MarketResearch.com has published an in-depth report and analysis on the mobile payments and technology sector entitled “Mobile Payment – Advanced Technologies (NFC), Strategies And Future Of Remote & Proximity Payment In The U.S.”

In it, the research firm details the technology associated with mobile payments — primarily NFC — which it says is in the nascent stage with an adoption rate of only 1.7%.  With the help of NFC technology, banks will be able to tap micro transactions made by cash, representing around 20% of the total transactions in the U.S., according to the research.  This will also help banks to capture the growing GEN Y population as well as the huge underbanked and unbanked population.

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Numerous mobile content providers settled several class-action lawsuits today that stemmed from alleged unauthorized charges on users’ wireless bills.

Flycell, Glomobi, Mobilefunster, Thumbplay, WebAMG Holdings, Glispa and Motricity were all named in the lawsuits, and collectively put the cases to rest by agreeing to settlements in the amount of $9M and attorney’s fees of up to $1.85M.  In a press release on the subject, all companies were clear in saying that “each of the Defendants has denied any wrongful conduct, and the settlement is in no way a judgment or ruling by the Court that the Defendants did anything wrong.”

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While the mobile commerce segment burns red hot, consumer protection groups warn of the potential security risks associated with using your mobile device as a payment method.

Consumer’s Union, the nonprofit testing and information organization which publishes Consumer Reports, called on regulators Tuesday to implement protective standards on mobile payments, and to educate consumers of the liabilities in using mobile payments as opposed to highly regulated traditional credit and debit cards.

Federal law currently protects credit or debit card holders from many charges associated with lost, stolen or misused cards, for example, but without industry-wide rules for mobile commerce providers, consumers could risk losing money through fraud, merchant disputes or processing mistakes, the group said.

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Mobile payments and mobile commerce in general is a hot topic these days, with nearly every major player making a move in some form or fashion.  Consumers want a seamless experience, and while we’re not there yet, the reality is right around the corner.

Diving deep into the world of mobile payments, Portio Research has published a comprehensive 110-page research report covering all facets of the technology as well as current and future trends.  Mobile commerce is one of the fastest growing segments of the mobile industry these days, with Portio pegging the worldwide face value of purchases made using mobile phones at $68.7 billion in 2009, reaching $633.4 billion in 2014.

Meanwhile, over the same period, the number of mobile users who pay for goods and services using their mobile phones will increase a staggering 600% from 81.3 million to 490 million, according to the report.  With these kinds of numbers, it’s easy to see why nearly every operator and stakeholder in the mobile ecosystem is scrambling for a mobile commerce strategy.

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Nonprofits are moving into the mobile realm like never before, ramping up efforts to leverage the medium for its immediacy and direct response attributes.

DMnews is reporting that nonprofit group The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) recently launched a 10-day mobile giving campaign, for example, partnering with soccer star Landon Donovan to raise money for blood cancer research and patient services.  Citing mobile’s immediate nature and ease of use, the organization has placed heavy emphasis on mobile in recent months to boost donations.

Another huge benefit to using mobile for donations is the advantage in utilizing data collection for future efforts.  “We’ll be following up with those who opt in through mobile to collect their e-mail addresses to retarget to them later on,” said Todd Whitley, VP of eMarketing at LLS.

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If news of Visa and Bank of America, MasterCard’s mobile PayPass, Google and Paypal, or Apple possibly developing NFC technology hasn’t convinced you that mobile marketing technologies will soon become deeply intertwined in banking, take a look at the winner of the research firm Juniper Research’s 2010 Future Mobile Award: Wells Fargo & Company.

A press release today from Juniper proclaims, “Wells Fargo was chosen based on its multiple platform strategy and continued service innovation such as the recent near real-time warning of potentially fraudulent activity.”

Wells Fargo allows customers–whether their operating systems are iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, or even Palm– to access their accounts in several mobile ways: By sending a text message to a short code; by going on the bank’s mobile website; and by using mobile apps.

The financial institution also offers an SMS alert program for its credit card customers. Those who sign up get a text message every time their Visa card is involved in a transaction, alerting customers to potential unauthorized use of their accounts.

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Visa Inc. and Bank of America Corp have announced a new mobile payment program that will test in New York City starting next month, potentially paving the way for smartphones to be as common a fixture in American shoppers’ hands as plastic cards.

What the credit card brand and the U.S. banking chain propose is more like a debit card than a charge card. Select participants will have small chips supplied by Visa installed in their smartphones, which will emit radio signals. As Reuters describes it, “Customers would then ‘bump’ their phones with point-of-sale devices in stores–actually they need only wave the phones near the devices–and their bank account data would be collected and their purchases completed.” Reuters also reports that US Bankcorp also plans a similar test program with Visa, starting in October; the Bank of America pilot will continue through the end of the year.

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