Half a dozen well-funded shops lead the charge in supplying small and mid-size businesses with fancy digital features that once were available only to rich corporate titans--videoconferencing, always-on Internet access, web hosting and more.

FORBES: Land Grab

Banks have historically charged small businesses at least 3% of the transaction size as a per-swipe charge, besides additional monthly or annual fees.

FORBES: BofA Is Sick Of Square, Rolls Out New Mobile Payment System