PayTech


Survey: Banks Fear Fintech Effect

Banking executives worry the rise of fintech could spell trouble for their institutions, a new report reveals. Conducted by PwC, the survey of 544 CEOs, CIOs and other top managers at financial services providers in 46 countries found that 83 percent of respondents from traditional firms feared disruption caused by new standalone fintech companies could result in the loss of business.

Japanese Bitcoin Case Will Remain in U.S.

A proposed class-action lawsuit regarding the alleged mishandling of bitcoin accounts in Japan will remain in the U.S., according to a federal court ruling in Chicago this week.

Cash is still king but “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown!”

Even as I am prepping for my next industry event, observations from the last conference I attended continue to permeate my thoughts. The ATMIA US Conference that was held in New Orleans only recently and yet, three items continue to have me thinking about the durability, indeed longevity, of some of the points raised. In […]

M&A Update: Payoneer Buys Armor; FinTech Studios Acquires iUbble

M&A activity continues apace with cross-border B2B payments firm Payoneer completing its acquisition of escrow services provider Armor Payments. Meanwhile, FinTech Studios, which sells fintech software, has bought iUbble, a 2-year-old company whose own software includes a browser for Web and mobile apps.

CFPB Supervisory Highlights Focus on Remittances, Restitution

The CFPB’s latest Supervisory Highlights report is the first to detail the bureau’s examinations of remittance providers since the agency’s rules governing international money transfers went into effect more than two years ago. Next up, Director Richard Cordray’s semi-annual report to Congress.

Payoneer acquires Armor Payments to create global alternative to LCs

US-based Payoneer has acquired Armor Payments as it looks to create a “global alternative” to letters of credit (LCs). Armor Payments, co-founded by former PayPal Director, Scott Reynolds, is the “only licensed B2B payments provider offering Escrow-as-a-Service (EaaS)”. Through the acquisition, the new integrated Armor Payments Payoneer Escrow solution will allow B2B buyers and suppliers […]

AribaPay launches in Canada

SAP Ariba and Discover Financial Services have rolled out their B2B payments service, AribaPay, in Canada. Last month AribaPay was launched in the US (also with the help of Discover). And earlier this year, SAP partnered with First Data for a rollout across Europe and Latin America. SAP Ariba says Canadian businesses and consumers pass […]

Typo spells confusion in $101m cyber bank heist

A $101 million cyber heist has central bank officials from Bangladesh to New York quarrelling over what may be one of the biggest and boldest bank raids in history, according to CNBC. Hackers allegedly breached the Bangladesh central bank’s security system and then pretended to be Bangladeshi officials to send a series of requests for […]

Watch out EBA, Swift and Visa – here comes Masterlink!

MasterCard’s planned acquisition of VocaLink has the potential to create a new payments powerhouse in Europe and beyond. Tom Hay, head of payments, Icon Solutions, explores the possibilities. The news of the planned acquisition broke a few days after the Payment Systems Regulator’s (PSR) recommendation that banks divest their ownership of the company. I’m sure […]

PSR’s payments push for more indirect access

The UK’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is pushing for more competition in the supply of indirect access to payment systems. In its interim report “Market review into the supply of indirect access to payment systems”, the PSR says work to open up access is “generating increasingly positive results” but wants more. It adds: “Although there […]

What will the future of money look like?

Cash payments are in decline – mobile payments are on the rise (thank you, Apple Pay, Google’s Android Pay and Samsung Pay). This nifty infographics sums up the ideas on what the future of money might look like. The infographics is courtesy of the MBNA credit card company (owned by Bank of America) and its […]

BBVA brings cash recycling to Spanish market

BBVA is upgrading its ATM network with Wincor Nixdorf’s CINEO cash recycling systems to enable banknotes deposited by customers to be reused for cash withdrawals. The Spanish bank says that until now, ATMs had two different slots for cash deposits and cash withdrawals although cash from the deposits slot could not be used for cash […]

Top fintech stories this week – 11 March 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! MasterCard mulls VocaLink acquisition There are some things money can buy. US to move to shorter T+2 settlement cycle by September 2017 Make a note, industry target has been unveiled. Big US banks to fight for instant payments […]

Two Major U.S. Banks Launch Real-Time P2P Transactions

Bank of America and U.S. Bank are using the clearXchange network from Early Warning. The deal means the banks’ combined 22 million U.S. customers can send payments to each other—not to mention to customers of Early Warning’s other partners.

APEX Speakers Offer Glimpse into the Future of Retail

The changing face of commerce will be among the hot topics at the All Payments Expo (APEX) March 21-23 in New Orleans, where top prepaid, payments and retail executives will highlight the key developments that will shape the future of the shopping experience over the coming years, including omnichannel, new payment methods and the rise of millennials as a buying force.

People on the Move: Mayer Brown LLP

Mayer Brown LLP, a legal services organization advising clients in the Americas, Asia and Europe, announced that a consumer financial services group of partners has joined the firm, representing an addition to its global financial services regulatory and enforcement practice.

People on the Move: PIF Board

The Prepaid International Forum (PIF), the London-based nonprofit trade association for the prepaid sector, welcomed four new members to its board of directors and announced the reappointment of three existing members.

People on the Move: Pamela A. Joseph, TSYS

Columbus, Ga.-based payments processor TSYS has announced that Pamela A. Joseph will join the company as president and chief operating officer effective May 1, 2016.

EMV’s Unintended Consequence for Gift Cards

For retailers that haven’t yet implemented EMV terminals, gift card acquisition fraud is on the rise, according to the National Retail Federation. But how big is the problem and what does it mean for legitimate buyers of the popular products?

Jack Henry partners with The Clearing House for real-time payments drive

JHA Payment Solutions, a division of Jack Henry & Associates, has teamed up with The Clearing House (TCH) as they seek to bring immediate payments to the US. TCH is currently working to build a new real-time payment system, which it will own and operate. In partnering with JHA Payment Solutions, TCH says it will […]

PSD2 reforms: innovation in payment predicted

The Payment Services Directive (PSD) legislation was adopted in 2007 with the objective of making cross-border payments across the EU as easy, efficient and secure as “national” payments within a member state. With the arrival of PSD2, the trend of digital innovation in payment will accelerate, states Antony Bream, UK managing director at Crealogix. The original Directive […]

Fiserv fine tunes Unified Wealth Platform

Fiserv has added new advisor portfolio management and trading technology to its Unified Wealth Platform. The single platform is used for portfolio management, trading, accounting and reporting for managed accounts. The company says over 5,000 advisors and users supporting rep as portfolio manager (RPM) or rep as advisor (RPA) programmes have migrated to the “enhanced” […]

ExxonMobil launches Speedpass+ mobile payment app with Apple Pay

ExxonMobil is now the “first major” fuel retailer to accept mobile payments at the pump, including Apple Pay, throughout the majority of its US network. The app enables customers to authorise a pump for payment via the cloud. Customers have the option to select Apple Pay as a default form of payment from within the […]

Big US banks to fight for instant payments market

Some of the major US banks are planning to tap into the instant payments market via their digital network, according to Reuters. Banks including JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and US Bancorp will use their jointly-owned network, clearXchange, to let their customers transfer money. “What we are doing now is delivering payments […]

Square comes around to Australia

US-based Square’s payment processing and hardware is now available in Australia. Operating internationally since 2012, Australia marks the fourth market for Square, joining the United States, Canada and Japan. Square says its chip card reader is the “smallest” payment card reader on the Australian market. Sellers can accept card payments via Visa, MasterCard and American […]

Challenger banks must strike the right balance between mobile and card

NFC mobile payments continue to grab headlines, but to really drive uptake and ensure full market coverage, combining contactless cards with next-gen mobile banking apps is surely the right way to go for 2016’s challenger banks, says Paul Underwood, MD of Thames Card Technology. Much has already been said about the opportunity for challenger banks to […]

Viewpoint: What’s the Best Route to Market in Europe?

Europe is the largest single market in the world and an attractive proposition for most payments businesses looking to expand, but you do need to look at the different options available and determine the best route to market for your own firm.