It looks like it’s finally going to happen. The much-anticipated, much- delayed Isis mobile-payment venture backed by three big telecommunications companies is scheduled to go live on Monday in its test cities of Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City. Now the ultimate consumers of the new system, mobile-phone users, will …

Why aren’t consumers all that excited about mobile payments? Maybe it’s because providers are focusing on payments when what consumers want is a lot broader than that. Call it an Integrated App. By René M. Pelegero Remember the days when we had to look at newspapers to find out which …

Merchant Customer Exchange, the planned mobile-payments network by and for retailers, is more than an interchange play controlled by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., according to an executive whose company is represented on the nascent network’s board of directors. Stephanie Swain, senior director of financial services at electronics retailer Best Buy Co. …

Linda Punch New authentication tools and other technologies are dimming the once-bright line between card-present and card-not-present transactions. Will the card networks take note of that trend any time soon? In an era of mobile wallets, tap-and-go, and other alternative payments using devices other than traditional cards and card readers, …

David Douglas Stone Looking for an early sign of success for mobile commerce? Check out the linkage of digital gift cards and mobile devices. To say that “mobile payments” is the pervasive buzz phrase du jour would be an understatement. The mobile-payments ecosystem is getting more complex, not less, and …

With the Isis mobile-payments venture having announced yet another delay, it remains unclear just what is causing the holdup and when the service will launch. And, say observers, time may be growing short for the venture, which is backed by three of the country’s largest wireless carriers. “I don’t know …

The financials looked good, but the Fates seemed to be spinning some entangling threads for VeriFone Systems Inc. during the leading point-of-sale terminal maker’s third fiscal quarter ended July 31. There was the challenge to VeriFone’s big win in Washington, D.C., where the company’s taxicab payment and media systems are …

Two recent deals by startup Square Inc. indicate that the specialist in mobile payments for part-time sellers and tiny businesses is moving up the merchant ladder. In mid-August, San Francisco-based Square introduced a $275-per-month fixed pricing plan that may appeal to higher-volume, established small businesses. That announcement came shortly after …

Steve Mott Financial institutions and retailers are natural allies—not enemies—and nowhere can this alliance yield more profitable results than in mobile payments. Here are five problems the two sides must solve to make the most of this great mobile alliance—along with five proposed solutions.(Editor’s note: This article is the second …

Peter Lucas With big banks like Chase and Citibank aggressively promoting remote deposit capture, consumer demand for the product is skyrocketing. As a result, more and more banks are using it as a tool to acquire and keep customers. It’s been a long time since banks have had a customer-acquisition …