The Internet, especially through online gaming and social networks, has spawned a number of new electronic currencies. Are any of these ready to make the leap into general usage, the way dollars and pounds and euros and yen are today? That was the fascinating question raised this week at a …

Intuit Inc. plans to export its GoPayment service to Canada in the next few months, beating out rival Square Inc. as both companies prepare for international expansion of their smart-phone-based payment services aimed at the smallest of merchants. Intuit also is rolling out a new card reader for mobile devices, …

PayPal Inc.’s pilot in five Home Depot stores, which the payments processor announced on Friday, represents the start of a major push by PayPal to the point of sale at major merchants. But allowing for a completely new payment method in a physical store, in this case one that has …

The 7-year-old Payment Card Industry data-security standard (PCI) is proving its effectiveness in preventing data breaches among small merchants, according to a survey of payments-industry acquirers set to be released next week. The survey, cosponsored by ControlScan Inc., an Alpharetta, Ga.-based vendor of PCI-compliance solutions, and the Merchant Acquirers’ Committee, …

PayPal Inc. on Wednesday lost its top executive just as the e-commerce processing giant has embarked on an ambitious strategy to handle transactions for brick-and-mortar stores. The departure of Scott Thompson, who has been PayPal’s president since 2008, also represents the second loss of a key executive at PayPal in …

We plead guilty this month to adding fuel to the fire of speculation surrounding Apple Inc.'s plans–if any–for moving into electronic payments. There are several reasons our story starting on page 22 deals with widespread industry speculation about whatÕs going on behind those closed doors in Cupertino. First, what Apple …

A Comeback for Credit Cards Online Thanks in part to debit card regulation, e-commerce shoppers in the next few years will reverse a recent trend away from credit, according to new research. General-purpose credit cards will capture 40% of online spending in 2011 and 2012, level with 2010, but that …

Having established itself overseas, EMV appears to be coming to the States, with some issuers already pumping out chip cards. Despite high-profile enthusiasts like Wal-Mart and Home Depot, however, few merchants are on board. By Karen Epper Hoffman While the Europay-MasterCard-Visa (EMV) chip card standard has garnered plenty of headlines …

Apple may be the most talked-about tech company that has yet to make a definitive move in payments. Is there any fire under the smoke? By Lauri Giesen When payments executives discuss the up-and-coming players in their industry, the names of high-tech companies such as Google, Intuit, Square, PayPal, and …

The surging popularity of the smart phone has revived the digital wallet, and now Google, Visa, AmEx, the wireless carriers, and a wide assortment of other providers are jockeying for dominance in this nascent business. By Peter Lucas Still trying to make sense of the digital-wallet landscape? You\'re not alone. …