Ubiquity Global Services Expanding to Portugal (Nov. 4, 2014)
True to its name, Ubiquity Global Services, a New York-based financial services and payments service company, is becoming more ubiquitous globally.
Worldwide
UniRush Using Enacomm Biometric Tech to Protect Cardholders (Nov. 4, 2014)
Biometrics have been getting a lot of attention as a means of payments authentication, but UniRush LLC wants to use the technology to bolster security and improve the customer self-service experience for its cardholders.
MasterCard and Visa Drop Interchange Rates in Canada (Nov. 4, 2014)
MasterCard Canada and Visa Canada are reducing interchange fees to an average net effective 1.5 percent rate for the next five years for consumer credit cards.
Ripple protocol integrated into risk management system from Yantra
Yantra Financial Technologies, an electronic payment systems developer, has integrated its latest system for risk scoring of payments with the Ripple real-time settlement protocol. The integration means that institutions using the Ripple protocol can analyse transactions in seconds, including what other payments the customer recently made and potential concerns regarding a specific transaction. Risk levels can be assigned to certain transactions based on pre-determined criteria.
Prepaid Accounts Topic of Next Week’s CFPB Hearing (Nov. 3, 2014)
After a somewhat vague notice of its next field hearing, the CFPB updated its blog to specify that “prepaid accounts” will be the topic of the hearing, scheduled for 11 a.m. EST, Thursday, Nov. 13, in Wilmington, Del.—an exact location has not been given.
Money20/20 Keynote: Lawsky Floats ‘Transitional’ BitLicense for Startups (Nov. 3, 2014)
During a Money20/20 keynote, New York State Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin M. Lawsky raised the possibility of a new addition in the proposed rules; licensing specially designed for virtual currency startups.
U.K. Consumers Prefer Buying, Giving Physical Gift Cards (Nov. 3, 2014)
As more aspects of life leave the physical world and enter the digital one, the majority of U.K. consumers still prefer buying and giving physical gift cards, rather than buying and sending them electronically, according to a recent survey by global gift card provider and program manager Stored Value Solutions (SVS).
The Network Effect: Ingo Money Acquires Fuze
Ingo Money, known for its mobile check deposit capture technology and Good Funds Network, is planning to acquire Fuze Network, a payments technology company that enables loads to more than 1 billion bank-issued cards at thousands of retail locations.
Currency Cloud and XE.com plan “transparent” FX service
Currency site XE.com and money transfer business Currency Cloud plan to launch a new international payments service called XE Money Transfers before the end of this year, which they claim will make foreign exchange transactions more transparent.
CFPB Field Hearing Announced: Is the GPR NPRM on Its Way? (Oct. 30, 2014)
Yesterday the CFPB posted on its Website the announcement of its next field hearing, 11 a.m. EST, Thursday, Nov. 13, in Wilmington, Del.
MCX CEO Addresses Hack, Rumors and Competition (Oct. 30, 2014)
It’s been a rough week for Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), the retailer-led mobile payments consortium.
Study: Rate of Un/Underbanked U.S. Households Still Hovers around 28% (Oct. 30, 2014)
While more than a quarter of American households still were either unbanked or underbanked last year, as was the case in 2011, the proportion of unbanked households declined to 7.7 percent or 9.6 million households, compared with 8.2 percent in 2011, according to the latest report from the FDIC.
Ubiquity Supports RushCard with Dispute, Chargeback Services (Oct. 30, 2014)
Ubiquity Global Services, a New York-based financial services and payments service company, will be the sole provider of dispute and chargeback services to UniRush LLC.
Financial Services for the non-wealthy
The hypothesis that seems to be gaining ground is that banks have a wider responsibility in society. If we believe that, then part of their responsibility must clearly be to provide banking products and services that serve the financial needs of the less affulent.
People on the Move: Paul Boemer, 1to1 Card
1to1 Card, a Chicago-based prepaid card program manager, announced that Paul Boemer has joined the company as chief strategy officer.
People on the Move: Arthur Levitt, BitPay and Vaurum
Bitcoin payment processor BitPay and Bitcoin exchange Vaurum announced that Arthur Levitt, former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), will serve as adviser to both enterprises.
People on the Move: Tom Ochoa, CardCash.com
CardCash.com, a Brick, N.J.-based marketplace for secondary gift cards, has hired Tom Ochoa as senior vice president of business development.
People on the Move: Safdar Khan, MasterCard
MasterCard has appointed Safdar Khan to lead its growing Islamic payments business in Southeast Asia, and he will be promoted to the role of group country manager for Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
People on the Move: Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Hoople, Meta Financial Group Inc. Board of Directors
Meta Financial Group Inc. announced that Elizabeth G. “Betty” Hoople has joined the company’s board of directors.
People on the Move: Marion King, RBS
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has hired Marion King as director of payments. She will begin her role with the Edinburgh-based company in early 2015.
People on the Move: David Sear, Skrill Group
Skrill Group, provider of online payment technologies to merchants and consumers, has announced that David Sear will become CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2015.
People on the Move: Robin Caddell, Cassandra Pudenz and Alexandra Guzik, TMG Financial Services
TMG Financial Services, a Des Moines, Iowa-based payments solutions provider, has announced the promotion of one employee and the addition of two others to the team.
Blog: One Apple Pay User Takes a Bite
Those of us immersed in payments may have a unique perspective on Apple Pay, but what about other folks? I asked one self-proclaimed Apple “fan boy” to give the mobile wallet a test drive.
Blog: Unlocking the Real Value of Mobile Payments
Giving consumers what they really need and want from mobile payments will require making payments as invisible as possible.
Blog: India’s E-Commerce Boom Paves Way for Digital Money
India is on the brink of a huge economic transformation and making money digital is a crucial part of the solution.
MCX Speaks Out: Confirms Exclusivity, Defends Data Security, Privacy (Oct. 29, 2014)
MCX sets the record straight on CurrentC, including exclusivity and data security, following Rite Aid-CVS/pharmacy showdown with Apple Pay.
Emerging market banks lead on customer experience innovation
Banks in fast growing and rapidly developing markets have greater ambition to innovate and invest more in research and development on customer experience than those in mature markets, though all are increasing their investments.
Apple Pay Passes 1 Million Mark in 72 Hours, Plans ahead for China (Oct. 28, 2014)
More than 1 million credit cards were activated within the first three days of the Apply Pay mobile wallet’s Oct. 20 debut, Apple CEO Tim Cook told attendees at the WSJD Live Global Technology Conference this week.
NRF: Holiday Sales to Jump 4.1 Percent; Consumers Clamor for Gift Cards, Uneasy with Paying by Phone (Oct. 28, 2014)
Retail holiday spending in the U.S. is expected to jump 4.1 percent to $616.9 billion in 2014, marking the first increase of more than 4 percent since 2011.
Putin Delays Security Deposit Payments for Visa, MasterCard (Oct. 28, 1014)
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week signed a law giving Visa and MasterCard a five-month reprieve from paying a huge security deposit for operating in Russia, according to The Moscow Times.
MasterCard Invests in Mozido’s Global Expansion Plans (Oct. 28, 2014)
MasterCard was one of several investors to lead a round of Series B funding that brought in $185 million for Mozido LLC, a startup that focuses on cloud-based, white-label mobile payments services for banks and merchants.
Apple Pay/Pharmacy Flap Shows Consumer Interest in M-Wallets (Oct. 27, 2014)
Consumers who want to use Apple Pay at the POS may be a little confused as two large pharmacy chains reportedly accepted some initial payments with the mobile wallet that went live last week, but no longer are.
M&A Update: Blackhawk, Green Dot Complete Respective Acquisitions (Oct. 27, 2014)
Blackhawk Network and Green Dot Corp. recently have completed their acquisitions of Parago Inc. and Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG), respectively.
FDIC Committee to Address Unbanked/Underbanked National Survey (Oct. 27, 2014)
FDIC Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion will meet this week to discuss the results of the 2013 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households.
Awards Night Honors Industry Achievements (Oct. 27, 2014)
Several Paybefore Award-winning companies also were recent recipients of accolades at the Emerging Payments Awards held in London last week.
Deutsche Börse names new chief executive
Carsten Kengeter has been named as the successor to Reto Francioni, who is stepping down as chief executive of Deutsche Börse after newaly 10 years. Kengeter will take over after the exchange group’s Annual General Meeting on 13 May 2015.
Cyber-security top issue for systemic risk says DTCC
Greater information sharing and closer collaboration between the public and private sectors are needed to combat cyber-attacks, which are now the principal concern of the financial services industry, according to the DTCC. A top priority should be the creation of global industry working groups to engage with national regulators on the development of cyber-security regulations that address the real-time and evolving nature of cyber-threats.
Why bank branches are here to stay
In the rush towards digital banking, are banks in danger of abandoning one of their best ways to engage with customers – their branches?
Visa’s Frew: Banks Moving GPR to the Forefront Will See Results (Oct. 23, 2014)
As GPR cards go mainstream for certain consumer sectors, banks that bring GPR cards to the forefront of their branch marketing efforts are seeing positive results, according to Cecilia Frew, Visa’s head of U.S. prepaid products.
CEO Nelms: Don’t Know When but Discover to Participate in Apple Pay (Oct. 23, 2014)
David Nelms, CEO at Discover Financial Services, kept his cards close to the vest about the payments network’s involvement with the recently launched Apple Pay—but Discover’s participation does seem likely, based on his comments during a Q&A with investors on this week’s earnings call.
