It's been an eventful year so far in the payments industry. Exciting new technologies, dramatic executive turnover and ongoing courtroom drama have defined 2013's first six months.

When federal and state government agencies supplement direct deposit with an option to receive funds loaded on a prepaid debit card, they lower costs, improve security and enhance services by replacing traditional checks, concludes a report issued this week by the Association of Government Accountants.

Webster Bank's plotting its move into mobile payments, and part of its strategy is to let others make the mistakes, particularly when it comes to tapping payments data for purposes such as marketing.

Space travel and tourism are achievable dreams for the near future, and PayPal aims to reach the final frontier before its rivals do.

Square Inc. has hired Gokul Rajaram to head software development for the Square Register app as the company's Product Engineering Lead.

Payoneer, a global payments company, entered partnerships in Latin America with three of the region's largest freelance marketplaces, Nubelo, Workana and Adtriboo.

Vantiv and Planet Payment have launched the Pay in Your Currency service at 85 Billabong locations in the U.S.

What does the future of payments look like through Google Glass? Reporter Sean Sposito got ahold of Google's wearable new gadget, and delivers his first impressions.

The advance of smart cards, mobile and cloud-based payments all promise one thing: better security. But in many cases, they rely on the same vulnerable hardware at the point of sale.

Merchants are expressing concern about the U.S. transition to EMV-chip payment cards because of what they view as technical challenges and industry politics.

Tablet point of sale technology provider Revel Systems has raised $10.1 million in expansion capital that it will use to increase staff as well as open new offices in Asia and Europe.

Small business online service provider Web.com has incorporated MasterCard's digital wallet, MasterPass, into its offerings, enabling MasterCard to dramatically and quickly expand MasterPass' merchant base.

Bank of America, which is testing the use of QR codes for payment at five merchants and uses the same technology at the teller line, reports success in using the codes to enroll customers in its mobile banking app.

Call it a sign of the times, but something is definitely changing as face-to-face purchases of bitcoin are booming worldwide.

First Trade Union Bank has unveiled FT Pay, a mobile payment and loyalty app powered by LevelUp. The relationship represents LevelUp's first foray into the traditional banking industry with a technology it has typically sold under its own brand.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Technology CU announced this morning it has introduced a new way to help members avoid ATM surcharges with the debut of FeeAlert from Cardtronics.

Square Inc. now allows its merchants to establish an online store through the Square Register app.

With its newest update, Lemon Wallet is offering a 15-day free trial of its paid Wallet Plus service, a marketing scheme to whet consumers' appetites for the payments-capable mobile wallet it plans to roll out in the next couple of weeks.

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Firemen’s CU has selected Interneer’s software to streamline and automate its member services and online banking.

INDIANAPOLIS – FORUM CU said it has improved member service and reduced costs after implementing Interactive Intelligence Group’s Customer Interaction Center.