Malaysia is proceeding with a government-backed initiative that would let citizens pay for government services using their mobile phones and tablets.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NCUA said it is offering a free mobile application that will allow consumers to find the nearest credit union branch.

Breaking from the ranks of other banks in India, ICICI Bank Ltd. says it plans to charge customers transferring funds between their own as well as others’ bank accounts using their mobile phones.

The ways riders can pay–and play–inside New York taxicabs are expanding.

Maybe it’s the Ides of March for the mobile-payments industry.

Younger consumers have the keenest interest in banks’ mobile-payments services, but most adults overall still have cold feet when it comes to paying with their phones.

Wal-Mart and Target are among a group of about two dozen retailers that have banded together to develop a mobile wallet, the Wall Street Journal reports (see story).

For small merchants who want to accept mobile transactions, Apple Inc. makes the go-to machines, the iPad and the iPhone.

A deal involving online payments company Vindicia Inc. and mobile phone payments-platform company Boku Inc. may help bring online payment capabilities to more unbanked and underbanked consumers.

PayPal Inc. isn’t saying much yet about its new payment exchange, but it is hoping participating telecommunication companies lower their carrier-billing fees so more online merchants can benefit.

The recent explosion of new mobile-payment initiatives, from new startups backed by heavy venture capital to formidable players such as PayPal Inc. is enough to give the average banker heartburn.

When a business contact at JPMorgan Chase & Co. encouraged GoPago Inc. CEO Leo Rocco last summer to share the vision of his small mobile-payment technology company with bank executives, Rocco jumped at the chance.

Fiserv is combining its two person-to-person payment offerings, Popmoney and ZashPay, and will market the P2P offering as Popmoney, the technology company announced Feb. 29.

HOUSTON – Cardtronics, the key electronic funds switch for credit unions, said this morning it is deploying a series of NCR’s new SelfServ 14 ATM, billed as the world’s smallest cash machine.

BROOKFIELD, Wis. – Fiserv on Wednesday said it is combining its two person-to-person payment offerings, Popmoney and ZashPay, and will market the P2P offering as Popmoney.

ARVADA, Colo. – Partner Colorado CU released new mobile banking services for iPhone and Android mobile smart phones, designed to improve the efficiency and convenience of banking-on-the-go for members.

MADISON, Wis. – CUNA Mutual Group sees great opportunities for credit unions in the mobile banking channel, but there are significant obstacles to overcome.

Vindicia Inc. has expanded mobile-payment billing capabilities for its online clients who use the company’s cloud-based CashBox software, the e-commerce marketing and payments automation company announced Feb. 29.

A partnership between First Data Corp. and CardSpring to create open redemption platform called OfferWise is more about making physical payment cards intelligent than it is about generating digital wallet use.

Cryptomathic LLC has launched a cloud-based encryption-management service targeting banks and government agencies that handle large amounts of data and secure software applications in their networks, the company announced Feb. 29.