People on the Move: Bryan Murphy, YapStone
YapStone, a global provider of Web and mobile payments technology solutions for large vertical markets and online marketplaces, has appointed Bryan Murphy president.
News
Green Dot CEO Steve Streit: Consumers Demand ‘Great’ Mobile Experience (Sept. 29, 2015)
Green Dot Corp. sees continued strong demand for the mobile features of its iconic prepaid card and its GoBank checking account. And though the company hasn’t embraced Apple Pay or Android Pay, adding mobile payments access is on the company’s horizon, Steve Streit, Green Dot’s CEO, told attendees at PayThink in Las Vegas today.
Kerv Kick-Starts Fundraising Effort for Ring Enabling Contactless Payments (Sept. 29, 2015)
London-based fintech startup Kerv has turned to crowd-funding site Kickstarter to raise mass-production capital to enter the field of wearables with an NFC-enabled ring that allows consumers to make contactless payments. The Kickstarter campaign launched Friday in an effort to raise nearly $117,000 and as of this morning, the company already has raised more than $52,000.
Report Cites Vulnerabilities in Voice Authentication (Sept. 29, 2015)
Voice-based user authentication systems are vulnerable to “voice impersonation attacks,” where criminals gain access to a sample of a user’s voice and use that sample to build a model of the user’s speech pattern with voice-morphing software, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers say.
Alibaba, Ant Financial Invest in Paytm (Sept. 29, 2015)
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and its affiliate Ant Financial announced today an agreement with India’s One97 Communications Ltd. to invest in Paytm, an m-commerce platform and One97 subsidiary. The capital infusion will enable Paytm to achieve greater scale and develop its m-commerce and payment ecosystem in India and invest in marketing, technology and personnel. The companies did not disclose specifics of the deal, however it’s believed the investment is worth approximately $600 million.
LSE/DTCC regulatory reporting tie-up shows the way for collaboration
London Stock Exchange and The Depository Trust & Clearing are partnering to provide clients with a connection to the LSE’s UnaVista Approved Reporting Mechanism. The service will allow DTCC clients to comply with the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation through their current connection from DTCC’s Global Trade Repository.
Reports: Square Preparing for IPO? (Sept. 28, 2015)
Square Inc. may be getting ready to file an initial public offering within the next two weeks, according to a report in Fortune magazine, adding weight to rumors going back more than two years about the m-POS company’s desire to go public.
Nearly 90% of Cybersecurity Experts Expect Uptick in M-Payment Data Breaches (Sept. 28, 2015)
As the mobile wallet providers battle for market share—the most recent being today’s expansion of Samsung Pay to the U.S.—a sobering percentage of cybersecurity experts expect mobile payment data breaches to climb over the next 12 months.
EC Seeks Input on Simplifying Cross-Border VAT Payments (Sept. 28, 2015)
With European Union law now requiring merchants to tax digital goods based on which country the buyer is located in—instead of where the seller is located—the European Commission (EC) is canvassing interested parties for feedback on the system of reconciling and paying taxes to national governments.
JWG hires MD for RegDelta platform push
JWG, the financial services regulation specialist, has appointed Blythe Barber as managing director as part of the continuation of the company’s expansion. Barber has been hired as part of an expansion of JWG’s RegDelta regulatory change management platform.
Citihub and Excel IT ally for cloud data centre services
Citihub Consulting, a global IT advisory firm, has partnered with IT services specialist Excel IT to offer a combined proposition covering infrastructure strategy and architecture through to migration logistics and ongoing support.
Samsung Pay Boasts $30MM Transaction Volume, U.S. Launch Monday (Sept. 24, 2015)
Samsung is hailing its mobile payment service Samsung Pay a success in South Korea a month after it launched in the country, citing more than $30 million in transaction volume and over 1.5 million transactions.
Barclays, Verifone Partnership Adds Pingit as Checkout Option in U.K. (Sept. 24, 2015)
Barclays’ Pingit app, which began as a U.K. P2P service in 2012, now is available for users to make online purchases at tens of thousands of e-commerce Websites via mobile devices through a new partnership with Verifone, and Barclays says it hopes to extend the service to POS locations.
Australian Banks Give Boot to Bitcoin Companies (Sept. 24, 2015)
Australia’s major banks reportedly are closing the accounts of more than a dozen of the country’s digital currency providers, claiming AML concerns.
The CFPB to Host Arbitration Hearing in Denver (Sept. 24, 2015)
The CFPB has announced a field hearing on arbitration, which will be held in Denver on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. MDT.
Digitalisation will double bank IT spending in next four years
Bank IT spending in developed markets is set to double over the next four years, according to figures provided by analyst firm Gartner. The rise is driven mainly by the desire to reduce maintenance costs on legacy IT and support newer, digital technologies.
Money20/20 Founders, Kingsborough Launch Shoptalk (Sept. 23, 2015)
Next-generation commerce is the focus for Money20/20 founders Anil Aggarwal and Jonathan Weiner, who have partnered with Don Kingsborough, entrepreneur and a Blackhawk Network founder, to launch a new conference called Shoptalk.
First Data Exec: With Android Pay Launch, U.S. Mobile Payments Ubiquity ‘A Couple of Years’ Away (Sept. 23, 2015)
This month’s launch of Google Inc.’s Android Pay, just weeks before the U.S.’s Oct. 1 EMV liability shift date, is a key milestone in expanding mobile payments access to the majority of consumers, but we’re still “a couple of years” away from mainstream m-payments with ubiquitous support from banks, merchants and handset makers, predicts Dom Morea, senior vice president of business development for First Data Corp.
MasterCard Program with Singapore University Focuses on Financial Inclusion, Innovation (Sept. 23, 2015)
MasterCard and Singapore Management University (SMU) today announced a two-year program to drive research on social entrepreneurship, innovation and financial inclusion. The Social and Financial Inclusion Program features an annual forum, a seminar series and funding toward student projects.
PayNearMe, 7-Eleven Offer Bill Pay Services (Sept. 23, 2015)
Financial services provider PayNearMe has partnered with 7-Eleven Inc. to launch the PayNearMe Bill Pay app, enabling consumers in the U.S. to pay more than 17,000 national and local billers, such as cable companies, utilities providers and insurance companies, with cash using a barcode scan at participating 7-Eleven stores.
New BBVA Compass GPR Card Focuses on Budgeting Mobile App (Sept. 22, 2015)
BBVA Compass yesterday announced the launch of a new Visa-branded prepaid card and budgeting mobile app, ClearSpend, which the bank says will appeal to prepaid card users across all ages and income levels who want better control of their finances.
New York State Issues First BitLicense (Sept. 22, 2015)
After much debate over whether New York Department of Financial Services’ (NYDFS) state-level framework for licensing digital currency companies is too restrictive, the state agency has issued its first regulatory license, the so-called BitLicense, to Boston-based mobile payment company Circle Internet Financial.
Shift4 Touts Service Expanding M-POS Capabilities for Larger Merchants via Software (Sept. 22, 2015)
Shift4 Corp., a merchant payments gateway provider, today announced a software-based m-POS service enabling larger merchants to accept all types of payments anywhere—via any mobile device—without disrupting existing relationships with processors and acquirers, which analysts suggest is an example of a new breed of payments services.
Starbucks Mobile Order-Ahead Now Available Throughout U.S. (Sept. 22, 2015)
Starbucks has rolled out its mobile ordering and payment service to all 7,400 of the coffee giant’s U.S. locations.
European stock markets plan Shanghai links
Closer links between the Shanghai Stock Exchange and UK and European exchanges may be on the cards. The London and Shanghai exchanges are exploring a scheme to link their markets. At the same time, European exchange group Euronext announced a deal with the Shanghai Stock Exchange to promote its listed members to Chinese investors.
Insurance and education should be weapons in fight against cyber-crime
The majority of businesses do not have cyber security insurance, with many not even aware such protection exists – and even those that do have insurance in place may find themselves at a loss if they don’t have the correct cover. The solution may be to mandate more data sharing and raise public awareness, according to speakers at a roundtable organised by software security company Kaspersky Lab.
Worldpay Hopes to Reap $1.4 Billion in IPO
With several companies vying to acquire Worldpay Group Ltd., Advent International Corp. and Bain Capital, owners of the U.K.-based payment processor, have decided to proceed with their planned IPO of the company with the hopes of raising $1.4 billion.
Apple Pay Registers for Business in China (Sept. 21, 2015)
Apple Inc. is making good on its plan to bring Apple Pay to China, with news that it’s registered a subsidiary, Apple Technology Service (Shanghai) Ltd. in Shanghai’s free-trade zone, with permission to operate Apple Pay, but it’s already late to the m-payments party in China, say observers.
Stratos Kicks off Partnership Program with Eastern Bank (Sept. 20, 2015)
Stratos Inc. is kicking off a new partnership program with Eastern Bank, making it the first financial institution to distribute the company’s Bluetooth Connected Card, which combines multiple payment, loyalty, membership and gift cards into one.
RSRCHXchange launch targets MiFID II research reforms
A new online market for buying and selling financial research has gone live in Europe. Focused on providing buy-side firms with more transparency, the new RSRCHXexchange is based in the cloud and is aimed at helping institutions comply with MiFID II research unbundling requirements.
Fidor UK launch promises social media revolution in retail
Online-only bank Fidor has launched in the UK, promising to change the way retail banking works by letting the customer build the services and products they want to use. The bank is part of a new wave of fresh banks entering the market, many of which focus their efforts online rather than on the high street.
RBC Goes Live with HCE-Based M-Payments (Sept. 17, 2015)
Royal Bank of Canada this week introduced a new—and still somewhat rare—approach to connecting its customers to its RBC Wallet mobile payments service via host card emulation (HCE), so it works with any NFC-based Android handset, regardless of its brand or the user’s wireless carrier.
Urban FT, Sprint to Launch Revamped Digital Wallet (Sept. 17, 2015)
Starting in January 2016, Sprint’s 57 million customers will have access to a revamped digital wallet, Sprint Money Express, through a joint initiative between the telecom and Urban FT, a provider of white-label digital banking apps.
Saxo opens trading platform with advanced API
Saxo Bank is to allow access to its multi-asset trading and back office infrastructure through a new open API that will allow developers and partners to integrate Saxo’s trading functionality into their own applications and systems.
Top-tier banks rally round R3 distributed ledger project
Nine major global investment banks have formed a partnership to explore the potential of distributed ledger technology in financial markets. The project, led by financial technology company R3, aims to create early standards for the emerging technology that will make it easier and more efficient as it grows.
People on the Move: Bastien Latgé, EMVCo
EMVCo, the EMV technical body collectively owned by American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, UnionPay and Visa, has appointed Bastien Latgé to the newly created role of director of technology.
People on the Move: Carl-Olav Scheible, eNett International
eNett International, a provider of dedicated B2B travel payment solutions, has appointed Carl-Olav Scheible chief commercial officer.
People on the Move: Timothy Spence, Fifth Third Bancorp
Fifth Third Bancorp has named Timothy Spence executive vice president and chief strategy officer.
People on the Move: Greg Secord and Kurt Adams, FLEETCOR Technologies Inc.
FLEETCOR Technologies Inc., a global provider of fuel card and workforce payment products to businesses, has appointed two business unit executives.
People on the Move: Donald Duberstein, Mobetize Corp.
Mobile commerce solutions provider Mobetize Corp. has appointed Donald Duberstein independent director and chairman of the Remuneration Committee.
