The next big idea for payments is ready to spring to life, and MasterCard wants to be there when it happens.

As EMV-chip card use spreads at the point of sale in the U.S., online merchants will have to change the way they handle payments online.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – CU Direct Connect said it has introduced proprietary technology internally titled “The Opportunity Pool,” which enables credit unions to fund more auto loans based on their pre-set criteria.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Affinity Plus FCU said it has signed with Video Guidance of nearby Bloomington, Minn., to include video conferencing as an important component of its communications strategy.

Mobile transaction technology provider C-Sam has hired former Citigroup executive Kurt Weiss as managing director of global financial institutions and mPayy founder Conrad Sheehan to be general manager of strategic initiatives.

Merchant payment and marketing company Punchey has hired Michael Sattler to be vice president of engineering and Rick Graham as director of demand generation.

The major card brands have certified payment processor Total System Services Inc. for EMV chip-card processing.

The mobile bank account provider Simple will soon offer Braintree's mobile payment system, Venmo Touch, to its users.

In the age of big data and social connectivity, it is essential, and now urgent, for card marketers to find a way to become more consumer-centric in their marketing efforts.

By July 2008, when Apple introduced the app store as part of the new iPhone 3G, the idea of mobile payments had largely flopped. The app store gave payments companies a second chance at creating the mobile wallet — but many still stumbled along the way.

Visa has entered agreements with more than 40 Australian banks to offer customers the V.me digital wallet for online shopping — a mere three months after MasterCard debuted its MasterPass digital wallet in Australia.

BBVA Ventures, the corporate venture arm of BBVA Group, is investing in SumUp, a company that enables mobile devices to accept card payments.

CloudPassage, a cloud infrastructure security provider, is offering to address Payment Card Industry security standard compliance for cloud-based businesses.

Ferhan Patel has become the chief compliance officer for Payza, an online payments and electronic wallet provider.

First Data Corp., led by former JPMorgan Chase & Co. co-Chief Operating Officer Frank Bisignano, hired the New York-based bank’s former Chief Information Officer Guy Chiarello as president.

SAN DIEGO – Mitek, the pioneer in remote mobile deposits technology, announced this morning it has been issued a U.S. patent on its application allowing consumers to transfer their credit card balances via mobile devices, which is currently being piloted at San Diego County CU.

"Bitcoin." Just mentioning the digital currency brings about either a passionate discussion by enthusiasts or vehement criticism that near-anonymous payments are for criminals. In the following interview, serial tech entrepreneur Andreas Antonopoulos talks about the digital currency's rise to fame and the consequences of its popularity.

Credit bureau and payments data company Equifax has acquired TrustedID, a company that offers identity and privacy protection products.

Mobile payment processor Net Element International Inc. has agreed to acquire European payment network and terminal provider Quickpay in a move to gain traction in Russian cash-based markets.

Six banks in Poland have created a joint venture to develop common mobile payment standards to comply with national regulations — a move that leaves card networks out of the equation.