North America


Do collect $200 on Android, don’t get out of Gmail

Google has revealed that Android payments can now be made within the Gmail app. Whether it is “splitting a dinner bill or planning a group trip”, it offers a “fee-free way” to work out the details and settle up without leaving the Gmail app on Android. Users can exchange money with “anyone” – and are […]

Analysis: banking innovation in the US

Banking Technology puts the banking innovation in the US under the spotlight. The market is not short of digital offerings: Simple, Moven, Kabbage, Acorns, Earny, Debitize, MagnifyMoney and more – take your pick!

Euronet bugs Ant Financial with MoneyGram move

Payments firm Euronet has proposed to buy money transfer operator MoneyGram International for $15.20 per share – in turn becoming a pest to Ant Financial’s acquisition plans. As Banking Technology reported in January, Alibaba’s affiliate Ant Financial planned to splash out $880 million for MoneyGram – its first acquisition of a US-listed company. Euronet says […]

Next Insurance launches chatbot on Facebook Messenger

California-based Next Insurance has unveiled its new insurance chatbot that will enable personal trainers to quote and buy insurance via Facebook Messenger. Next partnered with SmallTalk, a chatbot developer, to become the “first company to provide full service insurance via a social channel”. It also says it has developed a direct link with small business […]

JPMorgan Chase acquires MCX payments technology

The technology behind CurrentC, the QR-based mobile payment service created by MCX, a consortium of the largest merchants in the US, has been acquired by JPMorgan Chase. The bank says it will help expand Chase Pay, the mobile and digital wallet for Chase customers.

Flagship Community Bank buys BankMobile for $175m

Florida-based Flagship Community Bank has bought mobile-only BankMobile from Customers Bancorp for $175 million. As Banking Technology reported last month, BankMobile, which was launched by Customers Bancorp two years ago, was expected to be sold this quarter, according to Customers’ president and CEO, Jay Sidhu. Customers Bancorp says after accounting for all expenses, the deal […]

LendIt USA: the British are coming

Fintech is developing a distinctly British accent and the US is in danger of losing out, according to remarks made by Congressman Patrick McHenry, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, at the LendIt USA conference in New York.

Corporate One Federal Credit Union tests real-time payments with D+H

North American banking and payments tech vendor DH Corporation (D+H) is helping Corporate One Federal Credit Union move to real-time payments. Corporate One FCU is using D+H’s cloud-based testing environment to simulate connectivity to The Clearing House’s (TCH) real-time payments network.

Dwolla seeks more dollars with repackaged services

Capping an approximately 18-month effort to pivot into a software-as-service platform for businesses, US payments firm Dwolla has repackaged some of its services into a pair of products and pricing structures. The company’s clients now can use Dwolla technology to enable same-day ACH capabilities or to move funds between bank accounts without having to do […]

LendIt USA: $400 from disaster

A startling 46% of American adults would be unable to come up with $400 to meet an unexpected expense without borrowing or selling something. We are so used to thinking about financial exclusion in terms of the un- or under-served that we are overlooking the financial vulnerability of nearly half the US adult population.

Banking Technology March 2017 issue out now

The latest edition of our flagship magazine – Banking Technology – is out now, packed with news, analysis and insights, case studies, research and expert commentary.

Silvergate Bank overhauls front-to-back office tech with FIS

California’s Silvergate Bank has implemented a suite of systems from FIS in a major tech overhaul – from a new core banking system to branch, digital and mobile banking, compliance and risk. The new core banking platform – FIS’s Horizon – will let the bank “streamline” its third party systems, such as account opening and […]

Kraken acquires Cryptowatch for digital asset trading

San Francisco-based digital asset exchange Kraken has acquired the charting and trading platform Cryptowatch. According to Kraken, Cryptowatch is used by traders to chart over 150 markets in real-time and trade up to 22 digital assets. Over the past two years, Cryptowatch also increased its active user base by 700%. As part of the deal, […]

InvestCloud launches US innovation centre

California-based InvestCloud has opened its first fintech accelerator and incubator, the InvestCloud Innovation Centre, at its Pacific Design Centre headquarters in Los Angeles. The new 10,747-foot centre gives banks, wealth managers and other financial services firms “residences” to accelerate the development of new apps through access to InvestCloud’s full technology platform, in collaboration with a […]

USAA gives development rights to Persistent Systems

USAA, a provider of banking and insurance services to the US military personnel and their families, has granted intellectual property (IP) rights to Persistent Systems for the development of its banking tech. Through this agreement, India-based Persistent will look and attempt to extend USAA’s technologies to identify and verify members. Persistent says it will focus […]

Citi unveils APIs for treasury services

Citi’s Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) has launched an application programming interface (API) solution for payment initiation, payment status and account balance inquiries through its connectivity platform CitiConnect. As Banking Technology reported late last year, Citi unveiled a new global API developer portal, which it claimed to be the most comprehensive to date in the […]

US challenger Clear launches AI-powered bank

Clear, a New York City start-up, has launched the “first” artificial intelligence (AI) powered bank for start-ups. The Clear account is designed specifically for start-ups and small business owners to manage their finances through a single banking portal. Its platform lets users ask questions and receive answers without having to look at any spreadsheets or […]

Three US FIs in tech revamps

Credit Union of Southern California, Brazosport Teachers Federal Credit Union and Rosedale Federal Savings & Loan Association are undergoing tech modernisation.

R3 turns its back on blockchain?

Is the R3 consortium going to wave goodbye to $53 million in research and abandon blockchain? In a presentation on its Corda platform, R3 says it doesn’t need “block chain”. (No space is usually used, but I don’t want to be too much of a grammar Nazi.) Credit for this spot must go to Twitter […]

UK and Canada buddy up for fintech businesses

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Canada’s Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) have signed a new co-operation agreement to help fintech firms. The deal will enable fintech businesses in both countries to seek support from the financial regulators in each other’s market. It will also help reduce regulatory uncertainty and time to market for firms. Christopher […]

Clean sweep for NCR Interactive Teller tech in US

Alaska-based Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union (MVFCU) has begun deploying NCR Corporation’s Interactive Tellers at its branch locations – meaning its machines are being used in every US state. The ATM lets users interact with their financial institution’s remotely located video teller via video and audio. NCR says this tech is of “particular value to […]

Bank of America zooms in on Zelle for mobile banking

Bank of America has chosen the person-to-person (P2P) Zelle service within its mobile banking app as part of its digital drive. Zelle will let clients send, receive and request money, allowing them to use the existing contacts on their mobile device to transfer money to (or request money from) “almost anyone within minutes, regardless of […]

Mogo’s new prepaid product taps into growing Canadian market

Mogo, a Canada-based fintech firm, has launched what it describes as the country’s first prepaid digital spending account managed through a mobile app, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. The debut of the Mogo Spending Account and the Mogo Platinum Prepaid Visa comes amid robust growth in prepaid transactions in Canada. The full-service GPR card […]

Mogo’s New Prepaid Product Taps into Growing Canadian Market

Mogo, a Canada-based fintech firm, has launched what it describes as the country’s first prepaid digital spending account managed through a mobile app. The debut of the Mogo Spending Account and the Mogo Platinum Prepaid Visa comes amid robust growth in prepaid transactions in Canada.

Accenture in German digital and US innovation drives

Accenture will acquire German digital agency SinnerSchrader to boost its Accenture Interactive services in the country. Also, the company plans to launch ten new innovation hubs in the US in the next three years. Accenture has agreed to purchase a 62% majority of SinnerSchrader shares from co-founder and CEO Matthias Schrader, CFO Thomas Dyckhoff, and […]

Joy for Bankjoy as three credit unions sign contracts

Fintech start-up Bankjoy has signed three credit unions for its digital banking software: CommunityWide Federal Credit Union in Indiana; Advantage Plus Federal Credit Union in Idaho, and One Detroit Credit Union in Illinois.

Kaiperm Diablo FCU chooses Nymbus core banking system

California-based Kaiperm Diablo Federal Credit Union has selected Nymbus’ SmartCore core banking system as part of its technology revamp. Leslie Chan, chairman, board of directors, Kaiperm Diablo FCU, says: “Only Nymbus was positioned to deliver the technology innovation with the speed, agility and urgency we required.” SmartCore is supplied on a hosted basis, and will […]

Amazon looking to buy Capital One?

Amazon is rumoured to be pondering the acquisition of Capital One. Banking Technology contacted both parties for a comment but received no response.

SCE Federal Credit Union outsources with Jack Henry’s Symitar Ease

California-based SCE Federal Credit Union has chosen Jack Henry and its Symitar subsidiary’s Ease as an outsourced delivery model of the Episys core processing platform. SCE FCU, a $650 million-asset institution, chose outsourcing to give it “all of the benefits of Episys while alleviating the need to manage on-premise systems or hardware updates”. Dan Rader, […]

This Virtual Piggy went to market for young mobile consumers

US-based mobile banking firm Virtual Piggy will soon begin testing a mobile wallet for consumers aged 17 and younger, the latest move in the parent-supervised world of mobile payments, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. The test, set for April, will involve a mobile payments platform that enables parents to supervise spending by their children. […]

Global ATM hacker gets eight years in prison

The ringleader of three highly organised, global cyberattacks on ATMs resulting in $55 million in losses has been sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay more than $55 million in restitution, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. Turkish citizen Ercan Findikoglu had pleaded guilty last March to computer intrusion conspiracy, access device […]

First Data and KeyBank team up for payments and merchant services

US-based First Data and KeyBank have teamed up to offer merchant services to the latter’s commercial, business and government clients across the country. The partnership will allow KeyBank to offer First Data’s entire portfolio of business tools, including the Clover platform which lets business owners accept payments, manage inventory, track sales, and access analytics and […]