MasterCard is running an NFC pilot program at movie theaters in Australia that lets consumers pay for food and drink items via their mobile devices.

MasterCard has rolled out an ad campaign that centers around the ease of its PayPass and Google Wallet mobile service.

Google is releasing the first version of its Google Wallet app to Sprint Nexus S 4G phones and offering a $10 free bonus to users who sign up before the end of the year.

Isis can now count Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover among its partners as its looks to bring mobile commerce to a broad cross-section of U.S. consumers.

MasterCard is sponsoring Wired’s June iPad edition and helping consumers instantly purchase products via the pages of the digital magazine.

During its first-quarter earnings call, MasterCard Inc. President/CEO Ajay Banga said that mobile is a fast-moving space for his company and that the financial giant hopes to create new revenue streams via the medium.

With Google, MasterCard and Citi reportedly teaming up to go head-to-head with the U.S. carriers’ Isis joint venture with Discover Card and Barclaycard, a war in the near field communication space is on the horizon.

The battle between Research In Motion and wireless carriers over mobile-payment data is a precursor to a larger war over who owns consumers making transactions using mobile devices.

The near field communication ecosystem is finally coming together, setting the stage for the massive worldwide deployment of contactless mobile payments in 2012.

MasterCard and Telefonica have launched a joint venture to lead the development of mobile financial services in 12 countries in Latin America where the carrier’s Movistar brand operates.