Nunja. Such a stupid idea - payment systems on a completely authentication-free protocol where not even the originator can be conclusively identified - can only come from Microsoft direction...
Of course Microsoft would be delighted to supply the necessary infrastructure, the necessary clients and of course the necessary proprietary SMTP extensions to grab another market for itself. Of course all purely out of humanitarian concern.
Ok, the alternative solution of finally throwing these unspeakable garbage mail processing programs out and replacing them with functioning tools - that would certainly be too simple and too logical.
At WDR.de there's the original article.