Sonali Bank Bangladesh adopts Polaris core banking tools
Bangladesh’s Sonali Bank has adopted a core banking system from Indian technology company Polaris, in a move that it says will transform it into the most modern bank in the country.
News
Standard Bank South Africa targets ‘unbanked’ customers via mobile
South Africa’s Standard Bank has introduced a new mobile banking tool called AccessBanking, which aims to reach unbanked customers in the country.
NYSE Technologies hires Thomas to head up infrastructure
NYSE Technologies has appointed Varghese Thomas as senior vice president and global head of Infrastructure Solutions.
Alpha Payments Cloud to “revolutionise” payments
A new payments service aims to change the way banks, merchants and payments providers interact with each other by using cloud technology.
SunGard rolls out cost-cutting compliance scissors
Financial technology company SunGard has released a new tool designed to help banks and other financial institutions to streamline their compliance with regulation, reduce their costs and control risk.
Google Unveils New Payment Initiatives to Buoy Wallet (May 16, 2013)
Google is launching a trio of new services that leverage the tech giant’s ubiquitous online presence to spur usage of its mobile wallet. Announced at Google’s I/O Conference in San Francisco this week, the new initiatives include a one-click payments function for Google Wallet, an instant buy feature for Android and the ability to send […]
GoBank to Go National by July 4 with Retail, Entertainment Promotional Push (May 16, 2013)
May 16, 2013 Green Dot Corp.’s GoBank mobile banking concept has proved successful with its first batch of users during a beta test launched in January and the company plans to roll out nationally by July 4, with a marketing push targeting younger consumers, including promotions at Rite Aid and Kmart, the company said this […]
Marqeta Raises $14 Million, Reveals Facebook Card Connection (May 16, 2013)
May 16, 2013 Marqeta today announced plans for a major expansion with the $14 million raised in its latest funding round. The company also went public with the news that its stored value payments platform is powering the Facebook Card launched earlier this year. The Emeryville, Calif.-based startup last year rolled out its stored value […]
Turkland Bank adopts Infosys core banking tools
Turkish bank Turkland has installed new core banking, CRM and treasury systems from Infosys – the first time a Turkish bank has implemented an externally developed core banking system according to the firm.
Brazil brings mobile payments home
Brazil is to gain its first ever mobile payment service this month, with the launch of a joint service provided by Spanish and South American telecom firm Telefónica and MasterCard.
New Zealand joins BT Radianz Cloud
New Zealand’s NZX has joined BT Radianz Cloud, a network that connects to global markets, making it easier for international investors to access the New Zealand market, which is predominantly known for dairy products.
eToro prepares to bring social investing to Britain
Social investment network eToro is to open up shop in the UK, having won approval from new regulator the FCA this month. Founded in 2007, eToro is a social trading network that aims to revolutionise the way retail investors and high net-worth individuals connect with the market.
2013 Paybefore Awards: Best Non-U.S.-Based Program (May 2013)
Best prepaid or emerging payments program launched and operated by a non-U.S. company outside the U.S. Best in Category: Power to Pay Program Power to Pay NFC tags for mobile phones were developed exclusively for IIT Bombay students and faculty and can be used at select campus outlets for day-to-day purchases via the RuPay payments […]
2013 Paybefore Awards: Best Consumer Value (May 2013)
The prepaid or emerging payments program that delivers the best consumer value proposition for the combination of features, functionality, service and price. Best-in-Category: BlackboardPay An open-loop, FDIC-insured prepaid account that can be integrated with a student ID card to facilitate disbursement of financial aid and student payroll, and providing access to 50,000-plus surcharge-free ATMs, free […]
2013 Paybefore Awards: Best Retail Merchandising (May 2013)
Best use of in-store merchandising to promote the sale, use and acceptance of prepaid cards and/or emerging payments products. Best-in-Category: Green Dot Retail Marketing Comprehensive program of permanent and promotional merchandising that enabled smaller chains to participate, drove significant ROI and addressed cardholder behavior, such as usage and retention. Green Dot Corporation Left […]
Italy’s SIA set to connect to New York as recovery plan bears fruit
Milan-based financial technology firm SIA is expanding its reach to New York later this year in a move that caps the latest-phase of a three-year recovery plan for the firm. The extension of SIA’s Financial Ring to New York follows that activation of a hub in Frankfurt is the third cornerstone, after Milan and London, […]
Amazon Coins Make Debut with $5 in Free Apps for Kindle Fire Users (May 14, 2013)
Amazon hopes to spark interest among tablet customers in using its apps to purchase games and other items by giving certain users $5 in free digital goods.
RBC, Bell Team Up on Mobile Payments (May 14, 2013)
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has teamed up with telecom provider Bell Canada to announce a new mobile payment system that will enable RBC customers to make purchases online and in stores using NFC-compatible smartphones on Bell’s mobile network.
Oschadbank Ukraine adopts online and mobile banking tools
Ukraine’s Oschadbank has installed a remote banking service that it says will help it to create a single ‘payment ecosystem’ that covers cards, security, payments and transfers.
DTCC and Euroclear target collateral shortfall
US post-trade services company the DTCC and Belgian settlement specialist Euroclear are planning to create a joint service that aims to provide better, safer collateral management for market participants.
MasterCard Unveils Nigerian ID Card with Prepaid Function (May 13,2013)
A new program from MasterCard and Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) will roll out 13 million new ID cards with prepaid payment functionality, in what the payment network calls the largest program of its kind in Africa.
Study: With Lower Fees than Checking, Prepaid Volume to Grow by $45 Billion in Next Five Years (May 13, 2013)
May 13, 2013 As fees on GPR prepaid cards go down, prepaid purchasing volume is expected to grow by nearly $45 billion over the next five years, from $150 billion this year, according to a new report by Javelin Strategy & Research. The study found that more than 13 percent of adults in the U.S. […]
Can branches survive in a cashless future?
Two different visions of the future of retail financial services did battle at the Building Societies Association annual conference in Harrogate this week , revealing a dilemma facing UK building societies.
People on the Move: Martin Wong and Marcella Butler, Think Finance (May 2013 )
Think Finance, a Fort Worth, Texas-based developer of financial products for underbanked consumers, has named Martin Wong as the company’s first chief integrity officer. He will oversee the company’s compliance with all state and federal laws and will be responsible for ensuring Think Finance offers clear, transparent and fair products in the industry. Wong joins […]
People on the Move: Alex Petrov, Square Inc. (May 2013)
Square Inc., a San Francisco-based mobile payments company, has hired Alex Petrov as vice president of partnerships. His extensive background in retail, consumer products and payments will help drive strategic business development and customer acquisition, according to the company. He has served as vice president of consumer brands at Safeway, and as vice president of […]
People on the Move: Kim Petry, SpendSmart (May 2013)
Paybefore Award-winning SpendSmart (formerly BillMyParents), a San Diego-based provider of payment solutions targeted to teens, young adults and their parents, has appointed Kim Petry chief financial officer. Previously, Petry was vice president and chief financial officer, global corporate/commercial card, at American Express. Prior to American Express, she served as a vice president at TIAA-CREF Life […]
People on the Move: Roland Schaar, Skrill Group (May 2013)
Skrill Group, one of Europe’s largest payment providers, has appointed Roland Schaar senior vice president of technology. He has more than 17 years of experience in the IT industry and 13 years in the financial payments sector. He recently joined the company following Skrill’s acquisition of paysafecard, the Austrian prepaid payments business, where he was, […]
People on the Move: Ian Horsted, R&P Group (May 2013)
R&P Group, a Sioux Falls, S.D.-based payments industry recruiting firm, has announced that Ian Horsted, vice president of recruiting, has earned the U.S. Recruiting Network Top Producer Award for Q1 2013. In the past three years, Horsted has received this distinction more times than any other recruiter in the region, according to the company. He leads the […]
People on the Move: Alan Safahi, OpenCoin Advisory Board (May 2013)
Alan Safahi, founder and CEO of ZipZap Inc., a San Francisco-based cash payment network for online financial services and e-commerce transactions, has been named to the advisory board of OpenCoin, creator of the open-source currency platform Ripple. With nearly 30 years of hands-on experience in the IT, telecommunications and financial services industries, Safahi has created […]
People on the Move: Andrew Buckley, MasterCard (May 2013)
MasterCard has appointed Andrew Buckley head of commercial products for Europe. Based in London, he will be responsible for leading the commercial team in Europe and delivering advanced commercial payments solutions to small businesses and large corporations and their employees. Prior to joining MasterCard, Buckley served as vice president for global corporate card product management at American Express, […]
People on the Move: Frank Bisignano and Ed Labry, First Data Corp. (May 2013)
The board of directors of First Data Corp., an Atlanta-based payments processor, has named Frank Bisignano CEO. He also joins the First Data board of directors. Bisignano most recently served as co-chief operating officer of JPMorgan Chase, where his responsibilities included overseeing global technology, real estate, operations, procurement, compliance, regulatory control and oversight, resiliency, security […]
People on the Move: Andrew Dodge, eGifter (May 2013)
Social and mobile gifting company eGifter, has hired Andrew Dodge as vice president of sales. He will focus on driving demand among retailers and payment channel partners for the eGifter platform, which enables retailers to add social gifting, group gifting and mobile delivery of e-gift cards to their own Websites, fan pages and mobile apps. Dodge […]
People on the Move: Rob von Behren, Braintree Inc. (May 2013)
Braintree Inc., a Chicago-based e-commerce payments processor, has announced that Rob von Behren has joined the company as lead engineer for its San Francisco office. He will help to advance Braintree’s position in mobile commerce, including its one-touch mobile payment solution Venmo. A long-time systems engineer, von Behren has deep experience in distributed computation, high-performance […]
