Apple reportedly is interviewing candidates for two new positions that would focus on building a payments business based on its current iTunes user base, according to a report from re/code earlier this week.

The technology publication reported Apple's head of e-commerce, Jennifer Bailey, is the executive who runs the interviews and is behind the company's push into mobile payments. Apple for years has been at the center of rumors regarding mobile payments, but none have come to fruition despite patents filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

One such patent showed a framework for the very thing re/code reported, which would involve an iTunes Wallet of some sort.

At least one analyst with a track record of predicting Apple product releases believes the company will add NFC technology to the next iPhone.