Chick-fil-A recently became the latest victim of a credit card breach, bringing to light the threat that all quick serve restaurants and small retailers are increasingly facing from hackers and data thieves and underscores the challenges businesses face in keeping their networks and data secure.

As a consortium of banks and mobile networks in New Zealand puts the finishing touches on its mobile wallet system, the group chose a technology "hub" model to ensure that it can adapt to the fast-changing movements in the payments industry.

Video tellers are being touted as a way for banks to increase efficiencies and cut costs while also giving customers the human interaction they desire, but some argue that speed is more important than seeing a friendly face.

Though Amazon.com's Fire Phone sputtered out as soon as it launched, the company has built a solid foundation in mobile payments that will fuel its next big moves in 2015.

General Motors has unveiled a feature, called AtYourService, to complement its OnStar in-car assistance service by providing retail-oriented features to drivers.

Sellers using e-commerce marketplace Atomic Mail can now add Dwolla as a payment option on the checkout pages of their websites.

The tech consultancy firm FIME, based in Antony, France, has been qualified as a near field communication certification tester in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Apple Pay has already achieved the cool factor with its innovative payment system and convenience factor.

Person-to-person payment services haven't always fared well, but a year-old French startup, Flooz, thinks a P2P app can succeed in its home country if it has the right interface — and steep social barrier to entry.

Mobile operators in Taiwan now support the nation's largest mobile commerce platform, which enables Near Field Communication mobile payments.

Vogogo, a payments company that enables users to convert cryptocurrencies into government-backed currencies, has acquired Vanado Inc., a consulting and payment services company based in Denver.

Large security incidents this year included JPMorgan Chase's August breach affecting 76 million households and seven million small businesses, Home Depot's breach of 56 million card account records it confirmed in September, and the Sony hack discovered in November, in which emails were stolen and hard drives destroyed. Here are some educated guesses about some of the security threats that will crop up next year.

The payments industry is quickly adapting to new technology, new regulations and new consumer demands. Here are 15 of the industry's major transformations already in progress.

Consumers have long resisted security hardware such as one-time password tokens, as these devices typically slow down the payment process. But shoppers may finally be willing to give up a little convenience for some peace of mind.

Many companies are trying to harness technology to modernize the U.S. payments system, but startups and incumbents alike forget about certain stakeholders in the industry's massive value chain.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Last May, SafeAmerica Credit Union undertook a near yearlong process: updating its core from Fiserv to Corelation.

The forces of change in payments are swift and coming from seemingly everywhere. Digital migration is wiping away historical industry barriers, facilitating unexpected partnerships and enabling customer relationships that go deeper than the transaction.

To say the Softcard mobile wallet had an interesting year would be an understatement. By the end of 2014, it had a new name and a new competitor: the formidable Apple Pay.

Customers give slightly higher marks to retail banks for their overall customer service than they do to credit card issuers, even if the credit card service is a division of the same bank, according to a recent survey of credit and debit cardholders.

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., will accept Apple Pay as a companion to its own contactless payment cards and wristbands.