Saxo Bank gobbles up Turkey business
Online investment bank Saxo Bank has opened an office in Istanbul, Turkey, following its acquisition of local broker Değer Menkul Değerler in May last year.
News
Regional differences colour IT spending priorities
Total bank IT spending across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific will grow to $179.2 billion in 2013, an increase of 3.4% over last year according to research and consulting firm Celent.
East Africa Exchange opens in Rwanda
The newly created East Africa Exchange, which is currently taking its first steps in Rwanda, is part of a regional integration project between Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda that aims to boost liquidity and provide a commodities market for 130 million people across the region.
Obama Re-nominates Cordray as CFPB Director (Jan. 24, 2013)
Jan. 24, 2013 Wasting little time following his inauguration on Monday, President Barack Obama this afternoon has re-nominated Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The confirmation process for the former Ohio Attorney General could be rocky, considering Obama’s appointment of Cordray last year during a congressional recess. “There were no […]
Regulators to Set Guidelines on FIs’ Social Media Activity (Jan. 24, 2013)
Jan. 24, 2013 With U.S. financial institutions increasingly using social media to market to and interact with consumers, federal regulators have set their sights on establishing guidelines for consumer protection and compliance over such channels. The Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council (FFIEC) has issued a notice of proposed guidance and request for comment from the […]
Fiserv Survey: More Consumers Use Mobile Devices to Pay Bills (Jan. 24, 2013)
Jan. 24, 2013 The number of consumers using mobile devices to pay bills is slowly gaining momentum, according to Fiserv Inc., a Brookfield, Wis.-based provider of financial services technology, in its fifth annual Billing Household Survey, which assesses bill payment habits of active online households and infrequent or non-Internet users. Though the percentage of households […]
Taiwan’s FTC Approves Mobile Payment Platform (Jan. 24, 2013)
Jan. 24, 2012 Mobile carriers around the world continue to join forces to enable mobile payments. On Jan. 23, Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) approved an application by five domestic mobile carriers and transit card provider EasyCard Corp. to jointly run a platform for mobile payment-related apps, according to the Central News Agency. Chunghwa Telecom […]
Report: Corporate Mobile Payments Reduce Costs by Up to 20 Percent (Jan. 24. 2013)
Jan. 24, 2013 The rise of corporate mobile payments is leading to some big saving for companies around the globe that are seeing reductions of up to 20 percent on their cash-collection costs, according to a new white paper by Mobile Money Consulting, a London-based advisory firm. Corporations in emerging markets are seeing the highest […]
Earnings Roundup: Google, TSYS (Jan. 24, 2013)
Jan. 24, 2013 Online search giant Google Inc. and payments processor TSYS recently released fourth-quarter financial results. Google reported revenues of $14.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2012, an increase of 36 percent compared with $10.6 billion in the same quarter a year ago. Net income in the fourth quarter of 2012 grew 7.4 […]
Lloyds slashes another 940 jobs as cuts deepen
Lloyds Banking Group is to cut 940 more jobs, the latest in a series of savage headcount culls at major financial institutions. Separate announcements earlier this week confirmed 200 human resources jobs would be axed, and a further 175 cuts made in the Halifax branch network.
Telstra establishes high-speed route to Hong Kong
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing has improved its connectivity to the outside world, through a deal with low-latency specialist Telstra Global at its new data centre at Tseung Kwan O.
CGI in mobile alliance with Monitise
CGI, which recently acquired UK software house Logica, has formed a partnership with mobile banking and payment specialist Monetise to offer joint services for banking and payments companies using the Monitise platform.
Broker back-ends still outpaced by trading technology
Too many brokers are still using outdated methods such as email and telephone to confirm trade matches, undermining the advantages gleaned from high-performance trading technology, according to a new study by financial research firm Aite Group.
Chilean broker imports UK trading technology
Chilean broker Banchile, part of Santiago- based Banco de Chile, has deployed a brokerage platform from UK systems supplier Fidessa that will link it to international trading venues.
The Return of the Old-Fashioned Villain
The latest bi-annual Fraud Barometer from KPMG has shown a rise in individuals committing more traditional swindles such as Ponzi schemes, cheque fraud and procurement fraud. The findings are in broad agreement with figures from CIFAS, the UK fraud monitoring service, published last week
HML hires Turner to boost business
Specialist financial outsourcing company HML has hired Nigel Turner as its new chief commercial officer.
Information Mosaic makes Kunz chairman
Post-trade software company Information Mosaic has appointed Ulrich Kunz as non-executive chairman to help drive its ambitions to expand into analytics.
Google Powers Digital Coupons with Zavers (Jan. 22, 2013)
Jan. 22, 2013 Google Inc. is adding digital muscle to coupons with Zavers by Google, a paperless couponing system introduced earlier this month that enables consumers to capture coupons online and redeem them automatically through store loyalty cards, tracking their deals through a computer browser or any mobile phone. The system is designed to give […]
Telefónica Deutschland to Launch NFC Pilot (Jan. 22, 2013)
Jan. 22, 2013 Munich-based Telefónica Deutschland in mid-February plans to enable P2P funds transfers between its mobile phone service subscribers along with a new NFC pilot that will launch at the same time in Germany. The effort grew out of the mpass mobile wallet service, announced last year as a joint venture between Telefónica Germany, […]
PayNearMe Targets Small Billers with New Cash Payment Service (Jan. 22, 2013)
Jan. 22, 2013 Cash transaction network PayNearMe is taking its payment services small-time in a move the company thinks will pay off in a big way. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based firm, founded in 2009 and led by CEO Danny Shader, has launched PayNearMe Express, a self-service version of its existing cash payment system, aimed at enabling […]
Synchology Entices Mainstream Consumers to ‘Jump’ into Prepaid (Jan. 22, 2013)
Jan. 22, 2013 Prepaid card provider Synchology is targeting a decidedly “banked” demographic with its new card offering, betting that attractive features and a simple pricing model can attract mainstream customers as an alternative to traditional bank accounts. The Jump Visa Prepaid Card offers cardholders rewards, money management and budgeting tools, free customer support and […]
Earnings Roundup: American Express, Gift Voucher Shop (Jan. 22, 2012)
Jan. 22, 2013 American Express Co. and The Gift Voucher Shop (GVS), the U.K.-based provider of the One4all multistore gift card, recently released financial results. American Express reported net income of $637 million for the fourth-quarter ended Dec. 31, a decrease of 47 percent, compared with $1.2 billion a year ago. Q4 net income was affected […]
Moscow reforms will “fundamentally change” Russian markets
The upcoming IPO of Russia’s Moscow Exchange on its own bourse is just one step in a titanic effort to transform Russia’s capital markets and attract attention from international investors – and it may not be the most important one, according to Serge Alexandre, electronic trading services at Russian broker Otkritie.
Flat outlook for salaries in financial services
Salaries for staff in London’s financial services sector are expected to remain flat, particularly among contract and temporary staff, according to the annual survey carried out by Morgan McKinley – but nearly a third of staff expect pay rises of 10%.
Squawker prepares for March debut with SIX Financial Information
Squawker, the start-up block trading venue headed by Christopher Gregory, has moved one step closer to its goal of providing a pan-European mid-point matching service for banks and brokers, following a deal between it and Switzerland’s SIX Financial Information this week.
Liquidnet’s Barker takes new role at Russia’s BCS Financial
Former Liquidnet Europe head John Barker is to take up a new role at Russian financial services firm BCS Financial Group, Banking Technology has learned.
Citi Launches Card Reader in India for Mobile Merchants (Jan. 21, 2013)
Jan. 21, 2013 As the U.S. and Western European markets for mobile card readers grow ever-more crowded, Citigroup is aiming to take a leadership position in mobile merchant acceptance in India. The bank this week announced what it describes as India’s first nationally distributed dongle, enabling merchants to accept credit and debit cards with a […]
WorldPay, Discover Expand Partnership for In-Store Payments (Jan. 21, 2013)
Jan. 21, 2013 Payment acquirer WorldPay US has struck a deal with Discover Financial Services that will enable WorldPay’s customers to accept PayPal in-store payments beginning this spring. Discover and PayPal announced an agreement last August under which PayPal account holders will be able to make payments at brick-and-mortar stores that accept Discover, using a […]
RBS to Leverage MasterCard’s Conferma Partnership for Corporate Travel Card Services (Jan. 21, 2013)
Jan. 21, 2013 Edinburgh-based RBS Group and MasterCard Worldwide today announced that RBS will be the first bank enabling its global commercial card customers to integrate MasterCard’s inControl platform with U.K.-based Conferma, which provides corporate travel booking and related services for companies around the world. The service grew out of a partnership MasterCard formed in […]
BillFloat, payleven Land Nearly $30 Million in Funding (Jan. 21, 2013)
Jan. 21, 2013 A pair of payment startups have received cash infusions from investors totaling nearly $30 million. San Francisco-based BillFloat, which provides small-dollar loans to customers for electronic bill payments, landed $21 million from Investor Growth Capital (IGC), with participation from Bronze Investments and previous BillFoat investors Venrock, FirstRound Capital and Baseline Ventures. As […]
Fed’s Triennial Payments Study Will Include Fraud Info for First Time (Jan. 21, 2013)
Jan. 21, 2013 The Federal Reserve’s Retail Payments Office (RPO) last week announced it will be conducting its triennial study to determine the current volume and composition of electronic and check payments in the United States, with new attention on fraud metrics. “While the Federal Reserve’s 2013 Payments Study will continue to build upon trend […]
Clearstream allies with Belgium’s Belfius
German central securities depository Clearstream has partnered with Belgian bank and insurance firm Belfius, to develop a new collateral service for bilateral trades, focusing on OTC derivatives and aimed at corporates and medium-sized banks.
LSE targets Latin American business through Peru deal
The London Stock Exchange Group has entered a partnership with Peru’s Lima Stock Exchange, in which the LSEG will provide trading and smart order routing technology to Peru.
ID theft drives fraud to new levels in UK
Identity theft soared during 2012, accounting for half of all financial fraud in the UK. This drove the level of account takeover frauds up by 53% during the year, according to CIFAS, the UK Fraud Prevention Service.
MiFID II faces national challenges
Proposals in Germany that would affect the country’s capital market structure could create problems of regulatory arbitrage when the European Commission’s MiFID II arrives in 2015-16, according to Mark Spanbroek, general secretary at the FIA European Principal Traders Association.
Nasdaq OMX expands and regroups technology business
Nasdaq OMX is to combine its market technology and corporate solutions businesses, in a move that it says will help the firm provide more transparency to customers and a stronger business proposition.
Headcount cull claims investment bankers
As job cuts continue to bite at some of the world’s largest banks and financial institutions, new figures from Bloomberg Industries reveal the scale of the cull driven by lacklustre macroeconomic performance in Europe, a declining stock market and tightening financial regulation.
Acleda Bank fuels Cambodian expansion with Temenos tools
Cambodia’s Acleda Bank has embarked on a massive programme of expansion in a bid to reach unbanked customers in the country, drawing on core banking technology provided by Swiss banking software company Temenos.
Swift’s Innotribe Challenge 2013 opens for entries
Swift has opened its Innotribe Startup Challenge 2013 for entries. The year-round competition is intended to introduce financial industry decision makers and early-stage investors to the “innovations and emerging companies that are poised to transform the industry”.
International clearers form ‘Liquidity Alliance’
An alliance between central securities depositories in Germany, Spain, Brazil, South Africa and Australia aims to tackle the expected global shortfall in collateral arising from tough new financial regulation.
