And the year-end mobile payment wrap-up reports continue to roll in. One of the latest, "Global Mobile Payment Methods 2012," from the U.K. market research firm yStats, reports huge growth over the past year — news to no one, but some of the statistical breakdowns are interesting:

• In the six months leading up to Q1 2012, more than 60 percent of all Chinese consumers made at least one mobile payment.
• The American mobile payments market is likely to increase by a three-digit percentage figure over the next few years.
• The Italian market is also expected to increase by a triple-digit percentage.
• Mobile payment enthusiasm lags in Britain, where only 20 percent of consumers said they wanted to make payments via mobile phone in the future.
• Among French consumers, a main driver for mobile payments was savings offered by that payment method.

A spokesperson from SmartDebit, a U.K.-based direct debit bureau, speculated that mobile payments in Britain would catch on as consumers gained confidence in the security of the payment channel.

"Many people in the UK are unaware that mobile payment technology is actually very safe, with mobile apps cryptographically securing data. The same occurred with online banking, and after time and familiarity, consumers will become familiar with purchasing goods through their mobile."

For more on this topic, visit the trends/statistics research center.