Mobile


Mobile-only bank Pepper gears up for launch in Israel

Israel’s Bank Leumi is gearing up for the launch of its new digital banking subsidiary, Pepper. It is expected to open its virtual doors for business before the end of 2016. The tech is provided by Temenos.

Wirecard, GPS Team up to Provide New Prepaid Account for Consumers

Fintech companies and challenger banks in the U.K. have a new tool for targeting consumers without traditional banking relationships. Prepaid card issuer Wirecard Card Solutions Ltd., a subsidiary of Wirecard AG, is working with payments processor GPS and Bottomline Technologies to support a digital banking solution called “U,” which was designed by U.K. program manager FFF Ltd.

New fintech firm, Soldo, comes to UK and Italy

Soldo, a London-based fintech start-up, is launching its flagship multi-user spending account. Soldo is not a bank, but a prepaid MasterCard. It holds an e-money licence from the UK’s regulator, FCA.

Chase Pay Lands Walmart, More MCX Retailers to Come?

It may not be surprising that MCX’s largest member will support Chase Pay, but it’s still a coup for the bank-backed mobile wallet, which already has deals with some other retail heavyweights. Walmart will begin accepting Chase Pay starting in 2017.

Fintech funding round-up: 4 November 2016

Let’s put the fun in funding by keeping it mercifully brief. A round-up of some key events. KEEN Venture Partners, a new venture capital firm operating from London and Amsterdam, has announced €90 million first close of its inaugural fund. It will use the money to provide early growth capital for tech firms with a […]

Top fintech stories this week – 4 November 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Weatherbys Bank live with new core banking system EXCLUSIVE. Oracle FSS’s Flexcube flexes its muscles. Mobile payments and European millennials Vocalink reveals millennials’ habits and perceptions. Japan rises to blockchain challenge with new consortium Launches with 42 member […]

No dispute with Citi mobile app innovation

Citi has unveiled a new feature to let credit card members dispute certain posted charges directly within the Citi mobile app for iPhone in the US. It says it is the only major US credit card issuer to provide this feature on mobile, and the new feature is designed to provide “increased peace of mind” […]

Dunkin’ Donuts Enables Gifting within iMessage

As the holiday shopping season kicks into gear, Dunkin’ Donuts customers now can send gifts via Apple iMessage in iOS 10. The popular chain—and longtime mobile pioneer—is the first national coffee retailer to integrate with the updated messaging service, which enables users to access the Dunkin’ Mobile App within a chat and purchase a mobile gift card using Apple Pay.

Smart Card Alliance Calls for More Secure IoT Devices

In the wake of a massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that shut down hundreds of Websites in October, the Smart Card Alliance has issued a warning on the “critical need” to ramp up security on hundreds of thousands of Internet-connected devices. It’s those devices—which range from cars to refrigerators and make up the Internet of Things (IoT)—that hackers are hijacking and incorporating into their botnet attacks, making attacks large enough to overwhelm Websites’ defenses—as was the case in the most recent attack, which affected major Websites including Twitter, Netflix and Spotify, among others.

N.Y. Facing BitLicense Backlog after Lawsky Departure

New York State’s pioneering BitLicense program could be losing momentum after the departure of New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) head Benjamin Lawsky last year. The state has issued just two BitLicenses since enacting the program in June 2015, shortly before Lawsky left the agency. Another 15 licenses are pending, while four applications have been withdrawn and four others have been denied, according to Reuters, citing an NYDFS spokesperson.

India, Singapore Banks Launching Sound-Based Payment Services

Audio-based payments continue to make noise with India’s YES Bank enabling payments via sound waves over its mobile wallet and OCBC Bank becoming the first in the Asia Pacific region to enable secure payments via Apple’s Siri service.

OCBC Bank first in Asia Pacific for Siri payments

OCBC has become the first bank in Asia Pacific to let customers send cash through Siri. Users can send money with a voice command via Siri, then use the OCBC Pay Anyone mobile e-payment service. It also offers Apple’s instant messaging service –  iMessage. No need to stop texting, payments can be made without leaving […]

Cognizant works with KeyBank on Oracle Banking Platform project

Cognizant has assisted KeyBank in implementing Oracle Banking Platform (OBP) from Oracle FSS as part of the bank’s tech revamp. Cognizant says it redesigned KeyBank’s core systems, applications, business processes and customer interfaces to “simplify transactions”. Vipin Gupta, EVP and CIO of Key Community Bank (KeyCorp’s division that includes retail, business and commercial middle market […]

Report: Consumers’ Use of Mobile Devices in Stores Stops at the Register

U.S. consumers’ usage of mobile devices in-store ranks as one of the highest compared with shoppers in other countries. However, their use of mobile devices at the POS drops dramatically, according to the 2016 FutureBuy report, which tracks trends in online, mobile and brick-and-mortar shopping. The results indicate that payments providers have work to do to convince shoppers m-wallets are worth the effort.

Money20/20: The Future ATM Features Biometrics, Leaner Look

Sleek, small, clean and thumbprint-operated—a new Diebold Nixdorf ATM shown off at this week’s Money20/20 show in Las Vegas points toward the future of cash distribution, and speaks to the spreading potential of biometrics in payments.

Discover Global Network Brings Startups into Global Spotlight at Money 20/20

Last month, Discover Global Network announced its support of two fintech scholarship contests hosted by the Center for Financial Services Innovation, an authority on consumer financial health, and Gefen Capital, an investment group representing U.S. and Israeli investors that focuses on investing in Israeli startups. The contest winners, Lenny, Debitize, and PayKey, received financial awards from CFSI and Gefen Capital, and were given the opportunity to demonstrate their unique solutions in the DGN exhibition booth onsite at Money 20/20 in Las Vegas, the largest payments and innovation conference in the world.

Money20/20: Samsung Pay Expands Globally via Mastercard and Deals

Samsung Pay is expanding. The mobile wallet early next year will offer the Masterpass online payment service from Mastercard to Samsung Pay users. That comes as Samsung Pay deploys to Malaysia, Russia and Thailand, putting the mobile wallet in 10 countries total, executives said this week at Money 20/20 in Las Vegas.

Money20/20: Blackhawk’s Roche on Harnessing Brand Power

Payments are moving up the value stream and becoming an engagement platform, moving beyond the transfer and settlement of funds to more deeply connect a consumer and brand. In this environment, payment providers—including those in the gifting and rewards verticals—can leverage the popularity of other brands to improve their own value and stand out from the pack. Those were among the main takeaways from a Money20/20 keynote from Talbott Roche, president and CEO, Blackhawk Network.

Money20/20: Walmart Pay Lessons Learned—and the Road ahead

With Walmart Pay showing strong growth since launching earlier this year, Walmart’s Daniel Eckert—one of the main architects of the service—provided some insights into the motivation behind creating Walmart Pay and what’s in store for the service. Speaking in a Tuesday afternoon session at Money20/20 in Las Vegas, Eckert characterized Walmart Pay as an effort to improve the checkout experience in particular.

Bank of America to launch AI chatbot

Bank of America has unveiled its new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to help customers make decisions on their finances. Called Erica, a nod to the name America, it will be available inside the bank’s mobile app in 2017. Customers can do the usual AI stuff – chat via text or voice – and it’s all […]

Case study: Consorsbank – the pursuit of app-iness

New retail banking apps are released onto the market daily – from traditional banks entering the app era to new disruptive payments services. What does each one of these apps have in common? The need to perform. When Consorsbank, part of BNP Paribas Germany, launched its retail app, it knew performance mattered. The bank shares how it delivered an app that consumers wanted.

Money20/20: PayPal COO on Facebook Messenger Integration, Contextual Commerce

Fresh off announcing a plan to bring PayPal payments to Facebook Messenger, PayPal Inc. Chief Operating Officer Bill Ready said the move was part of the company’s larger push to serve what he called “contextual commerce”—enabling mobile payments to take place in areas outside of the traditional checkout environment.

Mastercard, BofA Employing Bots to Enhance Customer Service

The rise of chat bots in financial services and payments continues with announcements this week from Mastercard and Bank of America that each company will be introducing similar technology. Mastercard is launching a bot for client banks’ and merchants’ customers and BofA’s bot, which it says is more of an “assistant” will service its banking customers.

Chinese tourism powers Verifone and Alipay payment partnership

Verifone is partnering with Alipay to enable retailers in North America and Europe to accept payments from Chinese tourists. According to Verifone, nearly 100 million Chinese consumers annually travel abroad and use Alipay to make purchases. This latest partnership follows quickly on Alipay’s deals with Zapper and Ingenico – both for the same reason as […]

Ecobank launches unified mobile app in Africa

Pan-African banking group Ecobank has launched its Ecobank Mobile App across the continent – the “first unified app delivered by any institution for use in 33 countries”. Ecobank says the app will give it the “scale and capacity” to achieve its target of attaining 100 million customers. Ecobank Group CEO Ade Ayeyemi says the app […]

Is your mobile banking app causing more harm than good?

Without the right digital strategy, small and midsize banks risk ceding built-in advantages to larger competitors. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to successfully move into the digital realm and retain customer engagement (and sales). Mobile banking has become an imperative for retail bankers looking to keep pace with the industry and satisfy customers’ needs. It […]

Payments round-up: 21 October 2016

Jargon defeated. Unnecessary words deleted. A brief payments round-up. LeFinance, a division of Beijing-based tech firm LeEco, has partnered with the Stellar Development Foundation for cross-border payments on the latter’s blockchain network. The deal means Stellar expands into China. LeFinance will also use Stellar’s network to monitor credits for usage across their various devices and […]

Android Pay lands in Hong Kong

Google has launched its Android Pay service in Hong Kong with support for MasterCard and Visa cards. It works with cards from BEA, DBS, Dah Sing Bank, Hang Seng Bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong. Users can add multiple cards and Google says there’s no limit to how many can be added. […]

FDIC Study: Unbanked Rate Drops; Prepaid, Mobile on Rise

The number of households without bank accounts fell to its lowest level since the FDIC first began conducting its biannual survey in 2009. Seven percent of U.S. households were unbanked last year, according to the FDIC’s 2015 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, released Oct. 20.

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