JESUP, Ga. — Altamaha Federal Credit Union here now uses the Sharetec System as its core processor.

NCR and Diebold – the two largest ATM manufacturers in the U.S. – report that skimming is getting worse. One likely reason: the adoption of harder-to-skim EMV chip cards in this country starting in October.

While the blockchain will doubtless offer some amazing innovations, much of the hype has focused on obtuse applications in existing markets rather than an exploration of how the technology will be used to create entirely new markets. There are big changes that are being pursued by the best and most ambitious minds in the financial technology and payments industries.

Switzerland's Migros is the country's largest retailer and employer, as well as the owner of a prominent local bank, giving the company an unconventional perspective on the costs and benefits of mobile payments.

Particularly in the fast-food industry, the menu of mobile capabilities is more super-sized than ever — and it's one of the rare payments trends that's actually being driven by the consumer.

American Express and Best Buy will allow consumers to make purchases on the retailer’s website using the reward points earned from their Amex spending.

MasterCard will provide tokenization technology to the Samsung Pay mobile wallet when it launches in Europe.

Financial institutions take information security concerns very seriously, but few make it a priority to keep accountholders updated on their safeguarding efforts.

The nation's Federal Reserve Banks have kicked off a multi-year process aimed at speeding up our often painfully slow payment system. Earlier this month, a Fed task force on the issue elected a steering committee that will play a key role in defining a path forward. The 19 members on the steering committee represent various parts of the payments ecosystem, including banking giants, corporations like Walmart that are large users of the payment system, and payment innovators like Dwolla and Ripple Labs. Here's a look at 13 of them.

PayPal has added new features to its invoicing product in a market filled with rivals that are similarly diversifying their services to lure small businesses.

Even though it is still the very early days of mobile payment wearables, consumer use of the devices is poised to reach a transaction volume at $501.1 billion by 2020.

MasterCard and Citibank India have launched what they claim is the first global digital wallet service in India.

Max Levchin, founder and chief executive of point of sale credit startup Affirm and co-founder of PayPal, has resigned from his position as chairman of Yelp's board.

MasterCard is cooperating with a European investigation into its fees, though it is questionable that this process will have a widespread effect on interchange, according to MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga.

Studies find people aged 35 and younger have a negative savings rate. USAA tries to combat that trend.

MasterCard Inc., the second-largest payments network, said profit fell 1.1 percent as expenses rose and a strengthening U.S. dollar hurt earnings overseas. Shares declined in early trading.

More than a third of small-business owners won't accept EMV chip cards by Oct. 1 — and don't plan to do so any time in the future – but they may change their minds if the decision costs them as little as $100 in fraud losses.

While tokenization does represent progress, it is important to consider whether tokenization is, in fact, enough to secure online payments. There are some vulnerabilities, and as cyber thieves grow more sophisticated, companies will have to continue to innovate better security solutions, as well as ensure the ones that are on the market are being used as effectively as possible.

PayPal this week released new research predicting a robust market in China for U.S. retailers, a bullish outlook that’s not being tempered by the vast selloffs in the Chinese financial markets.

Bank regulators are likely to take further action to force banks to upgrade their cybersecurity processes as hackers continue to find ways to penetrate institutions’ defenses, Benjamin Lawsky, the top former New York bank supervisor, said Tuesday.