Square has updated the design of its Square Register app in an attempt to improve user navigation and provide a consistent experience across different operating systems such as Google's Android and Apple's iOS 7.

RBS Citizens just finished a year in which it upgraded a large portion of its business payments technology, with an emphasis on mobile—and now it hopes to convince a younger generation of U.S. business executives to eliminate paper in treasury management.

DeviceFidelity Inc. has upgraded its iCaisse cover for iPhones to support the use of a SIM card as the secure element for Near Field Communication mobile payments.

Online PIN debit provider Acculynk now allows U.S. merchants to accept China UnionPay payments online.

Barclays Plc continues to position its Pingit person-to-person payment service as an option for all types of mobile payments in the U.K.

PayPal's freshly announced support of in-app payments for Uber and McDonald's illustrate that the eBay unit is fast adapting to a world that demands more of its payments technology vendors.

Nomad 2.0, a second-generation mobile EMV chip-and-PIN card reader from AnywhereCommerce, is designed to be a smaller and less expensive version of its 18-month-old predecessor.

Just as U.S. policymakers are taking a more supportive approach to Bitcoin and other virtual currencies, countries that have taken a hands-off approach may soon weigh in with regulations that mirror those of the U.S.

VeriFone will provide payment services to Reseau Clubs Bouygues Telecom, the consumer retail affiliate of Bouygues Telecom, one of France's largest mobile operators.

The Chinese online payment provider Alipay has added a number of security products from CyberSouce, a Visa-owned e-commerce management provider.

PayPal is moving into more modern marketplaces through a deal with car-service company Uber Technologies Inc.

Retail website developer Weebly is using Stripe's technology to add shopping and payments capabilities to the sites it supports for small merchants.

Russian mobile technology developer i-Free plans to expand the Near Field Communication-based payment services offered by Tinkoff Credit Systems, or TCS Bank.

Telecom Italia and Visa Europe plan to support Near Field Communication payments for more than 31 million Telecom Italia Mobile subscribers next year.

As a fast, low-cost payment system, Bitcoin provides healthy competition for legacy banks. It's also a bulwark for financial privacy and freedom of speech.

The Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission are telling a U.S. Senate committee that Bitcoins are legitimate financial instruments, boosting prospects for wider acceptance of the virtual currency.

Microsoft and mobile commerce provider FreedomPay have developed a system that integrates digital payments with a company's underlying business processes.

Jusp, a mobile point of sale provider, announced a flat monthly fee ranging from 39 to 69 euros (approximately $53 to $93) to target midmarket merchants and large corporations.

About half of the population of Belgium will be using smartphones by the end of next year, making the time ripe for a mobile payments push.

Virtual Piggy, which offers a payment system for teens, is integrating with Payelp Global's e-commerce platform to offer its services to Payelp's network of online merchants.