Apple enters the mobile wallet world in a stronger position than most of its rivals, largely because it sought the support of card networks and banks before the first Apple Pay transaction ever took place.

As the payments industry becomes increasingly commoditized, it faces new challenges. Among the biggest hurdles is how to keep customers loyal.

A few hours into Apple Pay's Oct. 20 launch, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised the company was not looking to exploit its payments data.

That's the verdict from many analysts after President Obama on Friday signed an executive order mandating the adoption of chip-and-PIN technology in government cards and enabled its use in facilities like Post Offices.

Bitcoin payments enabler Bitnet Technologies has secured $14.5 million in funding that it will use to fund a push into Asia and continental Europe.

Email payments company Klarna has enabled access to Compass Plus' open development platform in an effort to add speedy technology deployment to fuel an international expansion.

WASHINGTON – An executive order signed by President Obama on Friday that mandated the adoption of chip and PIN technology in government cards and enabled its use in facilities like Post Offices is a "meaningless gesture" that smacks of politics over substance.

Barry McCarthy has a number of new jobs First Data, giving him a wide view of the pressures facing payment processors in a world where massive volumes of plastic card swipes are no longer enough to ward off the competition.

Westpac has launched a new product that allows customers to make payments with any type of mobile device.

Web browser pioneer Marc Andreessen resigned from the board of EBay Inc., saying that the separation of the online marketplace and its PayPal Inc. payments service marks “the right time to step down.”

An Israeli company is hoping to make installment plans a routine part of credit card transactions in the U.S., relying on retailers, banks and other partners to promote its technology.

New York regulator Benjamin Lawsky may use the cybersecurity rules he's proposed for virtual-currency companies as a model for traditional banks. That would subject the financial institutions his agency supervises to the most stringent data-security rules anywhere.

Apple Pay is a watershed moment that will do more to stimulate mobile commerce than the sum of all previous efforts. But it also has an impact on branding that should make it part of a broader mobile menu for banks and retailers.

An executive order signed by President Obama on Friday that mandated the adoption of chip and PIN technology in government cards and enabled its use in facilities like Post Offices is a "meaningless gesture" that smacks of politics over substance.

The Chicago Transit Authority approved the free Ventra Android and iOS app this week, but riders won't be able to use the app for tap-and-go payments with Near Field Communication-enabled smartphones until early 2016.

As Apple Pay launches Oct. 20, the new mobile wallet will be put to the test. It has the prestige of Apple and the participation of hundreds of card issuers, but it also faces several challenges that may be difficult to overcome.

The White House is slated to unveil a major package of initiatives on Friday to increase data security for financial transactions, including an executive order to add chip-and-PIN technology to government-issued credit and debit cards.

MasterCard will launch a contactless card with a built-in fingerprint sensor in the U.K. in early 2015 with Norwegian payment technology provider Zwipe.

Almost half of merchant payment-card terminals in the U.S. will be able to handle more secure EMV- chip technology by the end of 2015, according to an industry group.

Lincoln County Credit Union in Libby, Mt., has selected Sharetec System as its new core system.