News


Double delight for Accenture innovation in US and Singapore

Accenture has opened innovation centres in New York and Singapore for finance and risk, and software application development cycles respectively. The New York hub focuses on developing solutions for finance and risk data management, data engineering, analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and reporting. It will offer consulting, development and operations services, and Accenture says it already […]

The Bancorp Hires Neurohr to Lead Compliance

With federal and state payments regulation in near-constant flux, compliance strategy continues to be of utmost importance, especially for issuers. Amid this landscape, The Bancorp has named Bill Neurohr to head its compliance operations and serve as the point man for the company’s interactions with regulators.

Fill ’Er Up: Samsung Pay Is Now Good at ExxonMobil Stations

Samsung Pay took another stride this week, with ExxonMobil announcing that its customers can now use the mobile wallet at the pump to pay for gas. This expansion comes only months after Samsung launched a points-based rewards program for Samsung Pay.

China’s CredEX Fintech lending app surges past $4.3bn mark

China-based CredEX Fintech says its mobile lending app’s total credit extended has exceeded CNY 30 billion ($4.3 billion) since its launch ten months ago. According to the firm, its user base has gone beyond five million, daily credit has been extended up to CNY 100 million ($14.4 million), and the average credit extended stands at […]

Do collect $200 on Android, don’t get out of Gmail

Google has revealed that Android payments can now be made within the Gmail app. Whether it is “splitting a dinner bill or planning a group trip”, it offers a “fee-free way” to work out the details and settle up without leaving the Gmail app on Android. Users can exchange money with “anyone” – and are […]

TransferWise to power Starling Bank payments

TransferWise will provide money transfer services to customers of UK challenger bank Starling when it launches later this month. As Banking Technology has previously reported, the bank is getting ready for its 2017 launch. It will host its first hackathon, opening up its API to outside developers. It has received its UK banking licence, joined […]

Commercial Bank of Africa goes Loop-y for millennial entrepreneurs

Kenya-based Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) has unveiled its mobile-based banking service as it targets millennial entrepreneurs. The new service, created in collaboration with software provider Strands, is called CBA Loop and core banking services will be available on the mobile phone app. Users can manage their personal finances, send money, schedule utility bills payments, […]

Cachet Prices Public Offering, Looks toward a $9.3 Million Payday

Cachet Financial Solutions expects to raise nearly $9.3 million in its public offering this week, according to an SEC filing. The Minneapolis-based financial technology provider and Pay Award winner, which priced its offering at $4.50 per share, plans to use the proceeds for working capital, to pay down debt and other, unspecified purposes.

Investment Roundup: Fintech Financing Heats Up

With funds flowing from some of the biggest names in payments, including PayPal and Ant Financial, March got off to a hot start for worldwide e-commerce and fintech investment. Providers around the globe have landed hefty financing rounds from some venture capital, payments and financial services heavyweights during the first half of the month.

Fintech funding round-up: 14 March 2017

Life needs less noise. So here words are destroyed. A round-up of key events in fintech funding. Featuring Autobooks, University of British Columbia, Scotiabank and more. Michigan-based start-up Autobooks has raised $5.5 million in funding. This follows an earlier $2 million seed funding round. Draper Triangle Ventures led the latest round and was joined by […]

Green Dot Names Board Adviser from Harvest, Repurchases $50 Million in Stock

It was a busy day for Green Dot Corp. The payment services provider, on March 13, named Jeffrey B. Osher, managing director of Harvest Capital Strategies LLC, an “observer” and adviser to Green Dot’s board of directors, and it entered into an agreement with Bank of America Merrill Lynch to purchase $50 million of its Class A common stock as part of its stock buy-back initiative.

Euronet Outbids Ant Financial for MoneyGram

Payments processor Euronet is dangling more money and the potential for faster, simpler regulatory approval in front of MoneyGram investors, significantly outbidding China’s Ant Financial Services Group for the No. 2 U.S.-based money transfer company.

Euronet bugs Ant Financial with MoneyGram move

Payments firm Euronet has proposed to buy money transfer operator MoneyGram International for $15.20 per share – in turn becoming a pest to Ant Financial’s acquisition plans. As Banking Technology reported in January, Alibaba’s affiliate Ant Financial planned to splash out $880 million for MoneyGram – its first acquisition of a US-listed company. Euronet says […]

Singapore and Japan set up fintech framework

The Financial Services Agency of Japan (JFSA) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have established a co-operation framework for fintech links between both countries. The framework enables MAS and JFSA to refer fintech companies in their countries to each other’s markets. It also outlines how the referred companies can initiate discussions with the regulatory […]

Barclaycard gets Uber momentum

Barclaycard and Uber have agreed a new commercial agreement that will see Barclaycard customers get “exclusive offers” when they use their personal card to pay for their Uber rides. The deal means Barclaycard’s personal credit card customers can get a free Uber ride, up to the value of £15, for every ten that they take […]

EquensWorldline bags Degussa Bank payments processing deal

Payments firm EquensWorldline, a subsidiary of Worldline, has secured a long-term contract to process all payments for Degussa Bank in Germany, starting Q2 2017. Degussa Bank will outsource its end-to-end payments processing to EquensWorldline. This includes SEPA processing, cross-border payments, high value payments, compliances services, investigations, archiving and a full channel service suite including Swift […]

Next Insurance launches chatbot on Facebook Messenger

California-based Next Insurance has unveiled its new insurance chatbot that will enable personal trainers to quote and buy insurance via Facebook Messenger. Next partnered with SmallTalk, a chatbot developer, to become the “first company to provide full service insurance via a social channel”. It also says it has developed a direct link with small business […]

Chase Pay Acquires MCX Mobile Payments Technology

Another bell has tolled for the mobile payment service operated by the nearly 3-year-old MCX, a consortium of large retailers. JPMorgan Chase, whose own Chase Pay mobile wallet has been making serious strides, has acquired the technology that underpins CurrentC, the MCX mobile payment product that never went beyond pilot stage.

Peg Johnson named to i2c global leadership role

Global payments processor i2c Inc. has appointed Peg Johnson as executive vice president of global client success to oversee global operations of its client services and customer success organizations. Johnson will report directly to i2c CEO Amir Wain.

Acquisitions Drive Record Start for Meta’s Tax Business

Meta Financial Group’s heavy investment in the tax refund space is paying dividends, with the company’s MetaBank subsidiary originating a record $1.26 billion in interest-free tax advance loans between Dec. 12, 2016, and Feb. 28, 2017—up from less than $100 million in advance loans during last year’s tax season, according to the parent company.

Servion: FIs Must Bank on Latest AI for Customer Service

Banks that aren’t proactive in adopting the latest artificial intelligence technology for customer service risk losing those customers. That’s because many online-only banks and others are investing in automated assistants that improve customer interactions by predicting why customers are contacting the bank and resolving the issue quickly.

The Monday mindset: 13 March 2017

Fintech zeitgeist! Every Monday, we might look back at last week; look ahead to this week; share a few thoughts (our own or others); or discuss anything that catches our eye. This week we welcome the views of our editor, Tanya Andreasyan, as she gives us the lowdown on going digital.

Lloyds in £1.3bn tech outsourcing deal with IBM

UK-based banking group Lloyds is to outsource its tech to IBM in a seven-year deal worth £1.3 billion. More than 1,900 jobs will be shifted to IBM and £760 million of costs will be cut as a result.

JPMorgan Chase acquires MCX payments technology

The technology behind CurrentC, the QR-based mobile payment service created by MCX, a consortium of the largest merchants in the US, has been acquired by JPMorgan Chase. The bank says it will help expand Chase Pay, the mobile and digital wallet for Chase customers.

KBC Asset Management in technology modernisation

KBC Asset Management, Belgium’s largest investment manager, is implementing a new investment book of record (IBOR) platform, Simcorp Dimension, and Axioma’s risk management engine.