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Google’s Android Pay Gets a Hand from Banks

Google is banking on mobile apps to boost its mobile wallet. The Android Pay parent has linked that service to a handful of banking apps, giving consumers the ability add their cards more quickly to the mobile wallet.

Top fintech stories this week – 14 April 2017

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Mastercard gets approval to buy VocaLink for $920m Deal expected to close in coming weeks. Bank of England implicated in Libor rigging by secret recording Well, it was secret. FIS sheds Ambit Private Banking business FIS inherited it […]

More banks get mobile with Android Pay

Like an astute player of the Risk board game, Android Pay’s global expansion plans continue apace as it is working with several banks to let their customers add cards to its service from a mobile banking app. The latest banks include Bank of America, Bank of New Zealand, Discover, mBank and USAA. They follow on […]

What’s Behind the Rise of Carrier Billing?

As the payment method gains popularity, an expert explains why young consumers buying digital content, including games, and transit tickets with their phones will be keys for the future.

What’s Next for Mobile Ordering?

As major companies report success from mobile ordering, an expert shows what payment providers have to consider before taking the next step.

PayPal’s TIO Offer Wins Shareholder Approval

PayPal’s bid to acquire Vancouver-based bill payment specialist TIO Networks has been approved by TIO shareholders, who overwhelmingly voted in favor of the proposed sale at a special meeting this week.

SWIFT Strengthens Security with New Payment Controls

SWIFT has launched a real-time payment controls service to add to its customers’ existing fraud controls. The fraud and cybercrime prevention service permits its customers to screen their payment messages according to their own chosen parameters, “enabling them to immediately detect any unusual message flows before transmission,” according to an April 12 company announcement.

Swift calling time on cybercrime with new payment controls

Swift has unveiled a new real-time payment controls service to add to its customers’ existing fraud controls. The new fraud and cybercrime prevention service will enable its customers to screen their payment messages according to their own chosen parameters, “enabling them to immediately detect any unusual message flows before transmission”. Yawar Shah, chairman of Swift, […]

R3 and Acord launch DLT-ful insurtech centre

Consortium R3 has partnered with Acord (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development) to launch a virtual “centre of excellence” for distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the insurance industry. R3 counts a number of insurance companies amongst its member base, including MetLife, AIA and Suncorp Group, as well as other financial services members that have […]

Contactless payments ramp up in 2017

Following the announcement WhatsApp will enter into the mobile payments arena, new estimates from Juniper Research claims Apple Pay contactless users will nearly double over 2017.

Mastercard Wins U.K. Approval for VocaLink Buy

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority gave its blessing April 11, enabling Mastercard to complete its acquisition of 92.4 percent of VocaLink Holdings for $920 million. The deal, which is expected to close within weeks, gives Mastercard control of a large portion of the U.K. transaction processing market.

Harland Clarke Pays $630 Million Premium for RetailMeNot

No doubt banking on the value consumers will place on integrating online coupons into the purchasing experience, payments provider Harland Clarke has agreed to purchase merchant offers marketplace RetailMeNot Inc., in a deal valued at around $630 million.

CFSI, Chase Seek Fintech Startups for Financial Health Awards

Fintech entrepreneurs still have a few weeks left to win financial backing from two big players in the payment space. The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) and JPMorgan Chase’s Financial Solutions Lab (FinLab) plan to award $250,000 to programs that help consumers build financial health, “with a special focus on those communities that are frequently underserved, such as older Americans, communities of color, people with disabilities and products that address the gender wealth gap.”

UK regulator plays sheriff to fight “Wild West” sandboxes

As fintech regulators across the world begin to set up their own sandboxes, with different models and standards, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority says a “Wild West” version could emerge. But hang on folks, we got a new sheriff in town. Speaking at the Innovate Finance Global Summit in London, Christopher Woolard, executive director of […]

DeVere delves deeper into fintech space with e-money app launch

Financial consultancy firm DeVere Group has launched an app-only e-money service as it pushes deeper into the banking and fintech sector. As Banking Technology reported last month, the group took advantage of Lithuania’s ambitions to attract fintech firms and set up a new office in the capital Vilnius. This was preceded by the unveiling of […]

Mastercard AIs up future with start-ups

Mastercard has welcomed five new start-ups to its Start Path Global programme – its initiative to boost its share of the commerce market. The programme is open to all start-ups who focus on banking and payments and have raised a “significant seed” or Series A round of investment. Three out of the five firms joining […]

U.S. Rep. Tipton Pushes for Longer CFPB Prepaid Rule Delay

The CFPB accepted comments on its proposed delay of the effective date for its final rule on prepaid accounts through April 5. Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) likes the idea of a delay so much, he’s proposing giving the industry even more time.

Starling Bank developer portal goes live

UK challenger bank Starling has unveiled its developer portal to enable third parties to access customer data and build on top of its platform using APIs. As Banking Technology previously reported, Starling launched its mobile app and is welcoming the first customers through its digital doors to join a beta testing programme. It also recently […]

Executive Profile: Walt Granville, Digiliti Money

From his current role as senior vice president of mobile innovations at Digiliti Money (formerly Cachet Financial Solutions), Walt Granville has the perfect vantage point to see the transformative power of mobile for prepaid programs. Find out more from the former pro runner, including which apps are on his must-list, where he sees prepaid in five years and the trend he’s watching most in 2017.

Tackling cybercrime: why the industry must unite

Cyberattacks have been dominating newspaper headlines for some time now. Whether it’s losing access to PayPal, a distributed denial of service attack on Lloyds Group, or Tesco Bank customers losing £2.5 million to hackers, the threat of a cyberattack in 2017 is so great that it’s not a case of if, but when one occurs.

Are You Protected from Contact Center Fraud?

Payments companies are used to defending themselves against fraud from all sorts of angles, but they would do well to mind the phones. By 2020, 75 percent of omni-channel, customer-facing companies will face a targeted attack, with the contact center as the primary point of compromise, according to Gartner research.

Western Union App Integrates Apple Pay

Facing increased competition from mobile P2P services, money transfer giant Western Union has made a move to bolster its own mobile offerings. U.S.-based users of Western Union’s mobile app now can use Apple Pay to send money from within the app domestically, or to more than 200 countries and territories.

Company on the Move: RegTech Association, Launch

A group of 13 Australian financial services and technology startups has come together to form the RegTech Association, a consortium focused on encouraging collaboration between startups and other stakeholders in the regulatory technology, or “regtech” space in Asia-Pacific.

R3, HQLAX and five banks build collateral lending solution on blockchain

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) consortium R3, together with five of its members and financial resource management specialist HQLAX have built a collateral lending solution for liquidity transfers. The solution is based on R3’s flagship platform, Corda, and is “an operating model for a digital collateral receipt (DCR) lending marketplace”.