Mastercard leads $16.5m funding round in Mobeewave
Series B round also includes support from NewAlpha and Forestay Capital.
Mastercard
Top fintech stories this week – 20 July 2018
Catch up on FinTech Futures’ top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Mastercard files patent for blockchain-based transactions
Looking at consumer protection, but its interest in patents is nothing new.
Worldpay and Mastercard partner for UK digital payments push
Worldpay will offer Mastercard’s Pay by Bank app from early 2019
Mastercard and Strands join hands for SME payments
Will provide digital cash management and payment tools.
Alior Bank, solarisBank, Raisin and Mastercard to unveil European digital bank
Fab four focus on Q4 2018 launch.
First Data and Mastercard in digital disbursement duet
First Data’s disburse-to-debit solution will be available to Mastercard customers.
Mastercard tackles faster payments in the UK, smart watches and open banking
Mastercard reaches out to Starling Bank, NXP, and prepares for open banking.
Mastercard Accelerate-s search for fintech mates
New Accelerate initiative to offer tools, tech and investment.
Amazon eyes PayPal’s crown with Alexa payments platform
E-commerce titan could be taking on Visa, Mastercard and PayPal.
Mastercard and IBM join forces for new “data trust”, Truata
Truata is an independent trust to enable companies conduct analytics while complying with GDPR.
Standard Bank sells mobile paytech Oltio to Mastercard
Mastercard has acquired Oltio, a mobile paytech firm in South Africa.
Facebook Messenger fuels Mastercard’s payments pursuit in Africa and Asia
Pilot in Nigeria is start of larger plan to get more businesses into their version of digital economy.
Dream Payments and Mastercard speed up insurance payouts
Cloud-based payments platform Dream Payments has teamed up with Mastercard.
Stack selects i2c for new mobile payments platform
Toronto-based challenger Stack still in private beta – scheduled to launch publicly early this year.
Payments round-up: 30 January 2018
Featuring Vocalink, Shieldpay, Huawei, UnionPay, Pelican, PaymentComponents, Infosistema and Banco BAI Europa.
Mastercard eyes biometric totality by 2019
Banks issuing Mastercard-branded cards will have to offer biometric authentication.
Curve card comes a-calling in UK
An app that connects debit and credit cards to one Curve Mastercard.
Payments round-up: 10 January 2018
With special guest stars Worldpay, Como Global, Mastercard, Here Technologies, Dream Payments and Wirecard.
Mastercard calls for fintech start-ups
Mastercard has put its cards on the table with a clear call for start-ups to join its Start Path programme – its effort to tap into later-stage fintech and tech firms.
Wirecard Gives boon a Boost with Virtual Prepaid, P2P and Overdrafts
Pay Award-winning payments technology company Wirecard is expanding its mobile payment app boon with new features to make it an “all-embracing app in everyday life.”
Mastercard Wants to Help Issuers Fight Card Fraud Faster after Data Breaches
On the heels of Equifax’s massive data breach that compromised 143 million identities, Mastercard today (Oct. 2) announced the launch of Early Detection System, which alerts banks to high-risk cards and accounts that are exposed in security incidents or data breaches.
Hawk Incentives Launches Mastercard Prepaid Incentive Card for Mobile Wallets
Hawk Incentives, a Blackhawk Network business that provides rewards and incentive solutions, has unveiled a new open-loop Mastercard prepaid card that can be added to major mobile wallets.
Mastercard, Swarovski Launch VR Shopping
Mastercard and Swarovski have teamed up to launch a virtual reality (VR) shopping app for the Atelier Swarovski home décor line. The app immerses consumers in a home where they can browse and purchase the pieces with Masterpass.
Executive profile: Solana Cozzo, Mastercard
It’s a good thing Solana (“Sol”) Cozzo is high energy. When she’s not literally running or chasing after 3-year-old twins, she’s running Mastercard’s North American prepaid and inclusive growth business. It’s hard work when you consider that “the cardable opportunity is about seven times the current market,” she says.
STACK Taps Mastercard Prepaid for Challenger M-Banking App
There’s a new fintech challenger in town. Toronto-based STACK announced its partnership with Mastercard two weeks ahead of the beta launch of its mobile financial services app and companion prepaid card.
Payments Industry Steps up to Help Harvey Victims
Several payments companies have announced efforts to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana, including monetary donations, interchange fee waivers and m-POS equipment.
Mastercard, Commonwealth Bank Work for Financial Inclusion in Indonesia
Commonwealth Bank and Mastercard are working together to improve financial inclusion for Indonesian women with a focus on business owners.
Plaintiff Appeals U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal Decision in £14 Billion Suit
Former financial ombudsman Walter Merricks is appealing the U.K.’s Competition Appeal Tribunal’s decision not to certify his claim in a proposed £14 billion (US$18.2 billion) class action lawsuit against Mastercard over interchange.
Mastercard Triumphs against £14 Billion Collective Action Lawsuit
Mastercard can breathe a sigh of relief as the £14 billion (US$18.15 billion) lawsuit—a collective action over card charges that were passed on to shoppers—has been stopped by the U.K.’s Competition Appeals Tribunal.
Mastercard Buys in to AI with Brighterion
Mastercard has entered into an agreement to acquire Brighterion Inc., a software company specializing in artificial intelligence. This acquisition follows Masterdard’s March acquisition of NuData Security and will further expand Mastercard’s capabilities to “deliver an enhanced customer experience and security.”
Mastercard Makes Digital Payments Push in Asia-Pacific Transit
Mastercard is making headway in advancing digital payments for transit passengers in Australia and bike-sharing consumers in Singapore.
Curve Takes Users ‘Back in Time’
Payments startups usually boast about their ability to future-proof their technology. For U.K. payments startup Curve, a big part of its appeal is helping users go back in time.
Curve Hits 50-50 Milestones; Consumer Card to Come
Curve and its all-cards-in-one Curve Mastercard and accompanying banking app apparently has struck a chord with small businesses and freelancers. More than 50,000 SMEs have signed up for the London-based startup’s program, which recorded £50 million (US$63.3 million) in user spending since the beta period began last year.
Mastercard, Western Union Designing Digital Solutions for Refugees
Mastercard and Western Union have teamed up to help refugees around the world access goods, services and financial services within refugee settlements. Announced on June 20—World Refugee Day—the partnership will explore ways to use a digital model to serve the more than 65 million people around the world currently displaced from their homes due to political conflict and natural disasters.
Q&A with Andrew Buckley, Mastercard
When the self-described skeptic took over as global head of prepaid for Mastercard earlier this year, Andrew Buckley wasn’t quite convinced that the opportunities ahead were worthy of all the hype. Five months later and he’s among the converted, preaching the gospel of democratization—not just of payments but of innovation.
Mastercard, Oxford Plan Helps Banks Breathe Life into Biometrics
With increasing global smartphone penetration and a willing consumer base, financial institutions recognize the potential of biometrics to offer more convenience and security to their customers—but a lack of familiarity with the still-new technology among top banking brass remains a significant barrier to adoption, a new report from Mastercard and Oxford University found.
People on the Move: Shafi Shaikh, Mastercard
Mastercard has appointed Shafi Shaikh executive vice president, customer delivery, Asia-Pacific. Shaikh oversees customer support, product delivery and customer relationships.
The View from Finovate
Payments compete for attention with “RegTech” while an overall lull in disruption suggests that fintech could be in the eye of a storm.
UBank’s Chatbot Helps Customers with Home Loan Applications
Bank has found another way to use the artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistants. The online-only Australian bank launched RoboChat May 15 to help home buyers—and homeowners who want to refinance—complete UBank’s online home loan application more easily.
