2013 Paybefore Awards: Best Virtual or Digital Program
Best use of virtual or digital delivery associated with a prepaid program or payments, such as gaming, virtual currency and P2P.
News
2013 Paybefore Awards Coverage Continues with B2B, Virtual, Mobile and Marketing (May 2013)
In this installment of our Paybefore Awards coverage, get to know each of the winning programs in the following categories: Best Business-to-Business Prepaid Card Program Outstanding Mobile Wallet or Mobile Application Best Virtual or Digital Program Most Effective Marketing Campaign
Diplomacy needed to secure London’s future as a financial centre
A difficult future for the banking industry, but a potentially great one for London as a financial centre, was predicted by Sir John Gieve, chairman of VocaLink and former deputy governor of the Bank of England, speaking at the opening of Swift’s Business Forum in London today. But the industry must be careful and diplomatic if it wants to have any real say in how the future is shaped.
Liquidnet launches in Thailand
Buy-side block trading venue Liquidnet has opened in Thailand, providing long-term institutional investors with another platform for trading the ASEAN market.
UnionPay Chooses Prepaid for First Card Launch in U.S.; Partners with Bancorp and FIS (April 30, 2013)
UnionPay’s recent expansion push has taken a major step forward now that the Shanghai-based payment card network has announced a new prepaid card to be issued by The Bancorp in the U.S. The UnionPay Travel Prepaid Card, announced yesterday in New York City, marks the first UnionPay card of any type available in the U.S. […]
Ukash Inks Funds-Transfer Deal with MoneyGram (April 30, 2013)
London-based prepaid voucher specialist Ukash is extending the reach of its services further with a new deal announced this week with MoneyGram. The alliance will enable Ukash customers to send funds from the Ukash Website to recipients at any MoneyGram outlet worldwide. The service will launch in the U.K. later this year, with plans to […]
Tango Card, ZooZ, GoCardless Raise Investment Capital (April 30, 2013)
Several payment startups have reported funding rounds in recent days, among them are, Tango Card, ZooZ and GoCardless. Tango Card, a Seattle-based provider of a multipurpose gift card that can be used to buy closed-loop gift cards from national retailers, donate to charity or cash out remaining balances, this week announced a $4.1 million series […]
Mobile Commerce Surges in Netherlands (April 30, 2013)
Mobile commerce in the Netherlands reached EUR560 million (US$748 million) in 2012, or 6 percent of all online spending volume during the year, according to a report from industry group Thuiswinkel. The number of Dutch consumers who made a purchase via mobile device during the second half of 2012 was 1.7 million, up a whopping […]
Survey: More Perks, Relief from Security Fears Key to Boosting Mobile Payments (April 30, 2013)
Giving consumers preferential customer service treatment and instant discounts for paying with their smartphones could help boost mobile payment usage, a new Accenture survey suggests. In a broad survey of 4,000 U.S. and Canadian consumers conducted online last year, half of respondents already using their smartphones for payments said they would be more likely to […]
Start-up Bangladeshi agricultural bank adopts Temenos core platform
New Bangladeshi bank South Bangla Agriculture & Commerce Bank has begun operations using Temenos T24 as its core banking software.
IndusInd Bank chooses Calypso treasury tools
India’s IndusInd Bank has installed a new system from Calypso Technology that it says will help it grow its treasury activities, increase its global markets business and better manage risk.
Javelin: Mobile POS Could Lead to $1.1 Trillion in New Card Payments (April 29, 2013)
The rising prevalence of mobile POS systems could result in up to $1.1 trillion in additional card payments per year and increase payment card acceptance by as many as 20 million merchants, according to a new report by Javelin Strategy & Research. Mobile POS systems like Square, PayPal Here, SpotPay and iZettle, which have become popular […]
Bill to ‘Level’ Playing Field for Online, In-Store Retailers Gains Support in U.S. Senate (April 29, 2013)
Brick-and-mortar retailers are cheering the U.S. Senate’s support of proposed legislation that would prevent some online and catalog merchants from selling goods without collecting sales tax, which traditional retailers say would level the playing field as in-store, online and mobile sales channels converge. The U.S. Senate on May 6 will vote on the Marketplace Fairness […]
TSYS Tools Enable International Shoppers to Compare Prices in Different Currencies (April 29, 2013)
Cross-border shopping could become more convenient with a pair of new services from TSYS that display transactions in multiple currencies, along with the daily exchange rate, so consumers can decide which currency they prefer to pay with before making in-store or online purchases. Through a partnership with Planet Payment Inc., an international multicurrency payment processor, […]
Coinstar Rebrands as Outerwall (April 29, 2013)
In a move meant to embody the evolution of the company, automated retail provider Coinstar Inc. has announced plans to change its name to Outerwall Inc. The name change, which will be subject to shareholder vote in late June, reflects Coinstar’s growth “from a single coin-counting kiosk business into multiple automated retail businesses,” the Bellevue, […]
Standard Chartered targets collateral shortfall
Standard Chartered has enlisted Clearstream and Euroclear to make more efficient use of collateral, as tough new financial regulations drive investor fears of an impending collateral shortfall.
Otkritie to roll out Calypso in London and Moscow
Russian broker Otkritie has gone live with the first phase of a new project to bolster its London and Moscow front and back office operations, including collateral management, replacing in-house systems with Calypso platforms.
Belgian banks complete migration to SEPA CSM
The Belgian automated interbank retail payment system has been completely migrated to a new Clearing and Settlement Mechanism developed and operated by French payment processing specialist STET
KBC Bank selects Sentenial SEPA solutions for business clients
KBC Bank has partnered with payment specialist Sentenial to offer the latter’s Origix Corporate payment management solution to the bank’s business clients.
CFPB, FDIC Weigh in on Payday, Deposit Advance Loans (April 25, 2013)
Payday and deposit advance loans were in the news today, with a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and a Notice of Proposed Guidance from the FDIC each indicating that regulators soon could tighten rules governing short-term credit products. Payday and deposit advance loans can lead to a repeating cycle of indebtedness […]
MasterCard Exec: MasterPass Aims to Help Merchants ‘Differentiate’ in Converging Marketplace (April 25, 2013)
The U.S. rollout this spring of MasterCard’s MasterPass may be quieter than some other product launches because it doesn’t directly target consumers, Ed Olebe, group head, wallet services, emerging payments, MasterCard, said this week at CARTES America in Las Vegas. MasterPass, unveiled earlier this year as the successor to last year’s PayPass Wallet Services and […]
paysafecard Deal with Vindicia Strengthens U.S. Presence (April 25, 2013)
Online merchants using Vindicia’s CashBox SaaS platform are now able to accept paysafecard for digital goods and services, according to paysafecard, a European-based prepaid electronic payment solution provider, with offices in in Vienna, London and New York. “Vindicia is the ideal partner . . . to help us strengthen our footprint in the U.S.,” said […]
Isis Vending Program Going Nationwide (April 25, 2013)
The companies behind the Isis mobile wallet have teamed up with cashless acceptance technology provider USA Technologies (USAT) to launch a mobile payment and loyalty program for vending machines across the U.S. The partnership is an extension of USAT’s involvement in Isis’s test run in Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas, where Isis users can […]
HFT is here to stay says GreySpark report
Despite its negative public perception, high-frequency trading can act as a force for good in capital markets by adding efficiencies that help investors get a better deal – but only if it is properly regulated, according to new research by technology consultancy GreySpark Partners.
Plan (TS)B back on as Co-op pulls out of Lloyds branch purchase
Lloyds Banking Group says it is well advanced in plans for the separation of branches that it had hoped to sell to Co-op Bank in compliance with a European Commission ruling following the state aid it was given by the UK government.
CARTES America: U.S. EMV Adoption Brings Consumer ‘Cool Factor’ but Business-Case Challenges (April 24, 2013)
The U.S. EMV migration poses many challenges, but a few issuers and merchants already getting their feet wet with chip-and-PIN conversions told attendees at CARTES America this week that U.S. consumer response to EMV cards so far is positive. The first U.S. commercial bank to roll out EMV cards to its customers in mid-2011, Santa […]
Euronet Subsidiary Launches End-to-End Prepaid Solution in Europe (April 24, 2013)
A subsidiary of Leawood, Kan.-based processor Euronet Worldwide has launched a prepaid card issuing, processing and BIN sponsorship solution in Europe. Euronet 360 Finance Ltd. now is offering electronic money and payment services under the oversight of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). By passporting its e-money license across the Single Euro Payments Area (excluding […]
Boomerang Debuts Online Gifting Service for E-Publishers (April 24, 2013)
Chicago-based social gifting service Boomerang has rolled out a new rewards service aimed at helping online publishers better engage and monetize their users by offering free gift card rewards to online merchants. Boomerang Rewards, an extension of the company’s recently unveiled brand platform, enables online publishers to give customers promotional gift cards to more than […]
Lack of market surveillance systems “significant problem” says IOSCO report
The absence of market surveillance tools in many jurisdictions and regions is “potentially one of the more significant problems facing the markets in light of technological developments, such as the rapid speed of trade execution and increase in order volume”, says the International Organization Of Securities Commissions in its final report on surveillance.
BNP looks to standard Swift messages for improved collateral protection
BNP Paribas Securities Services and Swift are collaborating to enhance the bank’s collateral protection solutions for corporate, buy-side and sell-side clients. The bank has set up “Margin Project”, planning to integrate Swift’s standardised tri-party collateral messages to ensure full compliance with the upcoming regulatory requirements on OTC transaction, mitigation of counterparty risk, asset safety and […]
Standard Chartered chooses Sternby to head up southeast Asia
Standard Chartered has appointed Petter Sternby as head of southeast Asia financial institutions strategic coverage.
CARTES America: China, Europe Driving Strongest Global EMV Card Growth (April 23, 2013)
EMV chip-enabled card growth continued at a healthy clip worldwide last year but China and Europe led demand, according to new data the Smart Payment Association (SPA) released today at the annual CARTES America meeting in Las Vegas. EMV card production overall rose 9 percent last year to 975 million cards, up from 898 million […]
Amex to Issue EMV Corporate Cards in First Half of 2013 (April 23, 2013)
With the switch from magnetic stripe to EMV-equipped payment cards in the U.S. on the horizon, American Express said it will begin issuing corporate cards with chip-and-signature EMV technology within the first half of this year. The new cards will offer enhanced security by using advanced encryption technology that makes it more difficult for unauthorized […]
Fan-Centric Programs Announced on Both Sides of the Pond (April 23, 2013)
StoreFinancial Services has announced a marketing program designed to strengthen the bond between professional sports teams and their fans, as well as ties between team sponsors and their customers. With the Fan Experience Card program, which features a restricted authorization network (RAN) prepaid card that can be redeemed at any merchant inside or outside the […]
SBI Launches Visa-Branded Prepaid Card for Workers, Students (April 23, 2013)
State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a new prepaid card targeted for use by students and blue collar workers, the bank said. The Visa-branded State Bank Smart Payout Card is available at all SBI branches and can be used for POS and online purchases, as well as ATM cash withdrawals. Cards can be loaded […]
Swift Innotribe Challenge London selects European finalists
Five finalists have been chosen by Swift’s Innotribe for its Startup Challenge in London, ahead of an international face-off for innovative financial services firms from around the world in Dubai in September.
Polish market links increase with TMX Atrium connection
Poland’s Warsaw Stock Exchange has been added to TMX Atrium’s trading infrastructure, one week after the exchange switched to its new UTP trading system built by NYSE Technologies.
BATS Chi-X Europe chooses new COO
BATS Chi-X Europe has appointed David Howson, formerly of Equiduct Systems, as its chief operating officer.
DTCC hires Tierney to head Asia Pacific unit
US post-trade services utility the DTCC has appointed Peter Tierney as regional head of Asia, as the company continues its drive to be a global centre for OTC derivatives reporting.
Blackhawk Snaps up $230 Million in IPO (April 22, 2013)
Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. exceeded expectations with its initial public offering launched last week, raising $230 million and bringing its market value based on the IPO price to $1.2 billion. The prepaid card provider and third-party distributor owned by Safeway Inc. priced 10 million of its shares at $23 each, after Blackhawk’s existing shareholders initially […]
