News


DiPocket, GPS Launch Financial App in Poland

DiPocket, a U.K.-based fintech company heads east to Poland with the launch of its DiP mobile financial app, which the company says will provide an alternative to expensive traditional bank accounts or complement consumers’ current banking services.

Samsung Pay Launches in Australia, Promising Gifts

Samsung Pay has launched in Australia, enabling mobile payments for consumers, but the hardware maker wants its mobile wallet to encompass much more, including gift cards, loyalty and transit.

Nymbus acquires credit unions software vendor KMR

Hot on the heels of the R. C. Olmstead (RCO) acquisition, core banking software start-up Nymbus takes over another fellow vendor, KMR. KMR was founded in 2007 and focuses on the US credit union space. Its flagship suite, AgilityFOUR, consists of two products: AgilityWeb (a remote banking solution) and AgilityOrg (credit union management and compliance software). […]

Broadridge to acquire DST Systems’ North American Customer Communications for $410m

DST Systems, a provider of business data services to the financial services and healthcare markets, is selling its North American Customer Communications (NACC) unit to Broadridge Financial Solutions. The deal is valued at $410 million in cash and is expected to close in July. The NACC business generated $1.1 billion in revenue in 2015, or 40% […]

Mambu launches fintech start-up programme

Banking software vendor Mambu has joined forces with a number of accelerators and incubators to launch a new fintech start-up programme. Partners comprise Startupbootcamp FinTech, 500 Startups, Ynext Incubator by Envestnet/Yodlee, Techstars and Citi Accelerator – and those start-ups that are part of these accelerators and incubators are invited to participate in Mambu’s new venture and […]

Eurobank in digital banking overhaul with Accenture

Eurobank Ergasias has signed a ten-year agreement with Accenture to pursue digital transformation of its subsidiaries in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Ukraine. Accenture will help build a new platform for the bank, dubbed “Intelligent Infrastructure”. It will be based on Accenture’s Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering and will support Eurobank’s core functions, such as loans and deposits, […]

Visa Trumpets Success of Gas Station Anti-Fraud Technology

Gasoline sellers that use a Visa fraud-reduction tool have experienced significant declines in chargebacks and other fraud metrics, the payments network said today. On average, gas stations that use the service experienced a 54 percent decline in counterfeit fraud rates and a 51 percent decline in lost and stolen fraud chargeback rates.

Apple Pay to Take on E-Commerce Giants

Apple is about to make it easier for its users to shop online, and the move will put Apple Pay in direct competition with PayPal, Amazon and the networks’ online payments services for the loyalties of online shoppers.

Broadridge acquires 4sight Financial Software

Broadridge Financial Solutions has taken over fellow vendor 4sight Financial Software, a provider of securities finance and collateral management systems to financial institutions worldwide. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Quayle Munro Limited acted as 4sight’s financial advisor in this transaction. UK-based 4sight was founded in 2003 and grew to acquire a client base […]

Supercard Here to Save U.K. Travelers from Fees; Amex not Included

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s Supercard, a MasterCard prepaid card and accompanying mobile app catering to U.K. consumers traveling abroad. Supercard, developed by Wirecard AG and Travelex, enables travelers to earn rewards on the cards they want—except for American Express cards—without paying the typical international transaction fees.

House Amendment Could Stymie CFPB Payday Rulemaking

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations recently approved its Fiscal Year 2017 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, and its passage (30-17) most definitely represents a thorn in the side of the CFPB because it delays the bureau’s regulations for payday loans.

Report: Digital the New Front in Fraud Fight

With fraudsters setting their sights on digital channels, financial services providers have to walk a fine line to balance security with consumer demand for a fast, frictionless payment experience. A new report canvassed fraud management executives across multiple industries—including mainstream and alternative financial services—to gain insight into the latest techniques and strategies to meet evolving fraud challenges.

Copedu searches for new core banking system and consultant

Co-operative of Savings and Credit Duterimbere (Copedu), a non-profit finance organisation in Rwanda, is looking for a consultant to help it select and implement new core banking software. The consultant will be working with Copedu’s technology department and assist the project manager and the company’s senior executives for best practices in project management. From the project […]

Sberbank to overhaul core banking platform

Russia’s largest banking group, Sberbank, is undergoing a major technology overhaul. The bank’s senior MD of technology, Mikhail Khasin, did a presentation on the bank’s new business development platform at a recent conference, TAdviser SummIT. The initiative is a “revolutionary transformation” of all systems that currently form Sberbank’s core banking platform. He said the new […]

Travelex partners with Wirecard to launch new card and mobile product, Supercard

Travelex has launched Supercard, a MasterCard and mobile app combo for UK travellers to avoid debit/credit card roaming fees and charges when spending abroad. Supercard will be chip and PIN protected. The security aspect will be taken care of by a payments firm Wirecard. Following a successful pilot, Supercard is now offered to the UK […]

Neema and MasterCard team up for debit card for migrant workers in Asia

Fintech start-up Neema has issued the MasterCard debit card for migrant workers from the Philippines, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka – which promises to drastically reduce the cost migrant workers pay to send money home. Neema says there are no transfer or foreign currency exchange fees. “One of the biggest expenses for migrant workers is […]

Myanmar Oriental Bank in banking software revamp

Myanmar Oriental Bank (MOB Bank) is looking to modernise its core banking software. Banking Technology understands that the new system of choice is Temenos’ T24. Temenos provided a “no comment” response. MOB Bank was set up in 1993 and is privately owned. It has 26 branches and offers savings, remittances and SME financing. The bank […]

UniCredit and Open Bank Project launch fintech start-up competition

UniCredit and Open Bank Project, an open source API and app store for banks, invite fintech developers and start-ups to take part in its Appathon competition. The 2016 Appathon is driven by the Open Bank Project API, developed by the Berlin-based Tesobe Ltd/Open Bank Project. Ten companies will be selected to demo their products in […]

CFPB Spends Big to Reach Consumers Online

The CFPB wants to make more consumers aware of its watchdog mission and is spending big to ensure that: $15.3 million so far in fiscal 2016, making the federal agency among the biggest government advertisers, according to reports and an online database.

N.Y. DOL Payroll Rule Expected this Week

It’s been more than a year since the New York Department of Labor first proposed payroll card regulations, but the agency is expected to follow up with a new payroll card rulemaking in the New York State Register this week. What’s uncertain is whether the regulations will be final or if the state will be following up its controversial proposal with a revised proposed rulemaking for which it will accept additional comments.

VocaLink, Zapp Bring Faster Payments to Retailers

Though the focus for most faster payments initiatives primarily has been on P2P and B2B real-time payments, the technology has yet to really be implemented for POS and e-commerce transactions. London-based international payment provider VocaLink and its Zapp technology subsidiary are looking to change that.

Taiwan Business Bank expands contract with Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer’s regulatory reporting platform, OneSumX, will be used by the Chinese branch of Taiwan Business Bank. With the need for enhanced regulatory reporting to the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), the bank required “scalable solution to meet the new standards”, the vendor says. These include the CBRC’s requirements for Basel III & Foreign Asset […]

New fintech platform for cash savings launched by ex-Merrill Lynch directors

Two former Merrill Lynch directors, Paul Richards and Giles Hutson, have unveiled a new fintech venture, Insignis Asset Management. Insignis, a cash management company, is set “to revolutionise how clients manage their cash deposits”, the founders say. The Insignis Digital Banking Network will enable clients to deposit cash, starting from £100,000, into a hub account, […]

FIX Trading Community releases standards for MiFID II transaction and trade reporting

FIX Trading Community, the non-profit standards body for the global financial trading industry, has unveiled the FIX Protocol for use for transmitting MiFID II Transaction Reports to Approved Reporting Mechanisms (ARMs). Under MiFID II, all investment firms (including certain buy-side institutions) executing transactions in financial instruments are required to report details of their transactions to […]

Earthport gains foothold in Sri Lanka via Commercial Bank of Ceylon

Earthport, a cross-border payments service provider, has inked a deal with Commercial Bank of Ceylon to provide local payment capability into Sri Lanka. The deal is part of Earthport’s Asian expansion strategy, with similar money transfer partnerships already secured in Pakistan and India. Sajeev Viswanathan, president, global strategy at Earthport, says the tie-up with Commercial […]

Avaloq has a breakthrough in Austria with two new core banking software clients

Private banking software vendor Avaloq is to gain two sites in Austria for its flagship core banking system, Avaloq Banking Suite. These are at the Austrian operations of LGT and Liechtensteinische Landesbank (LLB). Both banking groups originate from Liechtenstein and both are long-standing users of Avaloq Banking Suite at home and Switzerland. LGT also runs […]

Visa Europe unveils augmented reality payment tech

Visa Europe and its innovation hub, Visa Europe Collab, have teamed up with visual discovery and augmented reality app Blippar to bring augmented reality to payments. The new e-commerce solution, unveiled at a recent fashion show in London, enables designer garments to be instantly purchased straight off the backs of models. The pilot fashion brand […]

BBA to merge with three trade associations to create major industry body

British Bankers Association (BBA) has secured the go-ahead from its members to merge with three other UK-based trade associations: Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), Payments UK and UK Cards Association. The new trade association will be have a broader representation of the financial services industry. Anthony Browne, CEO of BBA, comments that it is only […]

Top fintech stories this week – 10 June 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Goldman Sachs to underpin new digital bank with Infosys tech It’ll be the e-Finacle digital banking platform, Banking Technology understands. Infographics: The Euro 2016 guide to e-commerce In the spirit of that football tournament that starts today, we’ve got an e-commerce […]

Infographics: Flavors of Fast – the world of immediate payments

FIS has published its third annual report, Flavors of Fast, which shows via infographics the growth in the number of real-time payment initatives and usage volumes. Warren Gardiner, VP strategy enterprise payments, FIS, says: “Context is everything: speed without context is just faster; creating context without open data mining is merely an improvement. Speed, context […]

Development Bank of Nigeria plans core banking software revamp

The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) is planning a core banking system implementation and the bidding process is open. As part of the bank’s ambition, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) is inviting vendors to bid for the supply and installation of core banking software and related infrastructure. FGN has received a loan from International Bank […]

Has Death Knell Sounded for MCX’s CurrentC?

MCX, led by a consortium of large retailers such as Walmart, Target and Best Buy, has announced it’s ending the beta test of its mobile payments service CurrentC, and accounts will be deactivated June 28.

Dodd-Frank Faces New Challenge from House Republicans

A less powerful CFPB and looser caps on card interchange fees: Those are among the potential features of a bill that Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) plans to introduce later this month that would overturn major provisions of the Dodd-Frank act.

American Express and HSBC part of $75m investment in Tradeshift

Business network Tradeshift says new and existing investors have joined its $75 million series D funding, including HSBC and American Express Ventures. Other investors comprise venture capital firm Data Collective (DCVC), Notion Capital, CreditEase Fintech Investment Fund, managed by CreditEase, and Pavilion Capital, a subsidiary of Temasek Holdings. Matt Ocko, co-managing partner and co-founder of […]

People on the Move: Rich Baich, FSSCC

The Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council (FSSCC) has announced the election of Rich Baich, chief information security officer of Wells Fargo and Co., as its new chairman.

People on the Move: Tristan Blampied, Pelican

Tristan Blampied has joined Pelican, where he will serve as senior product manager for the firm’s suite of transaction banking, regulatory compliance and corporate payments solutions.