Worldwide


UK competition watchdog tells ICE to sell Trayport

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has finally decided that Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) should sell Trayport to preserve competition in wholesale energy trading. As Banking Technology reported in August, the CMA “provisionally” found ICE’s acquisition of Trayport may give rise to competition concerns. After lengthy investigation, CMA says: “As a result, ICE will now […]

ANZ, Westpac and IBM trial blockchain for bank guarantees

Australia and New Zealand-based banking group, ANZ, and Westpac have teamed with IBM and shopping centre operator Scentre Group to use blockchain to digitise the bank guarantee process for commercial property leasing. The trial used distributed ledger technology (DLT) to eliminate the need for current paper-based bank guarantee documents, resulting in a “single source of […]

UN report reveals global cybersecurity holes

We have all suspected the world is not ready for the connected era, though the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) has confirmed it.

Citi Pay Lands in U.S. with Masterpass

After launching in 2016 in Singapore, Australia and Mexico, Citi Pay has arrived in the U.S. and is enabling tokenized payments via existing online credentials.

People on the Move: RiskIQ

Digital threat management firm RiskIQ has expanded its management team with three new executive appointments, including Nick Puetz, Jenna Raby and Clarence Cheuk.

Japan to unveil fintech testing hub for start-ups

The Financial Services Agency of Japan (JFSA) is setting up a hub for fintech start-ups to test new services, according to Nikkei. The hub will help “identify legal complications and risks standing in the way of industry’s growth” and is seen as a precursor to a regulatory sandbox. Nikkei says the sandbox could be in […]

Quantum of solace with Atos simulator launch

Prepare for cybersecurity impact! IT services corporation Atos has launched the “world’s first commercially available” machine-system capable of simulating up to 40 quantum bits (Qubits). The simulator, named Atos Quantum Learning Machine (Atos QLM), is powered by an ultra-compact supercomputer and a universal programming language. Its uses naturally extend far beyond fintech, such as for […]

Card payments problems bring down the fintech house

A whole swathe of fintech firms and challenger banks have been hit by tech issues – with card payments failing. The names include mobile-only challenger bank Monzo, Revolut, Starling Bank, Curve and payments start-up Fire. The problem is understood to be due to provider Global Processing Services (GPS), which as usual offers no updates on […]

More banks nuzzle up to Swift’s nostro blockchain project

Swift has revealed that 22 additional banks have joined its blockchain proof of concept (PoC), designed to validate whether the technology can help banks reconcile their international nostro accounts in real time. The PoC is part of the Swift gpi (global payments innovation) service, its new standard for cross-border payments. As reported previously, gpi has […]

TfL Tops 1 Billion Contactless Journeys

Transport for London revealed July 6 that its passengers have made more than 1 billion pay-as-you-go journeys using contactless payment cards, with 40 percent of all pay-as-you-go trips paid for with contactless payment, up from 25 percent a year ago.  

BNP Paribas and SmartAngels develop share register tool on blockchain

BNP Paribas Securities Services and SmartAngels have developed a share register management tool using blockchain. The platform enables unlisted companies to digitalise their financial securities and to manage their shareholder register using a decentralised, distributed ledger. It was developed as part of their partnership formed last year. During testing, BNP Paribas Securities Services and SmartAngels […]

Banking Technology July/August 2017 issue out now

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

M&A Update: IDT’s New Owner; ScanSource Buys POS Portal 

Two recent deals further demonstrate the fertile M&A field in the payments space worldwide. London-based JAR Capital Limited has announced plans to acquire Gibraltar-based e-money issuer IDT Financial Services. Meanwhile, technology provider ScanSource Inc. has agreed to buy POS Portal, a Sacramento-based payment terminal and P2PE encryption technology provider that focuses largely on the SMB market.

Just in case you need a reason: why participate in Banking Technology Awards?

This year’s Banking Technology Awards are taking place on 13 December in London and there are plenty of reasons why you and your team should be a part of this prestigious event. Besides having a good chance at winning, entering the Awards also allows you to: Make global headlines in the industry if your entry […]

People on the Move: Neil Harris, GPS

Global Processing Services (GPS), a 2017 Pay Award-winning payments processor, announced the appointment of Neil Harris, former head of business and market development at Bottomline Technologies, to the role of chief commercial officer. 

Fintech funding round-up: 5 July 2017

Aw shucks, even more firms are getting big bucks. Following on from yesterday (4 July), here is another fintech funding round-up. Features Ohpen, MarketInvoice and Huddle Capital. Cloud-based core banking provider Ohpen has secured a €15 million Series B investment round led by private equity firm Amerborgh. The current investment round values Ohpen at €100 […]

Planet Payment, ACI Launch UnionPay’s SecurePlus

Processors Planet Payment Inc. and ACI Worldwide are working together to bring UnionPay International’s SecurePlus solution to merchants eager to accept the Chinese issuer’s debit and credit cards with less customer friction and more currency options.

Fintech funding round-up: 4 July 2017

There’s no lacking of backing. Our latest fintech funding round-up features Tide, Instarem and IntellectEU. UK-based mobile banking firm Tide, which launched in January, has raised $14 million in its Series A investment round. The round has been led by specialist fintech investor Anthemis, alongside Creandum, the Scandinavian fund that has backed companies including Spotify […]

Curve Takes Users ‘Back in Time’  

Payments startups usually boast about their ability to future-proof their technology. For U.K. payments startup Curve, a big part of its appeal is helping users go back in time.

Regtech: features that make data work harder and smarter

There is far more to regtech than regulatory technology, or at least there can and should be. Regtech, as it is coming to be understood, must be something qualitatively different from what it’s replacing and not just a faster and better version of the same thing.

The Monday mindset: 3 July 2017

Fintech zeitgeist! Every Monday, we might look back at last week; look ahead to this week; share a few thoughts (our own or others); or discuss anything that catches our eye. This week, Banking Technology’s deputy editor Antony Peyton mulls briefly on the world of fintech events. Having attended what feels like every fintech event […]

Fed Payments Study: Noncash Payments Soar amid Check Decline

Consumers wrote nearly two-thirds fewer checks per household in 2015 than in 2000, while total noncash payments per household, which includes checks, card payments and electronic transfers via ACH, expanded almost 95 percent, according to additional results released June 30 from the “2016 Federal Reserve Payments Study.” While the numbers are encouraging to those facilitating electronic payments, prepaid providers have some work to do to gain market share. 

Compliance Titans: Jeff Ross, Green Dot Corp.

Nearly a decade after jumping from the public to the private sector, Green Dot’s Jeff Ross remains as enthused as ever by the new challenges and complexities he faces every day as compliance head for one of the biggest players in an industry with a constantly shifting regulatory landscape and technology that’s advancing at a breakneck pace.

SEC Files Fraud Charges in Bitcoin, Office Space Scams

A U.K. citizen living in New York is facing fraud charges brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in relation to two bogus investment schemes. Renwick Haddow allegedly reaped millions of dollars from investors in his supposed bitcoin platform Bitcoin Store Inc. and in Bar Works Inc., which offers office space in renovated restaurants and bars.

CRS: the end of tax evasion?

Tax evasion and tax fraud have been affecting governments finances all over the world over the decades. It occurs within a country and across countries. Thus, a single country cannot solve the problem on its own. Countries need to work more together and internationally to combat the problem home and abroad.

Financial Stability Board muses implications from fintech

Financial Stability Board (FSB), an international body that monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system, has issued a report analysing the potential financial stability implications from fintech.

PFS deal to provide Moneymailme users with prepaid cards

Users of Moneymailme will have the option of using physical and virtual prepaid cards to make purchases with the funds in their e-wallets. The new feature, announced June 28 at the Money 20/20 Europe conference, is the result of a partnership between the London-based social money transfer provider Moneymailme and Prepaid Financial Services, a U.K.-based payments technology provider.

P2P Is Gaining Steam, but Security Concerns Remain

Consumers prefer to use P2P payments for retail purchases, paying back relatives and friends, and settling bills—but not so much for contributing to group gifts or paying housing costs, according to a new report from NerdWallet. It also found that that while only 35 percent of U.S. consumers use such P2P products as Venmo, PayPal and Square Cash, 63 percent are interested in the payment technology.

Six Key Themes from Money20/20 Europe

After a frantic few days in Copenhagen for Money20/20 Europe, Paul Butterworth, strategic marketing director at Trustonic, used the time during his flight home to digest the discussions and presentations and come up with the key takeaways from the fintech event.