Wearable technology

Outages or disruptions of GPS signals — sometimes malicious, sometimes not — could quickly knock out computers, ATMs and card networks.

One banking-related highlight of the show was an announcement from HSBC and Google of a real-time conversation translator for Google’s nest hub.

Despite the convenience wearable payments hold, there are still obstacles that remain. Some factors are cultural, such as cash usage, or even more deep seated in the human mind, such as concerns over security.

Mastercard has formed a strategic partnership with Tappy Technologies, a Hong Kong-based internet of things firm, to develop designer branded contactless payments-enabled wearables, starting with Timex.

Google's $2.1 billion deal to buy Fitbit is primarily a hardware play. But it also brings Fitbit Pay under Google's umbrella — potentially repairing part of Google's fragmented mobile and wearable payments ecosystem.

Shari Van Cleave, head of digital labs at the bank, discusses customer-facing technology it's testing, including wearables and the so-called internet of things.

Starbucks has established itself as a model for mobile payments among coffee drinkers, but Barclays is partnering with a U.K. coffee chain to take it a step further by bringing the coffee cup itself into play.

Staffers at the bank's flagship, multilevel branch in Manhattan say wearable tech has proven ideal for discreet communication among each other to speed customer service.

Time is running out to apply to win one of Credit Union Journal's Best Practices Awards.