About 60% of the first cards loaded onto Apple Pay are Visa cards, and the card network plans to build on this beginning in an aggressive mobile commerce strategy, according to CEO Charles Scharf.

While banks almost universally offer mobile services, such as smartphone apps or mobile-friendly websites, their customers have been slow to use them, according to an American Banker/SourceMedia Research white paper.

Because of the conflicting messages from providers of mobile payments, consumers are not yet sold on the possibility that they can use apps to replace their plastic cards.

Because of the conflicting messages from providers of mobile payments, consumers are not yet sold on the possibility that they can use apps to replace their plastic cards.

The Merchant Customer Exchange is facing harsh scrutiny after some of its merchants shut off all Near Field Communication capabilities to show allegiance with the merchant mobile wallet over Apple Pay.

Apple Pay was supposed to deliver a victory blow for Near Field Communication payments, but its launch seems to be doing as much damage as good for the cause of NFC.

Total System Services is close to beginning tests of new products and merchant services, and is already seeing a benefit from last week's launch of Apple Pay. But in prepaid, a significant business for the processor, TSYS is still awaiting new rules from the government.

Regulators are turning up the heat on overdraft fees and, increasingly, so are banks.

The Merchant Customer Exchange is informing individuals and businesses involved in the testing the venture's CurrentC mobile payment system that "unauthorized third parties" have obtained some of their email addresses.

MasterCard plans to launch MasterPass, the card network's digital wallet, in Taiwan.

WEX Inc.'s virtual card business has continued to grow as the company makes more payments to hotels for its online travel company clients.

Poynt Co., a startup headed by former Google and PayPal executive Osama Bedier, is looking to take advantage of the EMV hardware upgrade schedule to entice merchants to switch to its new app-based payment terminal.

This year has been so bad for merchant data breaches that President Obama felt the need to advance the timeframes to be EMV-compliant at government points of sale.

Large payment companies, including PayPal, are increasingly using incubators and accelerators to learn about consumers and to nurture startups that might become partners.

It's surprising how much advice varies about how to respond to customer complaints on social media. Ignore small threats, some say, while others warn banks to respond immediately because they could go viral. Still others think banks should overhaul their whole customer experience to disarm critics.

McDonald's is putting more promotional muscle behind Softcard, the telco-backed mobile wallet, at a time when Apple Pay is raising overall awareness of mobile payment technology.

The "marriage" that Apple's CEO and Alibaba's founder are hinting at could create a mobile wallet with a global reach that well exceeds that of most banks, telcos and other mobile-wallet developers active in either company's home market.

Payment applications developer Ixaris is working with United Bank for Africa and Ojapay to launch a virtual card-based e-commerce system designed to make online purchasing an option for more African consumers.

The number of consumers using contactless Near Field Communication payments may quadruple in the next five years.

Payza, a London-based payment processor, has simplified its account-opening process for businesses.