Regulatory compliance might be a fact of life for every financial institution, but it can be very challenging when competitive pressures come in to play. Software-based services are often now the primary means of contact between a company and its customers; IT is no longer a back-office support function
The growth of mobile money has been a steep upward curve and looks set to continue – Juniper Research predicts that there will be one billion mobile banking users worldwide by the end of 2017, up from 590 million in 2013. A recent Forrester report predicted that purchases on mobile devices would double by 2018, as even more people become comfortable buying online and retailers create more user-friendly mobile experiences
The Banking industry is at a digital crossroad as it faces both a wave of technology companies poised to disaggregate every facet of the business and a changing consumer that is increasingly demanding that banks products match the state-of-the-art digital services they are receiving from other industries
The NBPCA supports the CFPB goal of protecting consumers, but the proposed rule doesn’t differentiate between prepaid products that serve different needs.
Financial services organisations can, and do, prevent many criminal acts through adequate controls, proper supervisory procedures, and sophisticated detection and incident management technology. However, there are a handful of shortcomings that derail the best preventive measures and result in negative news headlines and increased regulatory scrutiny for individual employees and entire institutions alike
On the background of a recent study revealing that UK mobile banking users are set to double to 32.5 million by 2020, banks need to tailor their customer experience models heavily towards mobile devices, with the fundamental focus on creating a “mobile-first” strategy, if not the more radical “mobile-only” strategy
Emerging technologies, consumer preferences and e-commerce innovation are giving rise to the next evolutionary step for gift cards: SKU-level rewards and promotions.
Regulation has the potential to accelerate the payments innovation sparked by the evolution of internet and mobile technologies. By giving customers the reassurance that payments can be made safely and efficiently, regulation allows providers to develop new and exciting ways to serve customers
Reactions to the new Apple Watch range from ecstasy to ennui for most consumers, but here’s why this product might be a holiday hit.
Retailers are changing the shopping experience. It’s quite clear that the future will be a far cry from your mother’s shopping trip, and payments providers will have to innovate to keep up.
Financial services firms have always faced market volatility, but new challenges are forcing most to rethink their traditional operating models in favor of outsourcing. The expanded use of outsourcing models will help improve revenue and create new business opportunities
The financial sector is a slow mover in innovation, however no single industry is leading the way in the Digital Identities economy. Banking is one sector that can take advantage of Digital Identities to better develop customer experience given the nature of the engagement and relationship between Banks and their customers. Banks fulfil a very […]
The integrity of data in capital markets – be it, for example, price data, trade facts, collateral balances, or other key business information – has long been a fundamental concern of technologists and business stakeholders. But how do we define integrity?
Anti-money laundering legislation cuts through the Gordian knot of bringing cases against companies at a stroke – it doesn’t require a ‘controlling mind’. In fact, it almost demands the opposite. A UK-wide system of velocity checking would go further in combating crime and protecting Money Services Businesses.
A decade ago, one of the driving factors behind outsourcing was reducing cost and headcount. However, with the growing regulatory and compliance burden, firms are increasingly becoming more cautious about outsourcing.
As mobile handsets become more prevalent as a tool for retailers, for payments, loyalty and engaging with consumers in and out of the store, security of sensitive data becomes increasingly more important.
Notes from a business law meeting with speakers from the CFPB, FTC and New York Department of Financial Services.
Worldwide, mergers and acquisitions in the banking sector have become increasingly common. According to the Bank of America, European bank mergers in particular are back on the agenda for the first time in many years as financial institutions are beginning to make strategic choices about what areas of their business are core.
In the debate over the secure element approach vs. HCE for mobile payments, Apple Pay introduces a new wrinkle with its hybrid solution, proving this isn’t a duel: All that matters is the pass/fail test for security.
Advocates of same-day ACH tout the increased functionality and economic benefits of speeding up payments. But a deeper look at the process reveals more of its hidden risk-mitigation benefits.
Some of the most significant changes to Canada’s Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry affect the rights of merchants regarding mobile and contactless payments. Will the updated Code have the unintended consequence of disincenting investment in and adoption of innovative payment technologies in Canada?
With the recent pension reforms opening up a plethora of investment options, financial services providers need to capitalise on the opportunity to create a value-led digital customer proposition
Banks and Fintech companies are locked in a war for the best technologists – and there is only so much IT and technology talent to go around …
A banking book requires a number of careful deliberations on the use of derivatives. In particular, the introduction of EMIR, Dodd-Frank and their brethren across the world has a number of important consequences for this market.
Forget the hand-wringing over a possible crash in Silicon Valley from a tech startup bubble-burst. What we need are more startups to feed deep-pocketed corporations starved for innovation.
At the core of the challenge for banks is understanding their customer better and using the information effectively across the business.
Looking ahead for Facebook, the particular opportunities with cross-border workers’ remittances are enormous … Who’s more interested in pictures of loved ones than the remote worker who is supporting her family? Who’s more interested in ‘status updates’?”
Last week saw the launch of the Payment Systems Regulator, the first time the UK gets a regulatory body overseeing the £75 trillion a year payments systems. Its brief is clear: to open up the UK payments infrastructure, which is currently controlled by the high street banks, make it more accessible to challenger banks and fairer for consumers. The regulator has been given strong powers by the government and has already made it clear it will fine the banks if they do not step up to the mark.
To maintain growth in our globalised, always-connected and increasingly regulated world, banks need to use digital assets and capabilities to create new value propositions for their customers, we know. The problem is how? And what is the best way of doing so in the face of what some worry could be a complete fracturing of the market due to the rise of non-traditional competition from possible banks like a Google or an Amazon?
Immediate payments have been available for some time now. The UK led the way with the launch of the Faster Payments Service in 2008 and other countries have followed, including Sweden, Singapore and Mexico. Real-time technology is fundamental to any mobile payments initiative and immediacy is the new norm of the digital age. Other countries can learn from the UK experience to avoid pitfalls and realise the benefits sooner.
There are two major trends in the cross-border payments world: an explosive growth in the number of payments between developed and developing countries, and the fact that governments, regulators and commercial actors increasingly favour payments being executed in local currency and discourage the use of US dollars to settle local.
In the wake of the financial crisis, the industry has been hit hard by an almost continuous stream of conduct related issues and fines; including PPI, Libor, and more recently, Forex fixing. With high levels of media and political exposure, the industry has seen its reputation suffer
Establishing an omnichannel marketing presence for their gift card programs will help retailers appeal to the buying behaviors and expectations of a demographic with growing purchasing power.
Although it’s great to see so many new players emerge at every SXSW gathering, entrepreneurs or would-be entrepreneurs should keep in mind some basic but key considerations when it comes to launching a new payments product. Come to think of it, this mantra isn’t bad advice for payments veterans either.
As international regulators demand more detail from banks on payments to individuals and companies, the first order of business is to ensure compliance with mandates. Migrating Swift MT payment formats to ISO 20022 will allow the industry to shape the transformation of payment messaging standards rather than have others shape it – but there is a need to set timelines for implementation or cede control.
The Colorado congressman suggests having too many disclosures is a disservice to consumers.
Social media has taken the world by storm over the past decade. Facebook, which is generally considered to be the “grandfather” of social media, was only founded 11 years ago, YouTube the next year and Twitter two years later
The current international payments market is hugely fragmented, with multiple networks and mechanisms operating independently of each other and it is clear that new market entrants have the opportunity to shape and define the future of this industry
Following the All Payments Expo in Las Vegas, we continue to believe the payments industry is in the process of moving from the center of its own ecosystem to becoming a major component in another ecosystem—the consumer shopping experience.
Last month, the New York Times revealed that a group of hackers infiltrated more than 100 banks and e-payment systems worldwide. The attack is particularly disturbing because the attackers were able to avoid detection, even while ATMs were randomly dispensing cash, for two years.
