One4all Opens Up to SMEs in Northern Ireland (April 23, 2014)
Gift Voucher Shop is opening its One4all multistore gift card program to independent retailers in Northern Ireland.
Payments
PIF Calls for Provision Clarifying AML Processes for E-Money Products (April 23, 2014)
London-based Prepaid International Forum this week published a position paper outlining its concerns about certain provisions in the European Commission’s draft 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive.
Campus Cards Go Mobile with Heartland’s OneCard Mobile App (April 23, 2014)
As campus identification cards doubling as reloadable prepaid cards become more prevalent on college campuses, they’re also becoming more integrated into student life via smartphone.
Paybefore Announces Winners for European Awards (April 22, 2014)
The roars from the kings of the payments jungle have been heard. Today Paybefore reveals the winners in 2014 Paybefore Awards Europe.
Reloadit Adds Digital Storage, Multi-Card Loads, Bill Pay (April 22, 2014)
Blackhawk Network is expanding the utility of its reload network beyond single card reloads.
WU, NetSpend to Team on New Prepaid Card (April 22, 2014)
The GPR card space is about to get more crowded as two prepaid veterans join forces.
Serve Adds Walmart to Free Cash-Reload Network, Kicks Off TV Campaign (April 21, 2014)
American Express today announced it’s adding Walmart as a distribution and reload partner for its Serve digital prepaid account, and this week will kick off its first TV commercials for the product.
Shazam Inks Debit EMV Deal with Visa, Furthering Industry Alignment (April 17, 2014)
Shazam Network and Visa Inc. have reached an agreement for routing EMV debit transactions using Visa’s common debit application identifier (AID) for Visa- and Shazam-branded transactions, the Des Moines, Iowa-based debit network announced April 16.
Walmart Touts New Money Transfer Service as Simple, Inexpensive (April 17, 2014)
Walmart moved further into financial services with its announcement today of its Walmart-2-Walmart Money Transfer Service, which enables customers to transfer money from one store to another at more than 4,000 U.S. Walmart locations.
Is Identification the Killer App for Mobile Wallets? (April 17, 2014)
The thus-far sluggish rate of mobile wallet adoption in the U.S. has been attributed to a range of factors, from security concerns, to lack of widespread merchant acceptance to the familiarity and convenience of traditional plastic payment cards. But according to a new report from TSYS, what might be holding mobile wallets back has less to do with the mobile and more to do with the wallet.
ICMA Recognizes Leaders in Card Manufacturing (April 17, 2014)
The International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA) celebrated leaders in the card manufacturing industry last week, presenting its Élan Awards for Excellence at the annual Card Manufacturing and Personalization EXPO in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Baidu Enters China’s Competitive Mobile Wallet Market (April 17, 2014)
Baidu Inc., China’s version of Google, has entered the mobile wallet arena, pitting the country’s most popular search engine against the likes of Alibaba and Tencent Holding Inc., both of which launched mobile wallets last year.
Blog: PIF Comments on RBI’s Revised Prepaid Guidelines
Industry players welcome the guidance to bring the legal framework for prepaid under a single policy document that leaves little room for ambiguity, and industry continues to advocate for further reforms that will help drive growth of prepaid products to benefit Indian citizens.
Blog: Prepaid Mania Catches On
Just in case there was any doubt among the critics, skeptics and the media, new numbers prove the value of prepaid cards to merchants and consumers. In 2014, retail purchases made with prepaid cards will top US$200 billion, equaling 5 percent of all retail spending in the U.S. Now, merchants are looking for ways to capitalize on the popularity.
For Prepaid Providers, Budgeting Equals Opportunity (April 15, 2014)
Personal budgeting is an effective method for consumers to build a strong and stable financial future. Yet, for many, staying on budget is a constant struggle.
FTC Calls for Greater Authority over Data Security
FTC calls for data security legislation to address recent increase of data security breaches.
Viewpoint: Important Changes to Canada’s AML Laws: Here We Go Again
A new Canadian bill proposes regulations on virtual currencies, cross-border MSBs, due diligence requirements, politically exposed persons and group-wide information sharing.
European E-Money License Could Grow Facebook’s Remittance Biz (April 14, 2014)
Facebook is putting the pieces in place to launch a money transfer service in Europe.
Illinois Payroll Card Legislation Moves to the Senate (April 14, 2014)
The Illinois House last week approved legislation that, if signed into law, might affect companies’ payroll card programs, beginning Jan. 1, 2015, when the new rules would take effect.
Heartland Grows School Payments with MCS Buy (April 14, 2014)
Payments processor Heartland Payment Systems has acquired MCS Software, a provider of school foodservice payment solutions at 4,000 K-12 schools across the U.S.
Breaking bit
Bitcoin is the poster child of the cryptocurrency world, but it’s not alone. Michael Mainelli and Bob McDowell take a look at the real-world implications of the rise of AltCoins
eBay Reaches ‘Détente’ with Investor Icahn (April 10, 2014)
eBay Inc. investor Carl Icahn has backed off his proposal for the online auction Website to spin off its PayPal subsidiary following discussions with eBay, of which he is a 2 percent owner.
FIS Solution Enables Banks to Compete with Alternative FSPs (April 10, 2014)
FIS wants to help banks in the pursuit of the coveted millennial consumer by focusing heavily on mobile banking.
MasterCard Sees Major Contactless Gains in Europe (April 10, 2014)
Contactless payments are spreading rapidly throughout Europe, according to new data from MasterCard.
Google Doubling Down on Wallet, Says Payments Chief (April 10, 2014)
Despite a somewhat bumpy rollout and several course-corrections, Google Wallet is here to stay, said the head of the tech giant’s payment division.
U.S. Top Cop Warns of Digital Currency Dangers (April 9, 2014)
More federal regulations may be on the way for digital currencies after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told lawmakers of his concerns about Bitcoin and other digital currencies as potential tools for criminals.
Report: Merchants Want More Partners Amid Soaring Prepaid Sales (April 9, 2014)
Prepaid card sales at retail are on the rise, driven by the combined efforts of prepaid providers, processors, networks and merchants, according to a new report by Aite Group.
MPS/Chesapeake Expands Services with IPS, Jet Acquisitions (April 9, 2014)
M&A activity is on the rise in the payments industry, and the latest deal is in the card manufacturing and fulfillment space.
La. Reps Favor Paper Checks over Prepaid Cards in Certain Instance (April 8, 2014)
As tax day approaches, the Louisiana House of Representatives yesterday approved a bill that would end the state’s Department of Revenue practice of automatically sending tax refunds on prepaid debit cards to taxpayers who don’t select a specific method for receiving their funds.
BofA Merrill’s Virtual Corporate Payments Platform Nearly Doubles Suppliers (April 8, 2014)
Virtual payment cards continue to gain ground in the B2B sector, with Bank of America Merrill Lynch announcing its ePayables electronic accounts payables platform has surpassed 100,000 enrolled corporate suppliers—nearly doubling from 56,000 enrolled suppliers two years ago.
paysafecard Adds Loyalty Program to Online Payments Account (April 8, 2014)
Payments providers of every stripe are seeking ways to increase customer loyalty. Austria-based paysafecard, which offers one-time use e-vouchers, now is rewarding customers who opt to use its online payments account, my paysafecard.
Startup Aims to Bridge Gap between Bitcoin and Offline Payments (April 8, 2014)
Often lost amid the regulatory and legal controversy surrounding Bitcoin and other digital payments is a somewhat more practical issue; it’s just hard to spend the stuff in the real, offline world.
Microsoft XP Support Ends, Sparking ATM Security Concerns (April 7, 2014)
Microsoft tomorrow will issue the final security update for Windows XP, a 12-year-old product the software giant says no longer suits the risks of today’s computing environments. But millions of computers worldwide are still running XP, including an estimated 95 percent of U.S. ATMs, experts say.
Proposed Canadian AML Changes Could Affect Digital Currency, FMSBs (April 7, 2014)
The Canadian government has proposed a series of amendments to the country’s money laundering legislation, including provisions to extend the laws to cover digital currencies.
Study Dubs Omnichannel No. 1 Payments Trend (April 7, 2014)
Payments are in the midst of some fundamental changes that will continually reshape the industry landscape for years to come, according to a new white paper from Vantiv Inc., outlining the top 10 payment trends to watch in 2014.
Surveys: Consumers See Value in Prepaid Cards; Banks’ Overdraft Fees Increase (April 7, 2014)
A majority of Americans view the features of reloadable prepaid cards favorably as financial institutions’ fees for checking account overdrafts have started to creep up, according to two recently released surveys.
New solutions for optimising cash in the retail industry
Managing cash in stores remains a major challenge for retailers – trapped cash hinders working capital management and is unavailable for investment, debt repayment or business expansion. But new ways are being developed to manage store cash …
Integrating the digital future
Balázs Vinnai, now with Misys, talks about changing banking and payments technology needs.
EU Parliament Postpones Final Vote on Payments Package until After July Elections (April 3, 2014)
European Parliament today voted in a plenary session to accept the text of the revised payment industry regulations (PSD2 and MIF) that the ECON committee voted on last month.
MasterCard: Prepaid Up 40 Percent in APMEA (April 3, 2014)
MasterCard’s prepaid business is booming in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (APMEA), showing 40 percent growth in gross dollar volume in the regions for 2013, the payment network said today.
