Worldwide


Total Merchant Services Finds ‘Groovv’ with SMEs

Payments processor Total Merchant Services has unveiled a new POS system targeted for use by small and midsize businesses, including those in the retail and restaurant verticals. Dubbed Groovv POS, the platform comes in two models: an all-in-one offering that includes a 13-inch touchscreen monitor, cash drawer, integrated barcode scanner and receipt printer; as well as a smaller “Flex” model, built around a detachable Samsung Galaxy tablet.

Midnight Deal to Buy Bitcoin Goes Bad

A Florida man should have gotten his bitcoin through a reputable virtual currency exchange instead of some guys meeting in a Boston Market restaurant parking lot in the middle of the night. Likely surprising no one, a deal to exchange $28,000 for the equivalent in bitcoin went bad, leading to one arrest.

FICO quarterly income and revenue up

FICO, an analytics and decision management software provider, has reported a rise in revenue and income for its third fiscal quarter. For the period ended 30 June 2016, net income totalled $35.0 million, or $1.08 per share, versus $19.9 million, or $0.62 per share, reported in the prior year period. Non-GAAP net income for the […]

Interview: Rupert Scofield, founder of Finca International

Rupert Scofield, president and CEO of microfinance organisation Finca International, discusses how it brings banking to the developing world and why people should follow America’s lead in the art of philanthropy. “This is your world. My generation had its shot. We thought our problems were daunting but it’s nothing like the stuff you’re dealing with. […]

MasterCard and PayPal mull strategic alliance

Years of friction could be over as PayPal is talking to MasterCard on a potential strategic alliance, according to the Financial Times. PayPal, with its network of 188 million active users, has been expanding at MasterCard’s and Visa’s expense. One example was its recent partnership with Mexican telecommunications giant América Móvil for growth in Latin […]

New report lifts the lid on regtech sales performance globally

The Regtech Supplier Performance Report 2016, published by Market Fintech Limited and supported by Banking Technology, estimates that more 189 global financial institutions have deployed a range of new regulatory technology (regtech) solutions from 20+ specialist suppliers in just a couple of years.

Top fintech stories this week – 29 July 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Abcul slow on tech modernisation project Exclusive: First credit unions to go live before year-end. New mobile banking for SMEs readies for UK launch Tide will offer a “nimble small business current account”. Top ten retail banking sites […]

Can robo-advisors stand the test of time?

Robo-advisors are becoming increasingly commonplace in the UK’s financial sector. Over the last 18 months, high street banks such as Barclays, Lloyds, Santander and RBS have all launched robo-advice platforms, and it’s not only these well-known names that are competing to own the online investment space. Smaller challenger brands like Nutmeg and Wealthfront have also […]

CASHU Denies Reports of Saudi Ban, Announces Expansion

Earlier this month, reports emerged in several Saudi media outlets that SAMA had banned in-person sales of CASHU prepaid cards due to the large number of customers using the cards and the government’s inability to monitor misuse.

Venmo In-App Payments Exits Beta

Venmo also announced additional merchant partners have come on board, bringing the number of merchants now accepting Venmo payments within their mobile apps to 11.

Tech Leadership Award open for entries!

Do you know an outstanding Tech Leader? The Tech Leadership Award, part of our annual Banking Technology Awards, will go to an individual for leading and playing an instrumental role in devising and/or delivering the technology strategy to support the key business objectives of an organisation. The award is open to all industry participants worldwide […]

Alpima to implement new digital advisory platform from SS&C

London-based advisory firm Alpima has selected SS&C Technologies’ APX and Moxy solutions to underpin its digital advisory business. APX is an integrated, front-to-back office portfolio and client management solution. Moxy is a centralised trade order management system. SS&C says the contract was preceded by a “thorough analysis”. Pierre Mendelsohn, founder and CEO of Alpima, comments […]

CECL: introducing another project for banking IT departments

There was some big news for bank’s risk and finance technology departments last month. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. Notably, this standard introduces a new impairment model, commonly known as the CECL (current […]

Q&A with Ron Hynes, UniRush LLC

Ron Hynes has been on the job as the new CEO of UniRush LLC less than a month, but he’s already looking ahead. And, he’s not going to let the CFPB’s looming final prepaid rulemaking slow the company down when it comes to innovation and product development. Hynes spoke with Paybefore about what he brings to his new role and why UniRush’s cardholder settlement made him want the CEO job even more.

Mastercard Patent Authenticates Without In-Store PIN, Biometrics

Mastercard on Tuesday (July 26) was granted a patent for a device that sidesteps PINs and biometrics for quick consumer payment authorization. The idea is that consumers would authenticate themselves before making the purchase, thereby enabling much faster checkout in-store.

Reports: Square Prepares for U.K. Launch

Square Inc. reportedly wants to set up shop in the U.K. That would put the mobile payments service up against such players as PalPay and Germany-based SumUp—among many others—for the loyalties of merchants.

Sopra Steria acquires Cassiopae

Paris-based Sopra Steria has completed its acquisition of Cassiopae, a developer of specialised finance management software. The firm, through its subsidiary Sopra Banking Software, has bought 75% of the share capital of Cassiopae. The planned tie-up was first announced in February, as Banking Technology reported. Cassiopae’s founder and his family, and certain managers including current […]

Pay Magazine – Awards Edition Is Here

The wait is over. The first publication dedicated to our annual Pay Awards is here—packed with insights and inspiration from our 10th annual Pay Awards competition and the programs, companies and individual that walked away with top honors. You’ll also get an exclusive look at comments from our expert judges.

Optimal execution and the human-machine interface

In recent years we have seen a strong trend for institutional trading desks to leverage their data to improve trade execution results and become more recognised as active participants in portfolio performance. Two important applications of predictive analytics have arisen, both aiming to improve the manner in which trading algorithms are used and controlled. It […]

CEO Fails to Keep Alive GiftCardRescue.com

Citing a lack of financing, gift card exchange GiftCardRescue.com has closed up shop. Kwame Kuadey, founder and CEO, launched the company in 2008, enabling consumers to exchange unwanted gift cards or buy new ones at a discount.

Mastercard Eyes License as China Opens to Outside Payment Firms

Mastercard is setting its sights on China, with plans to apply for a payment services license there and releasing a new index to track the pulse of the nation’s new economy. China began allowing foreign-based payment card providers to operate in the country in June, giving outside players the opportunity to access the country’s $8.25 trillion payments market—provided they met certain capital and security standards. Mastercard currently is studying the requirements and deciding whether to apply for a license alone or with a partner.

5 Ways Wearables Are Improving the Way We Shop

With nearly 40 million Americans using wearables—and that number expected to more than double by 2018, retailers are looking for ways to capitalize on wearable popularity by using these devices to push personalized offers and provide payments capabilities to improve the shopping experience.

Report: U.K. Mobile Banking on Rise as Branch Visits, Desktop Banking Dwindle

Mobile banking is catching on in a big way in the U.K., with payments via mobile banking apps reaching £347 (about US$456 million) in 2015, up a whopping 54 percent over the previous year, according to a new study. The Way We Bank Now, a report from the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) and professional services organization EY, found that U.K. consumers used mobile banking apps—ranging from those of major banks to full-featured mobile-centric accounts—more than 4 billion times last year.

Vermilion secures asset manager in Australia for reporting

Vermilion Software, a UK-based supplier of client reporting and communications software, has been selected by one of the largest investment managers in Australia, Challenger. Challenger has chosen Vermilion Reporting Suite for its institutional client base. David Mackaway, general manager of operations at Challenger, says: “Vermilion’s multi-tenanted approach will enhance our ability to deliver reporting for […]

Banking Technology Awards 2016 issues call for entries

Entries are now open for the prestigious Banking Technology Awards – the premier event recognising excellence in the use of technology in banking and financial services, strive for innovation, and professional contribution to the industry’s betterment. Highlights A comprehensive list of categories to laud the best of the best across a broad range of IT […]

Top fintech stories this week – 22 July 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! BBA records dramatic increase in mobile banking usage Digital banking is in a “consumer-led revolution”. MasterCard buys VocaLink for $920 million Current owners Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and RBS will receive a handy windfall. Cidel Bank implementing ERI’S Olympic […]

Tech and talent: priority number one for official institutions

Since the global financial crisis, there has been an endemic environment of low interest rates and currency fluctuations. The effects of quantitative easing have been broadly felt by institutions across the globe; and have created major challenges for central banks, sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) and government pension funds. In addition to this, equity market declines […]

PayPal Cuts Deal with Visa, Abandons ACH Push

For those wondering if the post-eBay PayPal would act differently, July 21 gave us the answer: Yes. On Thursday, PayPal announced a strategic partnership with Visa where Visa would get preference—in both PayPal and Venmo apps—and PayPal said that it would “not encourage Visa cardholders to link to a bank account via ACH” and “PayPal will also support and work with issuers to identify consumers who choose to migrate existing ACH payment flows to their Visa cards.”

Mastercard Makes Big U.K. Play with $1.1 Billion VocaLink Investment

Mastercard is set to gain control of a major chunk of the U.K. transaction processing market, entering a definitive agreement to acquire 92.4 percent of VocaLink in a deal that could total up to $1.14 billion. A bank-owned consortium, VocaLink’s technology underpins the British direct debit and credit payments system, as well as the LINK ATM network and the Faster Payments Scheme for real-time mobile and Internet payments.

Artemis implements behavioural analytics software for compliance, Sybenetix Compass

Artemis, a UK-based fund manager with £22.6 billon assets under management, is implementing new behavioural analytics software for compliance. The solution – called Compass – is provided by specialist vendor Sybenetix. It will support the market abuse surveillance functionality, case management and conduct management, end-to-end. This is a multi-year deal and is an extension on […]

Viewpoint: Liberating Consumers through Payments

For once, the sound bites being used to describe upcoming changes in the global banking industry may actually be too conservative. The latest Payments Services Directive likely will revolutionize how consumers interact with their banks and the protection they can expect when paying online or on their mobile devices—and the effects won’t be limited to Europe.

Viewpoint: Can Emojis Secure Mobile Payments?

In addition to brightening text messages and tweets, the popular icons beloved by everyone from tweens to Baby Boomers may soon serve a much more substantial purpose—mobile and payments authentication.

Viewpoint: Debunking E-Commerce Payment Myths

Retailers can cater more closely to the ever-changing needs and preferences of online shoppers if they resist falling prey to these four common misconceptions about how consumers pay.

U.S. Senators Go to Bat for Credit Unions and Community Banks

In this contentious presidential election cycle, it’s hard to imagine anything getting 70 percent of the Senate to back it. But 70 U.S. Senators want the CFPB to lay off credit unions and community banks when it comes to certain, unspecified rules.