San Francisco-based Boku Inc. has bought mopay Inc., bolstering its position among carrier billers, Boku announced Tuesday. Germany-based mopay, with a U.S. office in Palo Alto, Calif., says it processes more than 5 million monthly transactions and works with more than 400 mobile operators. Boku has built connections to …

Somewhere, Carl Icahn is smiling. Ebay Inc.’s top management announced early Tuesday that the online auction pioneer is beginning preparations to spin off its PayPal Inc. unit some time in the second half of next year in a transaction that will result in eBay and PayPal operating as two independent, …

  By the end of 2015, most smart phones sold in the United States will have near-field communication (NFC) capability and be mobile-wallet ready, potentially creating a confluence of payments and commerce, says Matt de Ganon, senior vice president of product at mobile wallet provider Softcard. That prospect excites de …

In its latest move toward becoming a force in electronic payments, social network Twitter Inc. reported Monday that it is starting a test allowing members to make purchases via tweets from 28 partners that include merchants, rock bands and non-profits. “For a small percentage of U.S. users (that will grow …

Ever since the carrier-billing model for mobile payments found a foothold in the digital-goods market several years ago, processors have tested various tactics to broaden the range of goods the model could be applied to. The latest example is San Francisco-based Boku Inc. and its announcement Thursday that it will …

Virtually non-existent seven years ago, the smart phone is steadily establishing its place as perhaps the most rapidly adopted consumer electronic device in U.S. history. Some 70% of U.S. mobile subscribers—or 169 million people—owned one by the end of May, up from 66% just since February, according to the latest …

Jim Daly For a time, it seemed like open-fare contactless smart cards might take over payments on America’s buses, subways, and commuter trains, but then along came smart phones and EMV. The only thing that moves slower than a bus stuck in a 5:00 p.m. traffic jam is the process …

Richard Crone and Heidi Liebenguth To ward off third-party interlopers, billers must understand their bill is their brand. That means seizing the unprecedented opportunity that lies in mobile apps. Remember the bad old days of online-banking bill pay? Billers were forced to accept bulk payments in the form of so-called …

Technology continues to drive change in the way riders on America’s mass-transit systems pay fares. While a few agencies have cast their lot with contactless card systems that also accept general-purpose debit and credit cards with contactless chips, other systems are turning to smart phones as add-ons to existing fare …

  Selling merchants solely on the price and availability of a diverse set of payment processing methods won’t be enough in the next year or so as merchants increasingly turn to those who can help them grow their businesses. That’s the message proponents of mobile marketing and advertising services are …