With many of its legal questions and organizational issues addressed, the Merchant Customer Exchange has turned its focus to the technology that will drive its mobile commerce initiative.

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Belvoir FCU has implemented a new technology called DigitalPersona, a biometrics fingerprint authentication system, for its employees.

Since Google Wallet launched on Sprint, the only major U.S. carrier not involved in the Isis mobile wallet venture, rival carriers have resisted putting Google's payment system on their phones. Verizon Wireless in particular has been the focus of media criticism and, most recently, has been holding its ground against an FCC inquiry as well.

The allure of the fast-growing U.S. market for prepaid debit cards is pitting niche players like pop star Justin Bieber against financial giants including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and American Express Co.

Sure Advance LLC, an internet-based payday loan company, agreed to stop lending in Minnesota and pay $760,000 in damages for charging residents of the state unlawful interest rates of up to 1,564 percent.

PayPal signed many new retail partnerships this year, while also building a digital wallet and a handful of plastic cards to complement its online payment system.

The House Ethics Committee found no violations of House members whose mortgage loans went through the VIP section of the former Countrywide Financial Corp.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – 121 Financial Credit Union said it is moving to a next-generation Web filtering solution from Bloxx, to more effectively manage the Web browsing activity of its staff in 10 locations.

Certain features are unique to a platform, because, fundamentally, they service customers and members in different ways. Taking a picture of a check to make a deposit works best on a mobile phone. Another mobile-exclusive feature is the capability to instantaneously turn your debit card "off and on" depending on usage.

CIMB Bank launched a Facebook banking app in mid-December that lets customers transact with friends.

Contactless payments have not caught on in the UK because consumers don't think payments are safe without a PIN, says SmartDebit, a Surrey-based payments processor in the UK, in response to recent figures published by ICM Research.

The Australian telcos – Optus, Telstra and Vodafone — all provided indications of a more concerted effort to make contactless mobile payments a bigger play in 2013.

2012 began with the abrupt departure of PayPal's president. Upon putting a new leader in place, the eBay unit made many key moves to adapt its operations and its product line to the fast-changing payments market.

As 2012 progressed, one thing became strikingly clear: the card networks do not want to be left behind as new digital payment methods threaten plastic.

NEW YORK – Several big banks are making bulk purchases of Apple iPads.

Powa Technologies Ltd. brought its mPowa mobile card reader into the U.S. market last year, looking to take on Square in what had become a highly competitive market. The London-based company plans to extend its international expansion to India as well.

Near Field Communication technology has made some noteworthy advances in 2012 as a foundation for mobile payments, even though its actual adoption remains low. The technology stands to get a further push from the ongoing adoption of the EMV standard in the U.S.

The Isis mobile wallet, a joint venture of AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, proceeded with great caution in 2012, delaying its test launches and generally keeping most industry observers guessing as to where the initiative stood. At the same time, Isis was keeping pace with the progress of Google Wallet, which launched a year earlier.

U.S. Bank has released a new app on Apple’s App Store called Go Mobile. The app lets iPhone, iPod and iPad users apply for the bank’s FlexPerks Visa card and use and manage the account on their mobile device.

ATMs do a lot more now than they did in 2011. They still accept deposits and dispense cash, but today a few also dispense prepaid cards, connect to Facebook, and interact with smartphones. Other types of machines are also treading on ATMs' turf.