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Square, the mobile payment start-up, announced it has hired a chief financial officer while also giving some metrics for the state of the company. Sarah Friar, a former VP atsalesforce.com, was announced by Square as its chief financial officer Wednesday. “Square was founded on a commitment to help people start and grow their business,” Friar said in a press release from the company. “I'm thrilled to join a company driving meaningful economic growth while revolutionizing the payment experience for consumers.” Friar's hiring comes as the young company is rumored to be seeking another round of funding, which has become a little harder for tech companies recently, thanks to Facebook and its IPO . But it isn't all bad in the world of Square.

People increasingly turned to mobile shopping over the holidays. And they didn't just browse, they bought. Sales over mobile devices during December doubled from the same month in 2010, according to a survey from IBM. About 11% of total online sales in that month were on smartphones and tablet computers, up from 5.5% a year earlier. That tracks with growth in overall online spending, which rose 7.5% in December compared to the same period a year ago, following double-digit growth over Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November.

Groupon has begun testing a mobile credit card reader, encroaching on a domain innovated by Square that PayPal has also recently entered. The Groupon payment platform will charge a 1.8% transaction fee along with a 15-cent transaction charge. At that rate, the fee is less than Square's 2.75% or the 2.7% charged by PayPal Here and Verifone SAIL, another player in the market. However, Groupon's competitors don't have a transaction fee. Groupon is giving the card readers away free to merchants along with an iPod Touch, according to VentureBeat That's more than Groupon's competitors, which just hand out readers.

EBay Inc. is building a new division to woo developers and attract more merchants as the company tries to emulate the success of Apple Inc.'s iOS platform in the e-commerce world. EBay's main business is still its giant online marketplaces, which bring shoppers and sellers together. The company's other big division is the payment business PayPal, and it acquired GSI Commerce this year to add a third division. But a fourth business has emerged in recent months called X.commerce.

Money can't buy you love -- in fact, it's probably the root of your relationship problems. Nearly 60% of American couples said in a recent survey that they argue over money at least once a month -- more than they bicker over sex or household responsibilities. The online poll of 1,500 people, conducted for PayPal, also found that although about half of U.S. couples share a bank account, nearly 1 in 4 shop online as a way to keep their partners in the dark about what they're buying.

Yahoo's latest financial results show the Internet company is still losing ground in the battle for online advertising. The fourth-quarter breakdown announced Tuesday is the latest in a succession of ho-hum performances. Yahoo Inc. recently hired former PayPal executive Scott Thompson as CEO in its latest attempt at a turnaround. The company earned $296 million, or 24 cents per share, in the October-to-December period. That is down 5 percent from $312 million, or 24 cents per share, a year earlier.

This morning, 2,000 Yahoo employees will get word they're being laid off. The layoffs “are an important next step toward a bold, new Yahoo - smaller, nimbler, more profitable and better equipped to innovate as fast as our customers and our industry require,”  Yahoo Chief Executive Scott Thompson said in a statement. The cuts at the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company to its 14,100 workforce represents about a 14% reduction that the company estimates will save about $375 million annually after being completed later this year.

Want to sell stuff on Craigslist, but the idea of a blind meet-up gives you the heebie jeebies? Los Angeles-based HipSwap has the solution. The Silicon Beach start-up announced at South by Southwest this week the seven-city launch of its website and mobile app, a Craigslist- and eBay-like marketplace that connects local buyers and sellers -- with a twist. The company offers delivery service and, in true L.A. fashion, gives people a peek into the wardrobes and homes of celebrities.

Spanish police on Friday arrested three alleged members of the hacker and activist group Anonymous on suspicion of taking part in online attacks against Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Network, as well as banks, businesses and government websites. Police said the three "hacktivists," whose identities have not been released, were involved in the April hacking of the PlayStation Network, an online video gaming and entertainment service that Sony suspended for more than a month after the attack.

Julian Assange, the founder of the controversial WikiLeaks website, was arrested here Tuesday and ordered to remain in custody until a hearing next week on his possible extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations that he sexually assaulted two women. The jailing of Assange came as governments and businesses around the world continued their efforts to halt the ability of WikiLeaks to function. A Visa Europe spokesman said Tuesday that the firm was suspending its business with WikiLeaks, following in the footsteps of Amazon.