Technology giants Google and Samsung have become the first mobile wallet providers to sign up to MasterCard’s Digital Enablement Express programme, which aims to expedite the process of tokenizing MasterCard accounts.

As security issues top the list of concerns for payment companies and merchants worldwide, e-authorisation firm MyBank is calling for participants to test its pan-European Identity Verification Service, as it looks to help consumers protect their privacy while shopping online.

At a market update in Sydney, Westpac’s CEO Brian Hartzer said that the Australian bank will be increasing annual investment spend by 20 per cent to around $1.3 billion, using the money to concentrate on technology and digital initiatives.

Credorax, the global digital merchant acquiring bank, joins First Data, Tuxedo Money Solutions, Valitor and Allied Wallet, as a partner in the Saxo Payments Banking Marketplace.

Snapdeal has reportedly invested $100m in Shopo, a zero-commission mobile-only platform it acquired in 2013. The Indian e-commerce giant is hoping to build up the app into a one million seller-strong platform.

It’s been a good couple of weeks for proponents of contactless technology. First, it was announced that the contactless spend limit would be raised from £20 to £30 and then the UK Cards Association found that more and more consumers were ditching traditional payments, with over £2 billion being spent in the first six months of the year via contactless cards.