Equens offers SEPA support to Dutch businesses
European payment processor Equens plans to offer a number of services to the Dutch business community to support them in the migration to Single Euro Payments Area formats
PayTech
2013 Paybefore Awards: Best General Purpose Reloadable Card Program-U.S. Solutions
Best use of a consumer-funded reloadable network branded prepaid card for general use, such as ATM access and purchasing. Includes travel, remittance and youth-focused (including campus and student) programs; excludes payroll programs. For Paybefore’s purposes, card may mean a physical card or alternate form factor, including a virtual card. Best in Category: PayPal Prepaid MasterCard […]
Oakland ID/Prepaid Card Fills Dual Needs for Underserved (March 2013)
By Adam Perrotta, Assistant Editor Oakland, Calif., residents who lack bank accounts and U.S. government-issued photo IDs now have an option for electronic payments and identification. While several U.S. cities issue identification cards for residents who need an ID, the program’s backers say the Oakland City ID Prepaid MasterCard is the first to also act […]
2013 Paybefore Awards Continuing Coverage (March 2013)
In this installment of our Paybefore Awards coverage, get to know each of the winning programs in the following categories: Industry Achievement Winner: Brooks Smith Industry Achievement Winner: Roy Sosa Best Network Branded Gift Card Program Most Effective Closed-Loop or RAN Prepaid Card Program Best General Purpose Reloadable Card Program-U.S. Solutions Best General Purpose Reloadable […]
M-Payments’ Next Chapter: Get Ready for ‘Wallet Wars’ (March 2013)
By Kate Fitzgerald, Emerging Payments Editor The proliferation of mobile wallet concepts enabling consumers to make payments with smartphones and tablets already may seem daunting, but get ready for more. Experts say it’s still quite early in the cycle as card-based payments morph into new, mobile forms with countless approaches to enriching the shopping process […]
Viewpoint: Early Days for NFC (March 2013)
By Lori Breitzke, E&S Consulting LLC In the initial installment of this article, we addressed how trends in EMV will impact the prepaid sector. But developments in near field communication (NFC) merit an equally close watch, as they, too, should have bearing on the prepaid market and how it plays out moving forward. Let’s start […]
Viewpoint: Early Days for NFC (March 2013)
By Lori Breitzke, E&S Consulting LLC In the initial installment of this article, we addressed how trends in EMV will impact the prepaid sector. But developments in near field communication (NFC) merit an equally close watch, as they, too, should have bearing on the prepaid market and how it plays out moving forward. Let’s start […]
Bluebird Adds FDIC Insurance, Direct Deposit of Gov’t Payments (March 26, 2013)
American Express and Walmart today announced that accounts held under the companies’ Bluebird program now will be eligible for FDIC insurance and, as such, will be able to receive direct deposit of government disbursements, including Social Security payments, military pay and tax refunds. The companies also have added a pre-authorized check-writing function, as well as […]
Allpoint ATM Network Passes 55,000 Mark (March 26, 2013)
Allpoint Network, the Bethesda, Md.-based ATM network operator, has expanded its surcharge-free network by 5,000 new cash machines located across the upper Midwest and northern Plains states. Allpoint’s surcharge-free ATM network, already the world’s largest, according to the company, now totals more than 55,000 machines across North America, the U.K. and Australia. An affiliate of […]
Banco Sabadell Launches NFC Pilot with Visa (March 26, 2013)
Spain’s Banco Sabadell, operating under various local bank brands from its headquarters in the city of Sabadell, has launched an NFC payments pilot with mobile network operator Telefónica and BlackBerry. Participating customers will receive an NFC-enabled BlackBerry Curve smartphone with their Visa payment card details stored in the handset, the bank said. Customers may download […]
Senate Banking Committee Leadership up for Grabs with Johnson’s Expected Retirement (March 26, 2013)
The decision by Senate Banking Committee chairman Tim Johnson, (D-S.D.), to retire next year opens a race for another Senate seat and simultaneously puts leadership of the influential banking committee into play. Sen. Johnson, 66, today announced that he will not run again when his current term ends in 2014, leaving a vacant seat that […]
People on the Move: Shay Artzi and Gal Steinberg, Zappix (March 2013)
Zappix, a Boston-based mobile portal and customer service app company, has announced the hiring of two executives. Shay Artzi, Ph.D, joins Zappix as chief technical officer and Gal Steinberg as vice president of marketing. Artzi previously served as senior software engineer for IBM, where he was a key member of a software group leading the […]
People on the Move: Neil Steinhardt, Skrill USA (March 2013)
Skrill, one of Europe’s largest payment providers, has appointed Neil Steinhardt, currently managing director of paysafecard.com USA Inc., to the position of CEO at Skrill USA Inc. He will be responsible for the management and continued growth of Skrill and paysafecard USA, including shaping the evolution of e-wallets in the United States. Steinhardt brings payment processing […]
People on the Move: John Park, Matthew Francis and Robert Pinataro, Alegeus Technologies (March 2013)
Alegeus Technologies, a Waltham, Mass.-based health care and benefit payments solutions provider, has appointed John Park chief strategy officer, Matthew Francis chief sales officer and Robert Pinataro chief service officer. Park will lead corporate strategy and corporate development for Alegeus. Prior to joining the company, he was a senior leader at CIGNA Healthcare, responsible for […]
Millennials Leaning on Prepaid through Economic Recovery (March 25, 2013)
The U.S. economy’s slow recovery from the recession is driving millions of consumers between 18 and 34 years old to use prepaid cards as an alternative to a traditional bank account, forcing banks to rethink how they market financial services to young adults, various experts suggest. And as underemployed young adults in the so-called Millennial […]
More U.S. Consumers Pay Bills Online; Plan to Use Mobile (March 25, 2013)
More U.S. consumers are paying bills online and more are considering using their mobile phones to pay bills as well, according to the Western Union Payments Money Mindset Index, released today. The online survey of more than 3,000 respondents conducted by Javelin Strategy & Research, found that consumer preference for online and mobile bill payments […]
Report: Contactless Card Payments Rise in Turkey (March 25, 2013)
Contactless payment cards are gaining a significant foothold in Turkey, passing the 10 million card milestone in 2012, according to a new report from the Interbank Card Center of Turkey (BKM). The pace of growth has been rapid, with the number of contactless prepaid, debit and credit cards expanding to 10.3 million in 2012, up […]
TransCard Expands Product Line with Student Prepaid Card (March 25, 2013)
The growing student card market has a new entrant. Chattanooga, Tenn.-based processor and program manager TransCard is targeting banks that want to offer prepaid cards to college students with its newest reloadable prepaid product. The company’s announcement of its Student Prepaid Card comes just weeks after unveiling a prepaid card for banks to offer customers […]
SEPA – Time to Make the Change
The shift to SEPA offers significant benefits to businesses – from lower bank fees on euro payments and direct debits to opportunities to streamline processes.
SEPA direct debit uptake “unacceptable” says ECB
The European Central Bank says that the speed of adopion of direct debits in line with the Single Euro Payments Area standards is “unacceptable” and urged regulators and payment service providers to make greater efforts to push the instrument or risk damaging the reputation of the scheme.
Debit Network Consortium Selects Discover’s Technology to Resolve Debit Network-Routing Dilemma (March 21, 2013)
March 21, 2013 A troublesome roadblock to U.S. EMV adoption crumbled this week when 10 debit networks agreed to license a common U.S. debit application identifier (AID) from Discover Financial Services as the foundation solution for routing debit transactions under the EMV, or chip-card standard. The Secure Remote Payments Council’s decision resolves a stalemate that […]
New MasterCard Fee a Sign of Digital Wallets’ Evolution to Mainstream (March 21, 2013)
March 21, 2013 The news that MasterCard soon will begin charging a fee to operators of some types of digital wallets has many industry observers considering the move a shot across the bow in a coming struggle for access to digital wallet customers. But others say the fee simply represents a step forward in the […]
Western Union Launches Platform for Global Product Development (March 21, 2013)
March 21, 2013 Western Union Co. continues to expand its prepaid offerings globally and yesterday announced the rollout of its Global Share platform, which the company says will enable it to work more easily with partner companies that offer complementary products and services. The platform will facilitate better collaboration and improve products’ speed to market, […]
LevelUp Seeks Scale with Heartland Partnership (March 21, 2013)
March 21, 2013 For mobile wallet providers, reaching scale with consumers and merchants has proved to be the 800-pound gorilla. However, Heartland Payment Systems, the Princeton, N.J.-based merchant processor, and LevelUp, a promotion-based mobile payment and loyalty network from Boston-based SCVNGR, believe their partnership will solve the problem. Following pilot programs in New York City, Boston, […]
Cease & Desist: Ill. Gets Tough with Square and ‘Unlicensed Money Transmitters’ (March 2013)
The Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation recently released five cease and desist orders from January 2013 against six entities for unlicensed activities under the state’s Transmitters of Money Act. These six entities offer a variety of services in Illinois, including domestic and international money transfer, bill payment services and prepaid cards. One of […]
Fed’s Interchange and Routing FAQs Throw Prepaid in a Tizzy (March 2013)
The Federal Reserve Board (Fed) quietly released changes to its FAQs on Reg. II’s restrictions on debit card interchange fees and routing. Five new FAQs were added and one existing FAQ was revised. Changes in two areas directly affect prepaid cards: the exemption for “general use prepaid cards” and the requirement for adding a second […]
FinCEN Clarifies Stance on MSB Regs for Virtual Currency Participants (March 19, 2013)
March 19, 2013 The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued clarification of its regulatory stance on persons and entities engaged in the use, exchange and administration of virtual currencies. According to a guidance notice issued by FinCEN this week, users of virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin and Amazon Coins are not considered […]
UnionPay Inks e-Commerce Deal for U.S., Canada (March 19, 2013)
March 19, 2013 International payment processor Planet Payment Inc. has joined with China UnionPay to enable UnionPay card users to shop online at e-commerce merchants based in the U.S. and Canada. The deal grants such retailers access to one of the largest card brands in the world, while continuing UnionPay’s recent efforts to expand acceptance […]
U.K. Study: Confirmation Codes, PINs Enhance Consumers’ Trust in M-Payments (March 19, 2013)
March 19, 2013 The key to widespread adoption of mobile payments will be the degree to which consumers trust the process of using smartphones or other mobile devices to pay, according to new survey data from Auriemma Consulting Group (ACG). In a Web survey conducted in December 2012 of 1,000 consumers in the U.K., where […]
Billtrust Offers Integrated QR Codes for Mobile Billing (March 19, 2013)
March 19, 2013 Billtrust today has launched QR codes for biller statements, a service enabling consumers and businesses to pay their bills online by scanning the QR code with their smartphones. The Hamilton, N.J.-based provider of outsourced billing services can imprint a QR code on any outbound billing document, according to the company. When the […]
CGI and Experian partner for SEPA validation services
Technology and information companies CGI and Experian have partnered to help Europe’s banks and corporates meet the requirements of SEPA, the Single Euro Payments Area, on direct debits.
Blackhawk Files for IPO up to $200 Million, Cites Mobile and International Growth Plans (March 18, 2013)
March 18, 2013 Another prepaid veteran is going public. Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. filed for an initial public offering today, planning to raise up to $200 million in stock to be sold by existing investors, including its parent company, Safeway Inc. The Pleasanton, Calif.-based prepaid card provider and third-party distributor, founded in 2001 as a […]
PayPal Receives License to Operate in Russia (March 18, 2013)
March 18, 2013 PayPal Inc. has received approval from regulators in Russia to operate as a non-credit banking institution in the country, which paves the way for the e-commerce giant to begin operating a domestic payments business in a market the company considers to be one of its biggest growth opportunities. The news initially was […]
Intuit Debuts U.K. Mobile Card Reader (March 18, 2013)
March 18, 2013 Intuit Inc. has cast its lot into the competitive European mobile card reader market. Announced as a pilot in November, Intuit Pay includes a chip-and-PIN card reader and companion iOS app that enables payments via MasterCard or Visa. Intuit said versions of the app for other platforms, such as Android, are coming […]
Samsung to Embed Smartphones with ‘Universal’ Barcode-Transmitting Technology (March 18, 2013)
March 18, 2013 Samsung’s plan to embed Mobeam Inc.’s new light-pulse technology into its latest generation of smartphones could provide a quicker route to connecting consumers’ handsets with millions of retailers’ existing POS scanners than some other methods, including NFC, some experts suggest. The South Korean phone maker last week said the new Samsung Galaxy S4 […]
Paybefore Honors Innovation in Orlando, Announces Europe Winners
Read about our winners and view event photos. The Paybefore Awards Europe ceremony will be held during Prepaid Expo Europe on 18 April in London. Best-in-Category honorees will be announced for the first time. On March 4, Paybefore celebrated 72 programs in 23 categories, naming for the first time Best-in-Category honorees at the 7th Annual Paybefore Awards […]
One law for the rich, another for …
for a growing number of people, wary of the debasing of currencies through quantitative easing, alternatives such as Bitcoin are becoming more popular.
Polish bank ramps up mobile payment capability with HP/Accumulate technology
PKO Bank Polski has added a mobile payment service that covers all payment situations using the Mobile Everywhere platform from Stockholm-based Accumulate.
New product strategy director at Dovetail
Payment systems specialist Dovetail has hired Rossana Salaris as director of product strategy.
Fed Issues FAQ’s on Durbin, Network Routing Rules May Increase Costs for Prepaid Issuers (March 14, 2013)
March 14, 2013 The Federal Reserve Board this week provided last-minute clarification on debit card routing rules under the Durbin Amendment and on the General Use Prepaid Exemption that experts say could give prepaid issuers heartburn, just about two weeks before the regulation’s April 1 effective date. Under a “Frequently Asked Questions” heading, the Fed […]
