Top fintech stories this week – 1 September 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Mobile
ShopKeep Expands into SMB Lending
ShopKeep doesn’t just want to help small businesses accept payments, it wants to help them grow with a new merchant cash advance service.
Artificial intelligence round-up: 31 August 2017
Where’s the humanity? Well, not here as this is an artificial intelligence (AI) round-up. Features Royal Bank of Canada, Emirates NBD, and the ten greatest threats to mankind. Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has announced a pilot launch of two digital services based on AI that offer insights about client’s financials and an automated savings […]
Japanese start-ups fire up in force
The land of the rising sun is seeing a rising number of start-ups power up as they hunt for fintech glory. According to Nikkei Asian Review, 46 tech companies have gone public in Japan so far in 2017, with the full-year total seen reaching 80 to 90. The highest tally in the last decade was […]
Alexa gets into bed with Cortana
Amazon and Microsoft have announced their previously competing voice-driven artificial intelligence (AI) assistants are now an item, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). The world can be a lonely place for virtual assistants. All the company they have are demanding millennials constantly asking what their latest email is or a retiree wondering what the weather […]
Google chases down Apple with ARCore launch
Google has responded strongly to Apple’s front-running approach to augmented reality (AR) with the launch of a new AR platform, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). ARCore is the Android equivalent to the Apple ARKit; in short, an AR reality platform for developers. It’s not the first time Google has had a crack at the […]
Blackhawk Network Acquires CashStar for $175 Million
Blackhawk Network Inc. keeps getting bigger. The Pleasanton, Calif.-based global technology company, has acquired digital gifting specialist CashStar Inc. for approximately $175 million in cash.
GasBuddy Unveils Payment Service with WEX
GasBuddy, a smartphone app helping nearly 70 million drivers find the best gas prices, has unveiled Pay with GasBuddy, a new payment service in partnership with WEX that provides U.S. drivers with discounts.
McDonald’s Taps Capgemini for Digital Push; Burger King Unveils Whoppercoin in Russia
Do you want fries with that? France-based Capgemini is likely to hear that phrase a lot more now that it’s signed a multiyear IT strategic provider agreement with McDonald’s Corp. Meanwhile, Burger King Russia is jumping on the cryptocurrrency bandwagon.
Singapore’s Payments Council seeks road to common QR code
The Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) new Payments Council plans to set up interoperable electronic payments and has unveiled a taskforce to develop a common QR code for the city-state. As reported earlier this month, the Council launched and comprises 20 people from banks, payment service providers, businesses, and trade associations. MAS says the setting […]
Mastercard pumps up payments with Fitbit’s first smartwatch
Mastercard is bringing its contactless payments to Fitbit’s first smartwatch, Fitbit Ionic.
Heartland State Bank in core and digital banking tech revamp with CSI
Heartland State Bank, a community bank in the US state of North Dakota, is modernising its front-to-back office technology. The new tech supplier is Computer Services Inc (CSI).
NCR Takes Bigger Bite of Restaurant Business
NCR is hungry for more restaurant business, announcing its third such partnership in the last month. The Duluth, Ga.-based company is working with Performance Food Group to offer its NCR Silver cloud-based, point-of-sale solution to a new group of independent restaurants.
Bridg Raises $11 Million from Morpheus Ventures, March Capital, Visa and NextEquity
Bridg, which claims to be the first marketing software company to leverage point-of-sale data to drive “precision-marketing campaigns” for restaurant and retail brands, has secured $11 million in Series B funding.
Blockchain Roundup: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Nations, platforms and some bad news in our latest blockchain and bitcoin roundup. Find out more about the SEC’S suspension of First Bitcoin Capital Corp., an initial coin offering for cryptocurrency exchange platform KyberNetwork and more.
Digiliti Money and Urban FT in “advanced” acquisition talks
Prospective buyer Urban FT Inc. confirmed on Aug. 25 that it’s in “advanced negotiations” with Digitili Money regarding a “potential transaction that will see DGLT stave off potential bankruptcy proceedings.”
Alipay Buzz Continues with Starbucks Deal
Alipay is zipping along in terms of its international expansion. With its latest partnership, the world’s largest online and mobile payment platform operated by Ant Financial Services Group, is now available for Mainland Chinese tourists at all 242 Starbucks branches across Malaysia.
Top 5 Best Challenger Banks: Varo Money
“There’s a reason that the bank of the future hasn’t been created yet—it’s extremely difficult,” says Top 5 Best Challenger Bank Varo Money. See if you think they’ve got what it takes to rise to the challenge.
Banking Technology Awards entry deadline extended
Due to high volume of requests, the deadline to enter Banking Technology Awards is being extended. The final chance to enter the Awards is now Friday, 8 September 2017. Nominate projects, products, services or partnerships for a Judged Award or tell us about inspirational people by nominating them for a Leadership Award. Full details on […]
Guatemalan co-operative network selects Temenos core banking platform
Guatemala-based Federacion Nacional de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Credito (Fenacoac) has selected Temenos‘ RetailSuite core banking platform for its 25 co-operatives that operate under the brand Micoope. RetailSuite is the brand name for a variety of Temenos products, and includes the T24 core banking system and the business intelligence offering, Insight BI. Banking Technology understands […]
Juniper predicts major global shift to contactless on heels of US EMV push
A new study from Juniper Research is forecasting that more than half (53%) of global transactions at the point of sale will be contactless within five years, compared with just 15% this year, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. The new research, “POS & mPOS Terminals: Vendor Strategies, Positioning & Market Forecasts 2017-2022,” expects adoption in the US […]
Why I believe the US State Department is wrong about mobile money in Africa
The US Department of State recently released a report that identified mobile money services as particularly susceptible to money laundering in Africa. It cites services like M-PESA and M-Shwari as “services [that] remain vulnerable to money laundering activities”.
Walmart taps Google for omnichannel commerce play
Google and Walmart are teaming up to take on Amazon (and Alexa) with voice-activated commerce and more plans for 2018, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. Starting in late September, the retail giant will be working with Google to offer hundreds of thousands of items for voice shopping via Google Assistant – the largest number […]
TerraPay teams with Instant Cash for cross-border payments
Mobile payments switch TerraPay and money transfer company Instant Cash have teamed up to enable real-time cross border money transfers for migrants that want to send money back to Africa to recipients’ mobile wallets. Powered by TerraPay’s global clearing and settlement service for mobile wallets, the partnership “will make cross-border money transfer faster and convenient […]
Walmart Taps Google for Omnichannel Commerce Play
Google and Walmart are teaming up to take on Amazon (and Alexa) with voice-activated commerce and more plans for 2018. Starting in late September, the retail giant will be working with Google to offer hundreds of thousands of items for voice shopping via Google Assistant.
Douugh Rises to Challenge with AI-Powered Banking
Banking challenger Douugh has unveiled its artificial intelligence-powered financial platform, guided by “Sophie”—a 24/7 personal assistant for finances.
Juniper Predicts Major Global Shift to Contactless on Heels of U.S. EMV Push
A new study from Juniper Research is forecasting that more than half (53 percent) of global transactions at the point of sale will be contactless within five years, compared with just 15 percent this year.
Barclays enables voice payments with Siri
Barclays says it’s the first UK high street bank that lets mobile banking customers make a payment by asking Siri. The payment, which relies on TouchID for authentication, can be completed without opening the Barclays mobile banking app, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. The Siri integration enables payments to existing payees or mobile contacts. […]
Get Smart: BofAML Brings AI to Accounts Receivable
Bank of America Merrill Lynch is launching a new solution—Intelligent Receivables—that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and other software to help companies “vastly improve” their straight-through reconciliation of incoming payments to help them post their receivables faster.
Barclays Enables ‘Voice Pay’ with Siri
Barclays announced on Aug. 21 that it’s the first U.K. high street bank that lets mobile banking customers make a payment by asking Siri. The payment, which relies on TouchID for authentication, can be completed without opening the Barclays Mobile Banking app.
Samsung’s Bixby AI expands to more countries
Look out Siri and Alexa, but Samsung says its artificial intelligence (AI) powered Bixby’s voice system has now expanded to more than 200 countries and territories. In addition to South Korea and the US, it is now available in the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa, among others. As reported in March, Samsung unveiled the […]
Ondot Systems unveils card control integration platform
Card control firm Ondot Systems has released its multi-interface card control integration platform. The California-based company has combined a server-side API, mobile apps, and an HTML5 framework to give financial institutions (FIs) the ability to add card control technology to their mobile banking solutions, reports Finovate (Banking Technology‘s sister company). “Much as Facebook Messenger fits […]
Fintech funding round-up: 21 August 2017
A short time ago, in a round-up near here (i.e. 18 August) we covered the lively world of fintech funding. Yet again, we have more cash action. Featuring Xinja, Capital Float and Prodigy Finance. Australia-based Xinja, which recently emerged from the shadows to unveil its plans for a mobile-only digital bank, is in the news […]
App economy dodges bullet as Uber wins in court
It’s a rare ray of sunshine for the under-fire Uber, as it won a key battle as the US Second Court of Appeals ruled its Terms and Conditions (T&C) were legally binding, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). Uber has proved to be a difficult ally to have in recent months with the firm facing […]
App Economy Dodges Bullet with Uber Court Victory
It’s a rare ray of sunshine for the embattled Uber, as it won a key fight in the U.S. Second Court of Appeals, which ruled its terms and conditions (Ts & Cs) are legally binding
Q&A with Mobey Forum’s ED Maikki Frisk
Six months after coming on board to lead the digital financial services trade association, Maikki Frisk talks about how to drive mobile payments adoption, the implications of Brexit and PSD2, and the ultimate importance of a good user experience.
Fiserv Buys Dovetail for Real-Time Payments Push
Fiserv has acquired payments software vendor Dovetail as it pushes deeper into the payments infrastructure sector and real-time payments. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Is Your Wallet Ready for 2020?
It’s safe to say mobile is just getting started as a payments form factor, but don’t chuck your plastic cards just yet. Personalization, including QR codes, can boost usage and help you stay top of wallet.
Mobile Contactless Hits £370 Million in U.K. in H1 2017
Mobile contactless transactions in the U.K. topped £370 million (US$476 million) in the first six months of 2017, a whopping 336 percent year-on-year increase, according to the latest transaction data from payments processor Worldpay. (Infographic included.)
Top 5 Best Challenger Banks: Revolut
Last month, we asked Paybefore.com visitors to vote for the Best Challenger Banks—the ones shaking up the status quo with a legit chance to become consumers’ preferred accounts, not just a stepping stone to the big banks. For the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing our spotlight articles on these challengers. First up is Revolut.
