in consumer analytics for the restaurant industry.

At long last, the National Retail Federation has won the support of several U.S. attorneys general in its demand for chip and PIN security at the point of sale. But even this isn't enough.

Mobeewave combined two Canadian staples — hockey and contactless payments — to test a technology that allows smartphones to pay 'each other,' and is now taking the concept on the road to other markets.

SunTrust Banks in Atlanta has hired Corinne Cuthbertson as a brand, advertising and digital marketing executive.

With the outlook for mobile payments improving, American Express has brought together several initiatives in this area under a new umbrella dubbed Amex Enabled Digital Solution.

Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., has hired FBI veteran John Boles to oversee its investigations of cybersecurity and international threats.

A survey of nearly 8,000 credit unions and banks shows a greater percentage of credit unions have issued mobile banking apps than banks, but growth on the banking side is quickly picking up steam, according to research by Malauzai Software.

As shopping gets more digital, so does fraud. The rise in technology at shoppers' fingertips provides many new channels for scammers to exploit.