The Canadian Payment Association (CPA) has announced availability of a new report on Canadian Payment Methods and Trends. "To gauge the evolution of payments over recent years, the data was compared to data gathered from 2008, revealing several interesting trends." Highlights are here; full report is here.

InAuth announced availability of its native Voice Biometrics Authentication Module, an opt-in solution that leverages the voice “fingerprint” of a mobile-device user to secure their financial transactions.

“Like a fingerprint, each individual's voice is unique. Our new Voice Biometrics Authentication Module maps specific voice characteristics such as pitch and rhythm to accurately verify identity and convey confidence to financial institutions in the validity of their mobile user base,” said Mike Patterson, CEO, InAuth.

InAuth's new software solution runs unobtrusively on the mobile device of a financial institution's account user and dynamically identifies the user based on unique voice characteristics.

On the web:

• Bitcoin Foundation Launches To Drive Bitcoin's Advancement - Forbes
• Walmart Exec Says 'No' To Google Wallet, NFC - MobilePaymentsToday.com
• Gap, Bed Bath, Other Merchants join MCX Mobile Wallet Service - Reuters
• RBS and Natwest Launch Mobile Payments Service For iPhone - Mobile Today
• Telefónica O2 Begins Mobile Payments Rollout In Germany With Contactless Stickers - NFC World
• Stripe Announces New 'Transparency' Policies - Stripe Blog

On the wires:

• Cardtronics Launches FeeAlert
• Koupon Media Platform Passbook-Enabled
• VersaPay and Chase Paymentech Renew Partnership
• Western Union Expands Money Transfer Network in Mexico
• IdentityMind Protects Magento e-commerce Stores from Fraud
• Western Union Sees Significant Increase in Use of Chinese Renminbi for Business Payments by U.S. Firms