PayTech


TSB turns to First Data for bank portfolio services

First Data has been appointed by Sabis, the IT arm of Spanish banking group Sabadell, to provide processing and acquiring services across its subsidiary TSB. First Data will migrate TSB’s credit and debit card portfolio onto its FirstVision platform. Additionally, First Data will power TSB’s digital payments and provide merchant acquiring services for money and […]

Contactless payments ramp up in 2017

Following the announcement WhatsApp will enter into the mobile payments arena, new estimates from Juniper Research claims Apple Pay contactless users will nearly double over 2017.

Central Bank of Iceland chooses SIA for payments overhaul

The Central Bank of Iceland (CBI) has chosen Italian firm SIA to implement and support a new real-time gross settlement system (RTGS) and new instant payment platform. These technology infrastructures developed by SIA, are planned to go live in 2018, and will replace CBI’s current mainframe-based real-time solutions for high and low-value payment systems, which […]

Mastercard Wins U.K. Approval for VocaLink Buy

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority gave its blessing April 11, enabling Mastercard to complete its acquisition of 92.4 percent of VocaLink Holdings for $920 million. The deal, which is expected to close within weeks, gives Mastercard control of a large portion of the U.K. transaction processing market.

Harland Clarke Pays $630 Million Premium for RetailMeNot

No doubt banking on the value consumers will place on integrating online coupons into the purchasing experience, payments provider Harland Clarke has agreed to purchase merchant offers marketplace RetailMeNot Inc., in a deal valued at around $630 million.

CFSI, Chase Seek Fintech Startups for Financial Health Awards

Fintech entrepreneurs still have a few weeks left to win financial backing from two big players in the payment space. The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) and JPMorgan Chase’s Financial Solutions Lab (FinLab) plan to award $250,000 to programs that help consumers build financial health, “with a special focus on those communities that are frequently underserved, such as older Americans, communities of color, people with disabilities and products that address the gender wealth gap.”

Silicon Valley Bank and First Data launch fintech accelerator

US-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and First Data are calling on US start-ups to apply for their latest Commerce.Innovated accelerator programme. The four-month virtual programme provides participants with operational mentorship from the pair’s respective networks. Reetika Grewal, head of SVB’s payments strategy and solutions group, says its “small class size allows us to work closely […]

Visa unveils European payments innovation initiative

Visa has expanded its Everywhere Initiative innovation programme into Europe as it looks for the “next big thing” in payments. Entrants in Visa’s first-ever European Everywhere Initiative can win up to €50,000 to support a development programme with Visa, or through business partnership with Visa’s clients, and potentially have access to Visa APIs, mentors and […]

Payments: how the West will be copying the East

Payments industry practitioners in the European Union are understandably obsessed with the implications of the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). This was evident at the recent European Payments Summit, held in the Netherlands, where PSD2 dominated many of the discussions.

DeVere delves deeper into fintech space with e-money app launch

Financial consultancy firm DeVere Group has launched an app-only e-money service as it pushes deeper into the banking and fintech sector. As Banking Technology reported last month, the group took advantage of Lithuania’s ambitions to attract fintech firms and set up a new office in the capital Vilnius. This was preceded by the unveiling of […]

Mastercard AIs up future with start-ups

Mastercard has welcomed five new start-ups to its Start Path Global programme – its initiative to boost its share of the commerce market. The programme is open to all start-ups who focus on banking and payments and have raised a “significant seed” or Series A round of investment. Three out of the five firms joining […]

U.S. Rep. Tipton Pushes for Longer CFPB Prepaid Rule Delay

The CFPB accepted comments on its proposed delay of the effective date for its final rule on prepaid accounts through April 5. Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) likes the idea of a delay so much, he’s proposing giving the industry even more time.

Executive Profile: Walt Granville, Digiliti Money

From his current role as senior vice president of mobile innovations at Digiliti Money (formerly Cachet Financial Solutions), Walt Granville has the perfect vantage point to see the transformative power of mobile for prepaid programs. Find out more from the former pro runner, including which apps are on his must-list, where he sees prepaid in five years and the trend he’s watching most in 2017.

The Monday mindset: 10 April 2017

Fintech zeitgeist! Every Monday, we might look back at last week; look ahead to this week; share a few thoughts (our own or others); or discuss anything that catches our eye. This week, Banking Technology’s deputy editor Antony Peyton briefly reflects on last week’s visit to Morocco for HPS Worldwide’s PowerCARD Users Meeting 2017. At […]

Are You Protected from Contact Center Fraud?

Payments companies are used to defending themselves against fraud from all sorts of angles, but they would do well to mind the phones. By 2020, 75 percent of omni-channel, customer-facing companies will face a targeted attack, with the contact center as the primary point of compromise, according to Gartner research.

WeChat Wants to Grow Payments in U.S. and Europe

WeChat is on the move again. The China-based social messaging and mobile wallet platform plans to expand its presence in Europe and the U.S., efforts that could bring it better relationships with advertisers, brands and payment providers.

Western Union App Integrates Apple Pay

Facing increased competition from mobile P2P services, money transfer giant Western Union has made a move to bolster its own mobile offerings. U.S.-based users of Western Union’s mobile app now can use Apple Pay to send money from within the app domestically, or to more than 200 countries and territories.

Company on the Move: RegTech Association, Launch

A group of 13 Australian financial services and technology startups has come together to form the RegTech Association, a consortium focused on encouraging collaboration between startups and other stakeholders in the regulatory technology, or “regtech” space in Asia-Pacific.

OP Financial Group enlists Token to develop new payment solutions

OP Financial Group has partnered with Token, a Silicon Valley-based crypto-payment software provider. Token says the agreement will enable the Finnish bank “to innovate in the European open banking market and generate new revenue streams via future payment solutions”.

FDIC Savings Pilot Helps Students, Banks

Students gain financial literacy and banks develop important relationships with the community and new banking customers as shown in the FDIC’s Youth Savings Pilot.

States Square off in Fight over CFPB Leadership Structure

The states weigh in on the CFPB leadership structure with two amicus briefs. A group of 17 states, plus the District of Columbia, has sided with the agency as it fights a court ruling that says the president should have the authority to fire the head of the CFPB. Meanwhile, 15 other states have taken an opposing stance.

PIF Seeks Clarity, Exemptions as U.K. Moves toward PSD2

As the U.K. moves ahead with plans to implement the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), the Prepaid International Forum (PIF) has asked regulators for more clarification on certain aspects of how the framework will be applied in the country.

Supreme Court Finds N.Y. Surcharge Laws Regulate Speech

The Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision finding that a New York law prohibiting merchants from disclosing surcharges to cover the costs of credit card processing while allowing for discounts in the case of cash transactions regulated speech

Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 4 April 2017

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s round-up, here’s more bite-sized blockchain and Bitcoin news. Featuring TaaS, Living Room of Satoshi and Bitfinex. TaaS, the “first-ever” tokenised closed-end fund dedicated to blockchain assets, will partner with two cryptocurrency exchanges, Livecoin and Kuna, to offer its tokens for trading starting on 28 April. Investors will be able […]

Netspend Settles with FTC for $53 Million

Facing charges by the Federal Trade Commission that Netspend deceived cardholders and denied or delayed their access to funds, the TSYS subsidiary agreed to a $53 million settlement, which consists of $40 million on deposit in customer accounts and $13 million in refunded fees. Netspend doesn’t admit any wrongdoing under the terms of the settlement.