With static passwords losing more and more effectiveness  as an authentication method, biometric identification is regaining momentum after years on the sidelines. A recent major example of this resurgence is Apple Inc.’s introduction this month of its new iPhone 5S, which features a fingerprint sensor to unlock the device. The …

Google Inc. on Tuesday unveiled a new mobile app for its Google Wallet that emphasizes the wallet’s loyalty and person-to-person payments features that in the past had taken a back seat to its point-of-sale payment capability based on near-field communication (NFC) technology. The app is now available to all smart …

Tablet computers, which have invaded restaurants and retail stores since the introduction of Apple Inc.’s iPad three years ago, have now begun to see action at sports stadiums. Alabama State University’s newly built stadium on Aug. 31 became the first such arena to use the iPad for concession sales, according …

NFC Stalwart Isis Preps for a Rollout Isis, the smart-phone-based payments machine owned by three big mobile-telecommunications carriers, has stuck with near-field communication (NFC) through thick and thin while other mobile-payments providers have either avoided the high-powered but demanding technology altogether—think PayPal—or scaled back their commitment to it—think Google Inc. …

By Jane Adler The Shanghai-based payments powerhouse has cut deals with players like Discover and FIS to boost issuance and acceptance share. Meanwhile, U.S. companies’ welcome in China isn’t so warm.Get ready. China’s giant payments network UnionPay is about to launch its first card for American consumers, marking a further …

Elizabeth WhalenSales of lottery tickets at ATMs and gas pumps open up new opportunities for states and retailers. Several years ago, while walking through the lobby of a Florida hotel, Daniel Cage noticed an ATM set up next to a lottery kiosk. He had just finished a conversation about how …

Findings from an overlooked Federal Reserve Board report from last March portend that the possible cuts in debit card interchange as a result of a major court decision last month could be even bigger than many observers initially thought. In the report, the Fed said that authorization, clearing, and settlement …

Love your local vending machine and it’ll love you back. That’s the message from USA Technologies Inc. (USAT), operator of a wireless network of card-accepting vending machines. USAT this week unveiled a loyalty program called “More” centered around a proprietary, reloadable stored-value card that machine owners and operators can offer …

The acquiring business, already fraught with rivalry, became even more competitive on Wednesday with an announcement from daily-deals giant Groupon Inc. that it will supply traditional point of sale terminals to merchants as part of a new initiative under its payments division. The Chicago-based company, which last year jumped into …

A judge in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday gave the Federal Reserve Board a week to indicate its position about a possible interim rule for implementing the Durbin Amendment, the part of 2010’s Dodd-Frank Act that regulates debit cards, after ruling late last month that the Fed’s current regulations do not …