PayTech


Fifth Third swings for the mobile wallet fences

Go big or go home: Fifth Third on Wednesday (11 January) said that its customers can now use five major mobile wallet providers, with debit and credit card purchases via the recently added Android Pay and Microsoft Wallet, along with previous partners Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Masterpass. The deal comes amid a heady time […]

US Supreme Court hears credit card surcharge case

Credit card surcharges came before the US Supreme Court on 10 January in a case that concerns how much freedom retailers have in telling consumers they are being charged extra for the payment method. Comments from justices suggested that the Supreme Court might send the case back to New York for further review, though it […]

PayPal and Discover partner for US payments

Discover Financial Services and PayPal have signed an agreement making PayPal more widely available to Discover cardmembers, acquirers and merchants. The agreement provides PayPal with access to Discover’s tokenisation services, so PayPal customers in the US can pay with their Discover cards at all of the contactless-enabled merchants that accept Discover. As part of the […]

PayPal Acceptance Deals Continue with Discover Pact

Discover and PayPal have reached a deal that will expand PayPal’s POS presence while making Discover a more visible payment option within the PayPal mobile wallet. Under terms of the pact, PayPal will gain access to Discover’s tokenization services, enabling U.S. PayPal customers to use their Discover cards within the PayPal wallet app to make contactless purchases at contactless-enabled merchants that accept Discover.

U.S. Supreme Court Hears Credit Card Surcharge Case

Credit card surcharges came before the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 10, in a case that concerns how much freedom retailers have in telling consumers they are being charged extra for the payment method. Comments from justices suggested that the Supreme Court might send the case back to New York for further review, though it was unclear when a decision would be announced, according to news reports.

Fifth Third Swings for the Mobile Wallet Fences

Go big or go home: Fifth Third on Jan. 11 said that its customers can now use five major mobile wallet providers, with debit and credit card purchases via the recently added Android Pay and Microsoft Wallet, along with previous partners Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Masterpass.

Payments paradise by the dashboard light: Visa, Honda test-drive in-car transactions

Honda and Visa are testing a system that enables a driver to pay for fuel and parking from inside Web-connected cars, the latest development in the emerging Internet of Things (IoT), and yet another sign that more payments are moving beyond physical payment cards, reports Paybefore. The announcement, made from the Consumer Electronics Show in […]

PSD2: Who wins?

I was recently asked who the biggest winner would be to emerge post-PSD2, the banks or the fintech firms. If we ignore for a moment that the biggest winners are clearly you and I, the end consumer of these services, it did reveal an interesting thought process and dynamic at play.

D+H unveils simulated tests for real-time payments

DH Corporation (D+H) is now offering banks a cloud-based testing environment to simulate connectivity to The Clearing House’s (TCH) real-time payments system. D+H says it is the first payments hub vendor to provide banks in the US “easy and low-risk” access and with “minimal investment”. It offers an optional open API layer, where banks can […]

Axis first bank in India to use Ripple’s blockchain network

Axis Bank has become the first bank in India to use Ripple’s blockchain network for cross-border payments. The bank, the third largest in the private sector, will use the network for real-time settlement as it targets future growth. Amit Sethi, president and CIO at Axis Bank, says: “We will come out with solutions for our […]

House Financial Services Committee Names New Members, Leadership

The newly seated 115th U.S. Congress includes several new faces on one of the most important committees for financial services regulation. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) announced 10 new Republican members who will serve on the committee for the new Congress.

Democratic Senators Oppose OCC Fintech Proposal

A skirmish over the future of U.S. fintech is underway in the new U.S. Senate, with two Democratic senators this week saying a new federal charter governing the industry “could weaken consumer protections, limit competition and threaten financial stability.”

Gift Card Study: Self-Gifting, Non-Seasonal Use Going Strong

U.S. adults bought about $46 billion worth of gift cards over the past year—and a significant chunk of that total was comprised of gift cards for self-use, according to a new study by market research firm Packaged Facts. Of the total consumers spent on gift cards, $28 billion was for gift cards given to friends and family, while $11 billion was for gift cards they gave to themselves, the report found. The remaining $7 billion was comprised of gift cards given by companies to their employees.

Walmart and Visa make peace in Canadian payments dispute

A major payments battle has come to an end: Walmart Canada and Visa said they have reached a deal that enables consumers to use Visa-branded payment cards at retail locations in that country, reports Paybefore. The companies did not disclose terms of the deal, which stems from a disagreement in 2016 involving interchange. Walmart said […]

Capital One joins forces with fintechs Gusto and Bill.com

Capital One Spark Business has announced “strategic partnerships” with two fintech companies, Bill.com and Gusto. The aim is “to build and deliver better financial management, HR and cash flow tools designed for small businesses”, Capital One says.

Shanghai Prepaid Card Association blacklists 20 merchants

The Shanghai Prepaid Card Association is warning consumers about buying prepaid cards from certain merchants because of “malpractice in managing their prepaid card schemes”, reports Paybefore. According to an announcement on Shanghai’s municipal Website, the notice includes a blacklist of 20 companies in Shanghai for committing various infractions. The association is urging consumers to quickly […]

US Fed study shows prepaid growth slowing

Prepaid cards accounted for 9.9 billion transactions and $270 billion in spending volume in the US in 2015 – an increase of $600 million since 2012 – but according to a study from the US Federal Reserve, prepaid growth is slowing as the products become more mainstream, reports Paybefore (Banking Technology‘s sister company). Based on survey […]

New App Aims to Provide ‘Clarity’ to Personal Finances

Data analytics and artificial intelligence are on nearly everyone’s 2017 trend-watch lists, but Clarity Money wants to put those same tools directly into consumers hands with an app it says will improve financial well-being and increase users’ financial literacy.

Digital Payments and Retail Score Another Christmas Victory

E-commerce accounted for 21.3 percent of U.S. holiday retail sales this past season, up from 15.4 percent from 2015, according to First Data, a further sign that consumers continue to switch their buying and payments away from traditional retail stores. By contrast, full season holiday spending, excluding gas purchases, increased 4.7 percent from last year—still well behind the growth rate for e-commerce but better than the measly 1.8 percent growth booked in 2015.

Country spotlight: Lithuania – the young ones

Banking Technology explores a less known – but a noteworthy – destination for fintech in Europe, Lithuania, and its capital Vilnius. Whilst it is realistic that it cannot compete with the European Goliaths such as London or Paris, it wants to carve its own niche in the fintech space, and has quite a lot to offer.

Top fintech stories this week – 6 January 2017

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! The first weekly news round-up of 2017. Happy 2017! Let it be a year of discovery and success.

Trump Taps Wall Street Legal Vet Clayton to Lead SEC

President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Jay Clayton to head the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A partner with law firm Sullivan & Cromwell specializing in mergers and securities offerings, Clayton has advised on many major investment banking deals, including the record-breaking IPO of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba in 2014.

Will Starbucks Make Bitcoin Mainstream?

Bitcoin, which has long nursed an outlaw persona, seems to be transforming into a yuppie. In the latest sign that the digital currency is moving into the mainstream, iPayYou, a U.S.-based bitcoin platform, said its technology now will enable coffee and food purchases at Starbucks, a chain typically associated with middle- and upper-class urban and suburban lifestyles.