Payments


NAB Pay rolls out on Android smart phones

NAB has launched its new mobile payment service NAB Pay, designed to enable customers to use their mobile phone to make purchases, without the need for a physical card. Customers with a compatible Android mobile device and a NAB Visa Debit Card have been able to start using NAB Pay from 25 January, available as […]

Report: Fraudsters’ Test Runs Surged in Q4 2015

Cybercriminals could be ramping up their attacks on financial services providers, according to a new study. The fourth quarter of 2015 saw a tenfold increase in “bot attacks”—essentially test attacks meant to gauge the security of targeted systems—according to the report by ThreatMatrix, a San Jose, Calif., cybersecurity company.

Electronic payment volumes and security fears rocket

A survey of more than 3,700 IT security practitioners from more than a dozen major industry sectors found 54% of those firms surveyed had a security or data breach involving payment data, on average four times in past two years.​ The research, independently conducted by the Ponemon Institute on behalf of digital security firm Gemalto, also […]

Tyrie: Reform banks’ IT to protect the public

Andrew Tyrie, Member of Parliament and chairman of the UK’s Treasury Select Committee has issued a public letter to the head of the UK’s financial regulators arguing that three reforms are needed, without which ”the public will remain more exposed than necessary to the risk of bank failure.” Sent to Andrew Bailey, deputy governor for […]

FTC: Big Data Practices Could Violate Federal Laws (Jan. 25, 2016)

Big data has proven to be a useful tool for retailers and financial services providers seeking to identify customer habits and preferences—but federal regulators are warning that certain uses of consumer information may potentially violate consumer protection laws.

Swift payments innovation initiative gains ground as 45 banks sign up

A total of 45 banks including Barclays, Citi, Deutsche Bank and many others have signed up to a new payments innovation initiative headed by Swift, which is due to launch early next year. Announced in December, the initiative aims to dramatically improve the customer experience in correspondent banking by increasing the speed, transparency and predictability of cross-border payments.

Banks face new wave of disruption warns report

Following years of mistrust and rivalries, the time has come to reimagine the payments relationships between banks, retailers and fintech firms, according to a joint report from analyst firm Celent and payments systems company ACI Worldwide.

Viewpoint: 5 Banking Trends for 2016

Financial institutions are undergoing a seismic transformation. Digital technology is reshaping what consumers want from their banks and the way they conduct transactions. Let’s take a look at the top five banking trends for 2016.

PrePaid Ventures Buys KEEPS America (Jan. 13, 2016)

PrePaid Ventures, the company behind the Visa-branded NexisCard prepaid program, has bought KEEPS America, which provides prepaid cards for lawsuit, workers’ compensation and Social Security settlement awards.

Canadian Mint Selects nanoPay to Bring Digital Currency to a Widespread Audience (Jan. 12, 2016)

Toronto-based fintech startup nanoPay is taking Canada another step toward delivering digital currency on a mass scale. Following a selection process of software developers charged with creating payment apps for the MintChip digital currency created by the Royal Canadian Mint, nanoPay today announced it has acquired all MintChip assets and was chosen to further expand MintChip acceptance.

Ford and Amazon Work to Make Cars Smarter (Jan. 12, 2016)

Ford wants to links its cars with Amazon’s Alexa technology, enabling drivers more Web-connected control over their cars and homes. The move represents the latest development in the Internet of Things, which was a hot topic at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

FinCEN Seeks Comment on Cost Analysis of CDD Proposal (Jan. 12, 2016)

A proposed rule that would place new Customer Due Diligence requirements on financial institutions—including prepaid issuers—has taken a step forward with the release of two new documents estimating the impact and cost the proposed rule would have on regulated institutions and seeking comment from stakeholders by Jan. 25.

Investment Roundup: Square, Starling, Deposit Solutions (Jan. 11, 2016)

After a hot 2015, fintech investment is off to a strong start in the New Year. In recent days, U.K. digital financial services provider Starling Bank and European retail banking disruptor Deposit Solutions each landed new financing, while global asset manager BlackRock acquired at least a 5 percent stake in New York City-based Square.

PFS Expands Banking Services across Eurozone (Jan. 11, 2016)

As U.K. banks begin offering no-frills accounts that could compete with prepaid products, London-based prepaid specialist Prepaid Financial Services (PFS) is looking to elbow further onto traditional banks’ turf by expanding its banking offerings across the Eurozone.

Smartphones Surpass Tablets for E-Commerce Sales (Jan. 7, 2016)

Smartphones accounted for 17 percent of online sales in the U.S. last year, beating out tablets, at 14 percent, according to the State of Retailing Online 2016, a widely cited annual report from Forrester Research Inc., Bizrate Insights and Shop.org, the e-commerce arm of the National Retail Federation trade group.