News


Regulation and Prepaid Dominate the Conversation in 2017

A look at the most popular Viewpoints in Pay Op-Ed so far in 2017 shows two clear trends of thought: What will happen to the CFPB and payments under the Trump administration, and how can prepaid providers reach more consumers and increase profitability?

Don’t get miffed, get MiFID II authorisation

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its near final rules on the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) II and encourages firms to submit applications for authorisation. These rules include changes to the trading of financial instruments – such as issues affecting trading venues, transparency of trading and algorithmic and high frequency trading. […]

Bahrain looks to Singapore for fintech fortune

The kingdom of Bahrain is looking to Singapore’s success as it tries to boost its fintech fortunes with a new ecosystem and regulatory framework. The Bahrain Economic Development Board (BEDB), Singapore Fintech Consortium (SFC) and Dubai-based asset management firm Trucial Investment Partners have teamed up for the development plans. Khalid Al Rumaihi, BEDB’s chief executive, […]

Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 31 March 2017

Boiled down and brief. The best bits of blockchain and Bitcoin in one round-up. Features Waves Platform, Ripple and Synaps Loans. Fresh from its ZrCoin commodities deal success, the blockchain Waves Platform is launching its decentralised exchange (DEX) and leased proof-of-stake on the Bitcoin network mainnet. DEX can be accessed via a full node or […]

Humour the consumer with KPMG and ATB Financial innovation challenge

ATB Financial has joined forces with KPMG in Canada and fintech matchmaking firm Matchi to run a “Customer Onboarding Innovation Challenge”. The challenge is free to enter and open to any firm that has developed and built a solution in one of the four categories: Know your customer (KYC) – ideally the solution will be […]

Fintech funding round-up: 31 March 2017

Lighter and brighter – catch up with fintech funding news in our brief round-up. Features Monzo, Quint and Lidya. Mobile-only challenger bank Monzo has raised another £2.5 million from more than 6,000 investors – the highest-ever number of any Crowdcube campaign. This follows its crowdfunding record of £1 million round last year, which closed in […]

Apple Pay defeats Australian banks in payments punch-up

Apple Pay has emerged victorious in its long-running feud with four domestic banks over their permission to collectively bargain with Apple and boycott Apple Pay. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued a determination denying authorisation to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), Westpac, National Australia Bank (NAB), and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank […]

Financial fraud fools UK out of £769m

Impersonation and deceptive double-dealing play their mischievous part in creating massive amounts of financial fraud in the UK. According to figures from Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK), losses across payment cards, remote banking and cheques totalled £768.8 million in 2016, an increase of 2% on the previous year. Katy Worobec, director of FFA UK, […]

AlgoMe brings Tinder touch to asset management talent hunt

AlgoMe, a London-based start-up offering career development and job placements in asset management, has launched its beta phase. The firm says it’s “rather like a dating app in that you get to determine if the match is right for you before your data is shared”. The web and mobile-based membership community is led by CEO […]

Mastercard launches safer payments guide for children

Child & Youth Finance International (CYFI) and Mastercard have released a guide on banking and payment products for minors. The “Safer Payment Products for Minors” guide offers recommended practices on how financial service providers (FSPs) can develop age-appropriate payment products for minors; promoting responsible spending and financial decision-making. Walt Macnee, vice-chairman Mastercard, says: “Today’s minors […]

Payments innovation reigns in Spain with CaixaBank hub

CaixaBank, Global Payments, Visa, Samsung and BNP Paribas’ subsidiary Arval have joined forces to set up Spain’s “first” payment innovation hub. The objective behind the hub is to “present society with the best possible user experiences in purchases and commerce, both online and offline”. The centre, which will be located in Barcelona, will specialise in […]

CASS plays Casanova to CMA’s current account commitments

The UK’s Current Account Switch Service (CASS) says it meets one of the commitments set out in response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) final report into retail banking. As Banking Technology reported in January, the CMA accepted undertakings from the Bacs payment scheme, which owns and manages CASS, that commit it to delivering […]

HSBC gets swift on Tradeshift capital financing platform

HSBC and business commerce firm Tradeshift have partnered to offer a supply chain and working capital management platform – usable from any device. The platform will let buyers automate and digitise “paper-heavy” processes from all their suppliers and organise financing in one place. This “game-changing” (sounds familiar) solution will combine electronic ordering and invoices, document […]

Profile Series: Vote for the Top 5 Payments Consultants

It’s not easy running a successful business in the payments industry and sometimes you need a little help on your side. That’s where analysts and consultants come in—to provide perspective, trends and guidance on myriad issues you face every day. Whether you’ve worked with these consultants directly or found their insights in Paybefore articles useful, vote for the experts who have helped you and your company chart your path to profitability.

Image is everything for VocaLink and UK’s new cheque tech

VocaLink and BancTec, a part of SourceHOV, a provider of enterprise information management (EIM) and transaction processing solutions, will build the UK’s new image-based cheque clearing system. As Banking Technology reported this month, the Cheque and Credit Clearing Company (C&CCC) launched the industry-wide system to speed up processing for customers across the country. Paul Stoddart, […]

Dash takes a bash at Bitcoin with new allies

Dash, a digital currency and an alternative to Bitcoin, has announced two partnerships in Europe and Russia. BitPanda, formerly known as Coinimal, has added a buy option for Dash on its online brokerage, while Moscow’s exchange, MaRSe, has integrated the digital currency in the “wake of a historic price rise and sustained market demand”. Daniel […]

Hong Kong trade finance goes Deloitte-fully blockchain

Deloitte, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and trade finance banks in Hong Kong have developed a distributed ledger technology (DLT) proof of concept (PoC) for trade finance. Industry participants include Bank of China (Hong Kong), the Bank of East Asia, Hang Seng Bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered (Hong Kong). The blockchain project has created […]

RBC’s video MyAdvisor makes banking clients wiser

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has launched a live video service to let its clients connect in real time with its advisors. Called MyAdvisor, it uses an online advice platform to digitally connect a client to an advisor, where both can view and adjust a dashboard showing the client’s savings and investment goals and establish […]

Mastercard buys NuData Security for IoT spree

Mastercard will acquire Vancouver-based biometrics firm NuData Security as it looks to make something out of the internet of things (IoT). NuData provides online and mobile anti-fraud solutions using session and biometric indicators. Mastercard will integrate NuData to its suite of fraud management and security products. Ajay Bhalla, president of enterprise risk and security for […]

How crude! IBM oils up for blockchain threesome

Natixis, IBM and physical commodities trading group Trafigura have launched the first blockchain solution in commodity trade finance for US crude oil transactions. The distributed ledger platform, built on the Linux Foundation open source Hyperledger Fabric, allows “major steps” in a crude oil transaction to be digitised on the blockchain, ensuring that famous trinity of […]

HSBC and First Direct to get VocaLink Pay by Bank app

VocaLink’s Pay by Bank mobile payment app will soon be available to customers of HSBC and its subsidiary, First Direct. Pay by Bank app, created by VocaLink’s payment innovation team Zapp, enables people to make “digital debit” payments for goods and services via their banking app, with payment made directly from a current account. HSBC […]

Mastercard Bolsters Authentication with NuData Acquisition

Mastercard is beefing up its transaction security and authentication capabilities in the age of connected devices, entering an agreement to acquire NuData Security, a Pay Award-winning provider of anti-fraud technology that uses session and biometric indicators to verify online transactions.

U.K. Makes Official Its Intent to Leave EU

A little after noon in Brussels March 29, a British ambassador delivered a letter to EU Council President Donald Tusk that set the wheels into motion for the U.K.’s exit from the EU. Today’s announcement makes official the results of the historic vote June 23, when 52 percent of voters in the U.K. stunned many around the world when they opted to leave, or “Brexit,” as it’s commonly called.

Wells Fargo Settles Account-Scandal Claims but Runs Afoul of Federal Regulator

Wells Fargo will pay $110 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by U.S. consumers over a scandal about fake accounts its employees set up for customers without their knowledge. But the trouble continues for the financial institution, which has received a dim evaluation from a federal regulator.

EC blocks Deutsche Börse and LSE merger

The European Commission (EC) has prohibited the proposed merger between Deutsche Börse and London Stock Exchange (LSE) under the EU Merger Regulation. EC commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, says the merger “would have significantly reduced competition by creating a de facto monopoly in the crucial area of clearing of fixed income instruments” […]

PSR pushes for greater payments competition and innovation

The UK’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is calling for even more competition and creativity in the sector over the next 12 months. At the launch of its “Annual Plan and Budget for the year 2017/18”, held at the Barbican Centre in London, it summarised its achievements and set out its ambitions to build on the […]

Fiserv brings the max to PyraMax tech overhaul

Wisconsin-based mutual savings bank PyraMax has chosen Fiserv to modernise its retail banking operations. The bank will move to the DNA account processing platform and add integrated mobile, online and branch banking solutions, including palm-vein biometric authentication. The software will be supplied on an outsourced basis, from a Fiserv data centre. Richard Hurd, CEO and president, […]

SCOTUS Won’t Revive Settlement in Interchange Case

A legal battle between merchants and payment networks over interchange fees that has been raging for more than a decade will continue now that the Supreme Court has declined to restore a $5.7 billion settlement agreement that was tossed out by a lower court.

BBVA joins Hyperledger blockchain project

BBVA has become an official member of the Linux Foundation’s open-source collaborative blockchain project Hyperledger. The bank joins American Express, the Bank of England, SAP, Wells Fargo and Thomson Reuters. BBVA is already a member of R3, which is also participating in Hyperledger, and of the Ethereum Enterprise Alliance, which supports the creation of blockchain […]

Blackhawk Renames Incentives Division

Blackhawk Network has given its incentives business a new identity, renaming it Hawk Incentives, which includes products and services formerly part of Blackhawk Engagement Solutions and the prepaid and payments company’s B2B digital incentive teams, according to a March 28 announcement.