Worldwide


CFPB Schedules Arbitration Hearing for May 5, Proposed Rule to Come?

The CFPB has scheduled a field hearing on arbitration clauses in Albuquerque, N.M., on May 5 at 11 a.m., MDT. Experts are anticipating the hearing will be the forum for the bureau to release its proposed rule on arbitration, and industry groups are bracing for restrictions or an outright ban on arbitration clauses in financial services contracts.

Wave 2 of European Central Bank’s T2S migration plan completed

The second wave of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) migration plan for Target2-Securities (T2S) transactions has been completed. T2S is the delayed centralised European platform for the settlement of domestic and cross-border securities, and is one of the largest infrastructure projects launched by the ECB. Wave 2 included Portugal’s central securities depository (CSD) Interbolsa, a […]

Morgan Stanley cools blockchain buzz

Morgan Stanley has brought blockchain back to earth, calling it a “double-edged sword” because while it helps banks reduce clutter, profits could fall or shift to new players. In its 31-page report, “Global Insight: Blockchain in Banking: Disruptive Threat or Tool?”, the company predicts blockchain’s “widespread potential to disrupt financial intermediaries” but says there are […]

Global Payments gets green light to acquire Heartland Payment Systems

US-based payment processor Global Payments is to acquire Heartland Payment Systems for $3.8 billion in cash and stock, as approved by the Heartland stockholders. About 29.7 million shares were voted in favour of the merger proposal. The vote represents approximately 99% of the total Heartland shares which voted on the merger proposal and 80% of […]

Biometrics: the road less travelled on the customer journey

Biometric security in the financial services sector has finally reached the tipping point many have been anticipating since Apple launched its fingerprint recognition technology one whole iPhone generation ago. We recently saw the first of the major banks to announce that both fingerprint and voice recognition technology will be viable account login options for millions […]

Orange buys Groupama for 2017 mobile bank launch

Orange has made a significant stride in mobile banking by acquiring a majority stake in financial services firm Groupama, reports Tim Skinner at Telecoms.com. The French mobile operator has confirmed it has acquired 65% of Groupama shares, will be launching a 100% mobile banking service in early 2017. By acquiring Groupama, Orange will be gaining an extensive […]

Top fintech stories this week – 22 April 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Corelation’s Keystone core system reaches 50 users All aboard for US-based credit unions. Citizens Bank plans core banking revamp with FIS Bank is also looking at a new mobile platform and middleware layer. Scotiabank invests millions of dollars […]

Temenos’ Q1 2016 software licensing revenue up 51%

Temenos has revealed IFRS (international financial reporting standards) total software licensing revenue of $38.9 million in Q1 2016; and non-IFRS total software licensing revenue of $39.2 million – up 51% from Q1 2015 on a reported basis and 53% in constant currencies. Temenos CEO David Arnott says this shows financial institutions “continue to embark on […]

Viewpoint: The Gamification of Financial Services

Gamification is not new, but new entrants are showing that injecting the right mix of fun and rewards into financial education can reap dividends for consumers and financial services providers seeking to engage their customers.

Viewpoint: Fintech: The Great Equalizer

We’re bombarded daily with reports that fintech firms are poised to eat the banks’ lunch. The drumbeat is so loud and steady, it’s hard not to fall into the trap of thinking that banks’ best days are behind them. But, I believe the proliferation of fintech solutions presents a remarkable opportunity for small and midsize financial institutions.

When banks leave the front door open

Cyber attacks against the banking industry have soared in the last few years. And financial institutions now face 300% more attacks than any other industry. Comparatively with other industries, the financial services industry isn’t shy where it comes to cyber security investment and generally has a superior level of protection. But this attracts a more […]

Spring 2016 Pay Magazine Now Available

The digital edition of the Spring 2016 issue of Pay Magazine is finally here. Whether you’re a technology provider, a financial services company or a retailer, you have to reconcile consumers’ on-demand mentality with top-notch security and compliance at every consumer touch point. In this issue, we help you do just that.

Infosys’ Finacle core banking system gains first taker in Myanmar

Asia Green Development (AGD) Bank, one of the first commercially owned banks in Myanmar, is automating its ops with Infosys’ Finacle core banking system. This is Infosys’ first core banking system client in Myanmar. The system will support all main operations of the bank, front-to-back office, including online and mobile banking. Finacle will oust a […]

Bermuda Commercial Bank goes live with new core banking system, Temenos’ T24

Bermuda Commercial Bank (BCB) has gone live with Temenos’ T24 core banking system (R13). The bank has also implemented Temenos’ business intelligence and analytics tool, Insight, and an AML solution. Sofgen, a Switzerland-based specialist IT consultancy and integration firm (now part of Tech Mahindra), carried out the implementation. The project was 18 months in the […]

Discover Expands E-Commerce Acceptance with Computop

On the heels of a strong earnings report yesterday, Discover Financial Services’ wholly owned subsidiary Diners Club International announced a deal with Bamberg, Germany-based payment service provider Computop to increase international e-commerce merchant acceptance of Discover, Diners Club and Alliance Partner cards.

NBPCA Chair Previews Hot Topics ahead of D.C. Event

The conference agenda covers the latest in prepaid legislation, regulation, compliance and business innovation, with keynote addresses from Reps. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), and IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

CFPB Report Blasts Payday Lenders over Bank Fees

In advance of the CFPB’s proposed rule on payday loans, the bureau has released a new report critical of payday lenders’ practice of debiting borrowers’ checking accounts, which often leads to overdrafts, penalty fees and account closures, while failing to actually recover payments, according to the report, which is based on data from more than 330 lenders.

U.S. House Passes Oversight Bill for Two Financial Regulators

The Financial Stability Council Reform Act would give Congress funding power over the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the Treasury Department’s Office of Financial Research, which keep track of financial risks and conduct other research.

Swift Business Forum London 2016: Blockchain – a reconciliation revolution

Blockchain is a revolution in reconciliation but not in payments, is one of the messages coming out of the Swift Business Forum London 2016. For the sixth edition of the show, more than 1,300 delegates were rammed and jammed into Tobacco Dock, London. This morning’s (20 April) sessions were dominated by warm-up speeches that praised […]

Payments UK launches new support service, signs Faster Payments as the first taker

Payments UK’s new service – Standards Collaboration Framework – offers institutions support in the implementation of industry standards. The first taker has already been onboarded. This is Faster Payments Scheme Limited (FPSL). Payments UK says the customer “will use the central, well-maintained ‘library’ to simplify how its industry stakeholders access and receive notifications about updated […]

ISO 20022 message guidelines approved and published

ISO 20022 Registration Management Group, the senior global registration body, has approved the ISO 20022 message guidelines – they have now been published. The new guidelines were developed by the ISO Real-Time Payments Group (RTPG) and facilitated by Payments UK, the representative of the country’s payments industry. Payments UK describes this development as “an important […]

Two blockchain start-ups become one as Digital Asset Holdings and Elevence merge

Distributed ledger specialist Digital Asset Holdings has acquired a small Swiss start-up, Elevence Digital Finance. Elevence’s niche is a modelling language for determining rights and obligations in blockchain collaboration agreements. Its takeover provides Digital Asset with a new, verifiable way for parties involved in a transaction to independently prove updates to a distributed ledger while […]

Swift to launch new cloud-based learning platform, SwiftSmart

The new e-learning platform will administrate, document, track, report and deliver a broad catalogue of digital courses and social learning. It is an interactive, cloud-based service. To start with, SwiftSmart will support a subset of Swift’s existing training portfolio, which consists of 100+ courses. The full portfolio will be available by 2017. The initiative is […]

Green Dot Board Battle Continues ahead of Shareholder Meeting, MoneyPak Relaunches

As Green Dot Corp. continues to fend off criticism of its performance and leadership from activist investor Harvest Capital Strategies, the company has sent a letter to shareholders in support of a trio of incumbent board members ahead of elections at Green Dot’s upcoming annual shareholder meeting, scheduled for May 23. Meanwhile, Green Dot’s popular MoneyPak product is back with new security features.

Visa Promises Quicker EMV Transactions

Visa releases a “Quick Chip for EMV” software upgrade that will enable consumers to remove their chip cards from payment terminals in two seconds or less.

Bridgepoint and Summit Partners to buy Calypso Technology

Calypso Technology, a provider of treasury and capital markets (TCM) software, is to be acquired by European private equity fund Bridgepoint and global growth equity investor Summit Partners. Pascal Xatart, president of Calypso, says the deal means the “arrival of a new investor base” which will support its “growth ambitions”. The vendor has been owned […]

MasterCard and Western Union boost Bangladesh’s mobile money transfers

MasterCard, Western Union, Bkash, a mobile financial service (MFS) provider, and BRAC Bank have launched a new, international remittance receiving service in Bangladesh. The service – via Western Union’s global network – enables Bkash’s registered customers to use their mobile phones to receive remittances from abroad directly into their accounts or collected from a Western […]

2016 Pay Awards in Pictures

In March we celebrated the winners of the 2016 Pay Awards at All Payments Expo in New Orleans. See photos of our Best-in-Category honorees and our Industry Achievement winner.

Card Forum: Experts Look ahead to CFPB Final Prepaid Rule

With the CFPB expected to release its long-awaited final rule on prepaid accounts sometime in the coming months, industry experts peered into their crystal balls last week during a panel discussion at Card Forum in Los Angeles, delivering predictions about the timing and potential effects of the looming regulation.

Mobile Wallet Offers Are Blooming

New mobile-wallet offers are blooming like spring flowers as industry players try to attract more consumers to the fledgling payment method, which represents only a speck of U.S. retail spending.

Maybank Private Wealth goes live on Avaloq Banking Suite

Singapore-based Maybank Private Wealth has gone live on Avaloq’s core banking platform, Avaloq Banking Suite. The project dates back to autumn 2014, when the deal between the two parties was signed. Alvin Lee Han Eng, head of private banking at Maybank Private Wealth, is complimentary of the project team, describing it as “professional and competent […]