Boku

Boku Signs Up Final U.S. Wireless Operator for Carrier Billing

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on May 3 at 8:00 am PT

Boku says it has signed a partnership with Sprint, the final major U.S. carrier to adopt its mobile payments service.

News Byte

American Express Hires Mobile Payments Exec David Yoo of Boku

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on May 2 at 11:30 am PT

American Express said today that David Yoo, formerly of mobile payments company Boku, will join the company as SVP of its Commerce Innovation team. At Boku, Yoo was SVP of Strategy, Product and Marketing. American Express also hired Katrina Lane, who will be EVP in charge of the company’s Consumer Cards and Experiences team. Most recently, Lane served as CTO of Caesars Entertainment.

SigFig Rolls Out a Smarter Piggy Bank to Help People Invest More Wisely

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on May 1 at 6:00 am PT

San Francisco-based SigFig is rolling out a new type of investment service that makes managing investment portfolios way easier.

Boku Rings Up $35 Million in Funding From NEA, Telefonica

Lauren Goode in News on March 15 at 4:48 am PT

Just after announcing a new mobile payments system, Boku has secured $35 million in funding.

Boku Takes “Pay Any Way You Want” Approach With Mobile Payments

Lauren Goode in Commerce on February 23 at 7:30 am PT

Online payments start-up Boku is taking payments offline and into stores with a MasterCard sticker for smartphones.

News Byte

Telefonica Signs BOKU to Aid With In-App Payments

Ina Fried in Mobile on August 29, 2011 at 6:16 am PT

Global wireless carrier Telefonica is aiming to make it easier for developers that want to enable in-app payments on their network, tapping BOKU to aid in the effort. The move is the carrier’s latest effort to enable network-specific features such as Internet telephony, text messaging and carrier billing, all tapping directly into Telefonica’s network. (This NewsByte has been updated, correcting an earlier mischaracterization of the service.)

News Byte

Boku Launches Carrier Billing in France for Digital Goods

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on August 24, 2011 at 3:01 pm PT

San Francisco-based Boku, which enables consumers to charge digital items to their wireless bill, is launching with French carriers Bouygues Telecom and SFR, in addition to already working with Orange France. Now most mobile-phone owners in France will be able to charge things, such as virtual goods in an online game, up to 10 Euros. Boku operates in 65 countries and across 230 carriers. Its main competitor, Zong, was acquired by eBay last month.

Verizon Wireless and American Express Find an Intermediary Path to Mobile Payments

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on August 1, 2011 at 5:30 am PT

Verizon Wireless is announcing a partnership with American Express that will enable its 100-million-plus mobile subscribers to pay for goods online using their phone numbers.

What’s in Their Wallets?

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on July 14, 2011 at 6:30 am PT

That’s the question I asked some digital money experts, whose job it is to push the creative boundaries on payments.You’d think they would be on the cutting edge, right?

Why PayPal Paid $240 Million for Zong

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on July 8, 2011 at 6:29 am PT

PayPal has spent the past 13 years making payment easier for anyone who has an email address. With the acquisition of Zong, its focus can now shift to anyone who has a phone number.