Just because it was the last week of the year didn't mean that the sizzles — or the fizzles — were ready to stop coming. On the too-hot-for-the-frigid-temperatures side of the ledger were Ripple, IPOs and consumer credit habits. On the fizzlier side of things, though, Apple dealt with lawsuits and iPhone X flop rumors, and there was also Uber's big valuation decrease. And then there was bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that couldn't decide to be a sizzle or a fizzle for more than 24 hours at a time. It was a full week — and a fitting way to end the year.  Read More...

Retailers are starting to tune in to the potential of smart TVs for offering on-screen, real-time commercial purchasing. In the latest PYMNTS Intelligence of Things Tracker™, Connekt CEO Mike Fitzsimmons explains how the company’s ShopTV app allows viewers to purchase goods from the commercials they’re watching with just a few clicks of a remote. That story, plus the latest headlines on wearable tech, Amazon Alexa’s job hunt and a directory of nearly 250 IoT players — all inside the Tracker.  Read More...

If past is prologue, then before we look ahead to 2018, Mastercard’s chief product officer, Michael Miebach, says it’s wise to take stock of the important milestones that drove payments innovation over the last 12 months. At the top of Miebach’s list? Acquisitions, APIs and AI. In addition, he shares the one thing that set the stage in 2017 for the new consumer and business payments experiences and the next year of payments innovation milestones.  Read More...