Rumors that Apple was finally getting serious about virtual payments and about replacing cash and credit cards with smartphone apps started to pick up pace in September when the latest iPhone, the 5S, launched with a built-in fingerprint scanner. The well-connected tech site says that Apple is in the process of interviewing senior payments industry executives as it starts to build a full electronic payments business. An unnamed source in the article is quoted as saying that Apples ambitions are very, very serious. Apple has made no secret of the fact that it wants to go further in offering its customers new and easy-to-use electronic payment options.