The European Commission (EC) wants to update the fourth Anti-Money Laundering directive so that it also covers virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin. In the UK, the Treasury has followed suit by announcing plans to subject virtual currency exchanges to the same regulations as banks. This isn’t surprising. Gunnar Nordseth, CEO and co-founder of Signicat, muses over the possible […]
On April 12, the CFPB announced the addition of several new members to leadership positions within the bureau for the external affairs division; the consumer education and engagement division; the student loan ombudsman and Office for Students and Young Consumers; the Office of Small Business Lending; the Office of Consumer Response; and the Office of Supervision Examinations.
The federal agency talks down a data breach that stemmed from an employee inadvertently downloading information about bank customers onto a portable storage device.
Video banking has finally reached inflection point, according to Efma and Vidyo Inc. The two companies have carried out the research, “which uncovered massive support for video banking among financial organisations worldwide”. Nearly 80% of all banks surveyed plan to offer video-enabled banking services. Check out this nifty infographics (courtesy of Efma and Vidyo) on all […]
The Delaware Blockchain Initiative demonstrates the state’s commitment to ensuring this remains the case for the growing blockchain technology sector.
Edith Ramirez says Congress will have to craft laws to protect all the data and activities that stem from Web-connected appliances, cars and other devices. She also urges the industry to better protect that data.
The challengers aiming to take on the traditional high street banks are themselves facing an enormous obstacle if they are to disrupt the banking market significantly, observes Zehra Chudry, organiser of the “Challengers versus Legacy Banks” debate at PayExpo Europe 2016. This hurdle is building consumer trust. Not only must they offer powerfully attractive alternatives and improvements, they must also convince consumers […]
With the threat of cybercrime growing considerably, we canvassed top payments providers and data security consultants to find out what they see as the biggest cyber-risks, and what steps companies should take to help keep consumer data—and the financial system—safe.
As contactless EMV transactions become mainstream in the U.K., the trends could foreshadow what’s ahead for U.S. payments.
There’s no doubt about it, fintech is a force to be reckoned with, and the UK has positioned itself convincingly as the global capital. Speaking at an event only last month, Economic Secretary, Harriett Baldwin, commented on how fintech is “helping normal people in their daily lives” by giving them extra choices when it comes […]
The CFPB has released its annual report on complaints received by the agency from military servicemembers, veterans and their families. Prepaid comprised just 1 percent of complaints from the military community—mirroring the tiny fraction of prepaid complaints to the CFPB from the general public.
The financial services ecosystem is experiencing dramatic change, driven on the one hand by disruptive fintech models that are causing disintermediation of the financial incumbents, and on the other hand by rapid advances in technology that are disrupting the ancient, creaking core banking platforms. Fintechs, prepare for a wave of M&A, says FirstCapital’s CEO, Jason Purcell, as […]
Platformification – what is it and why do banks need to know about it? Hans Tesselaar, executive director at Banking Industry Architecture Network (BIAN), explores the issue. When alternative fintech players first established themselves in the financial services industry, they raised their profile by collectively bashing the banks – positioning themselves as a more transparent, […]
Nick Kerigan, managing director of future payments at Barclaycard, lends his expert view on the changing consumer payment landscape and maps the journey to contactless card payments and beyond. Kerigan leads the team that looks at payment and competitor intelligence, and is responsible for driving innovation across Barclaycard. Last year was a milestone in UK […]
So here is a major headache for the treasury and capital markets industry: the cost line remains dead flat but the revenue line has dropped off the cliff. Utility is the answer to the market woes, strongly believes Philippe Chambadal, CEO of SmartStream Technologies. He talks to Tanya Andreasyan about SmartStream’s initiative in this space. […]
Faster payments is one of the more pervasive topics in almost any global payments conversation. And if you look at key countries like Singapore, the US, and Australia, it may seem to be more than just talking. Additionally, many countries are improving their infrastructure to clear payments in the same day or already have domestic […]
One of the most talked about issues in retail banking today is the emergence of the new entrant, or “challenger”, bank. “New” banks are being spun off from existing institutions and more than twenty organisations having applied for, or received, a banking licence over the past twelve months or so. Banking is becoming an ever […]
“I’ve forgotten – woe is me! What the magic word may be.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (1797) How smart is your code? So-called “smart contracts” are science fiction realised. Executable pieces of code stored on a mutual distributed ledger for future execution bind people and payments to actions and outcomes. Computer scientist […]
When you think of the new era in banking — let’s call it “Banking 2.0” — what do you see? Is there something revolutionary such as totally virtual branches or no paper money at all? It’s hard to tell how Banking 2.0 will exactly look like, especially with virtual reality (VR) sets going mainstream, but […]
Virtual account management (VAM) holds great promise for corporates to centralise and reduce bank accounts. Banking Technology‘s payments expert, Heather McKenzie, explains. One of the promises of the single euro payments area (SEPA) was that it would enable more efficient cash management infrastructures for the euro. In a 2014 study, Economic analysis of SEPA, PWC predicted a […]
As the IRS and industry continue to fight identity theft-related tax refund fraud, the agency’s Criminal Investigation Program initiated 776 investigations into ID theft fraud during the 2015 fiscal year, according to the IRS’s newly released 2015 Data Book.
The IRS has concluded that a company can defer the recognition of advance payment income received from the sale of unredeemed gift cards that are redeemable for goods or services for up to two years.
The OCC will release a paper to start discussions on new regulations for financial startups, which banks reportedly want.
The U.S. Department of Justice has dropped its legal claim against Apple Inc. over the FBI’s request that the tech company help unlock the iPhone of one of the shooters in last year’s attacks in San Bernardino, Calif. According to a court filing, the FBI was able to access the device without Apple’s assistance.
Want to see the global fintech landscape summed up in an easy on the eye and effortless to digest infographics? You have come to the right place – this excellent infographics has it all, from the hottest start-ups today and those to watch in 2016 to the most supportive countries and governments as well as top investors. […]
The Nordics have a unique model for domestic payment processing, but some of the upheavals in the system provide a lesson for other countries debating faster, upgraded payments initiatives. Owned by the eight largest banks in Sweden, Bankgirot is the clearing house for domestic payments in Sweden, and provides the banks with payment product and […]
Merchants have been challenging state surcharge laws, but the courts stand firm.
A Radio Shack gift card holder’s motion to get his legal fees and expenses paid first in the electronics retailer’s Chapter 11 case has been denied. Consumers with Radio Shack gift cards may file a claim by Dec. 2, 2016and if the claim is judged to be valid, claimants will receive 100 percent of the card balance, according to the Website.
The world has been talking about “mobile payments” for years, but the phrase means different things to different people. So what exactly are mobile payments? And how much more mobile than cash or cards can payments actually get, asks Philipp Nieland, co-founder and CTO of PPRO Group. Some people believe that mobile payments are those […]
Legal experts suggest that the investigation could provide insight on how the FTC might seek to influence the audit process going forward.
A U.S. Treasury Department lawyer gives tips about how to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to regulatory rulemaking.
Since the introduction of the Faster Payments Service (FPS) the best part of a decade ago the UK has been rather proud of its payments system – industry body Payments UK uses the phrase “world class payments” in its development plans, and successive politicians have trumpeted the country’s prowess in this field, much as their […]
Craig James, CEO of London-based compliance consultancy Neopay, delivered a talk at the All Payments Expo in New Orleans on March 22 to help companies eyeing Europe as an international expansion market.
Federal financial institution regulatory agencies on March 21 issued guidance clarifying the applicability of the Customer Identification Program (CIP) rule to prepaid cards issued by banks.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, but the blockchain protocol behind it can be used for a variety of non-currency purposes. People are using the blockchain to develop everything from ride-sharing services to voting applications to cloud storage. This nifty infographics sums up how the blockchain protocol works and how it’s being used. Source: Who is hosting this?
Traditional banking has taken quite a beating in recent years as more and more customers prefer to handle their banking needs digitally rather than be bogged down by paperwork or wait in lines at a physical bank. In a bid to meet developing customer expectations, many banks have begun offering web-related services such as e-deposits, […]
Dear Banks, how’s it going? If you’re reading this, you must be on social media, or you’re at least checking the internet. That’s great. I’ve been meaning to write this letter for a long time. The first thing you should know is that I think you’re really important. Sure, I might like to joke about […]
Technology is the most important agent of change today; hardly any industry is immune to both its value-creating and disruptive potential. However, in an April 2011 survey of corporate directors by McKinsey Quarterly, more than half said their boards had only one technology-related discussion a year, or none at all. Since then, the situation has […]
The rise of m-wallets, smartphones and online shopping could be a boon to virtual incentives.
If you’re not analyzing your cardholders’ IVR interactions, you’re missing an opportunity to improve their experiences and engender loyalty. IVR design based on insights from previous interactions is crucial, particularly in prepaid where cardholders rely heavily on customer service.
