Mobile banking is gaining ground among the people of the country since Bangladesh Bank formulated a guideline nearly two year ago. "Mobile banking grew at a faster pace, proving that it is more useful than the formal banking," said Atiur Rahman, governor of Bangladesh Bank, while launching the mobile banking service of NCC Bank designed as "Sure Cash" at a hotel in Dhaka on Sunday. Transaction through mobile banking service has been increasing at a rate of 20% every month, he said.

Target Corp opened a new San Francisco office to track down technology companies that can help the second-largest U.S. retailer grow its online commerce business. Target's Technology Innovation Center is run by David Newman, an executive who spent six years at the online business of Wal-Mart Stores Inc , which has had a major presence in Silicon Valley for several years. Mobile commerce, powered by smartphone-wielding shoppers, is a particular focus of retailers because this technology has the potential to revitalize in-store sales.

Chinese telecom operators have stepped up their efforts to boost their business through exploring online channels, since more people in the country prefer shopping on the Internet. On World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, Chinese mobile carriers launched different e-commerce campaigns to attract clients' attentions.

M-Pesa, the mobile-based money transfer and payment service that has been highly successful in Kenya since its launch in 2007, is now available in India by Vodafone, working through its fully-owned subsidiary Mobile Commerce Solutions Ltd and bank, the country's largest private sector bank.

A mobile wallet and NFC widget for smartphones will be provided by US-based C-SAM under a five-year agreement with eftpos. Those components will be white-labelled so that retailers and financial institutions can add their own branding. The system will also provide for loyalty cards, special offers and receipts, much like Google Wallet. A growing number of smartphones include NFC capabilities

Online marketplace eBay Inc. has released updated versions of its iPhone and iPad apps, bringing some desktop site features to mobile commerce and making shopping on multiple devices easier. New features in the updated apps include the introduction of multiple search views so app users can see search results in table, grid or tile view, and a universal shopping cart that links platforms. The new shopping cart functionality helps U.S. and U.K. shoppers buy items from multiple devices.

Marble Slab Creamery and MaggieMoo's Ice Cream and Treatery recently ran a pilot program to drive in-store traffic through mobile promotions. Marble Slab Creamery and MaggieMoo's rolled out a test across 16 different locations in six states - Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Delaware, New York and Texas. The companies worked with Mercury Payment Systems on these initiatives.

Heineken is launching a mobile application as part of a summer promotion that is aimed at driving repeat usage with contests and content that keep users coming back regularly. Heineken is using the app to help launch its limited edition, 16-once Star bottles in the United States. The Heineken Star app is available for iPhone and Android devices.

Mobile commerce technology provider Unbound Commerce says consumer confidence in m-commerce has risen dramatically, and cites as evidence an analysis of mobile activities at 200 of its retailer clients that operated m-commerce web sites in March/April 2013 and March/April 2012. Mobile commerce revenue for the 200 retailers jumped 71% in March and April 2013 compared with the same period in 2012, the vendor reports. What's more, mobile unique visits and mobile page views both were up 91%.

Groupon formally announced the launch of Breadcrumb POS - A free iPad app that is said to enable businesses of all types to replace their outdated cash registers. Promising a "low price guarantee" on credit card transaction fees, Groupon says that Breadcrumb POS basically allows merchants to run their businesses smarter.