Business Week and the Boston Consulting Group have published their latest ranking of the world's most innovative companies. Which financial services companies made the list? Who's the most innovative? Read on...

While doing some additional research on the MoniLink being introduced in the UK, we recently came across a white paper by MobileATM Ltd. describing the Mobile ATM opportunity (PDF).

The Hindu Business Line reports from India on findings of a recent study by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) that the " average Indian household in the top 10 cities in the country pays up to 42 bills online annually, most of it to finance, insurance, telecom and utilities companies. And the community of Internet-savvy Indians paying bills online is expected to increase from the current 0.3 million in 2005-06 to 1.8 million by 2007-2008."

HSBC - North America's retail services business has announced that it has entered into a strategic alliance to acquire the credit receivables and to manage the ongoing credit program of Boscov's Department Stores, the largest full-line, family-owned independent department store chain in the United States.

Yomiuri Shimbun reports from Tokyo that the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and KDDI are planning to establish a new bank which will enable customers to pay for goods and services using their mobile phones.

Mark Calvey reports for the San Francisco Business Times on plans by Yodlee to launch a Money Center personal finance service this summer through major banks.

• First American Payments Systems, L.P. Selects Planet Financial Services' Acquire360 Merchant Acquiring System
• New York Daily News: Unseen credit card fees can put a sting in travel
• ERG Selected to Supply US's First Ever Contactless Credit Card Transit Payment Solution
• Click & Buy Sponsors Podcast Marketing Expo Hall, and Becomes Official Payment Provider for International Podcasting Expo, April 21-23, 2006
• ECHO Extends Partnership with EZCheck; Long-Term Processing Agreement for Automated Clearing House and Authorization Processing Services Extended