Worldwide


MasterCard Launches SASSA-Like Program in Pakistan (June 2, 2014)

Building on its experiences from the rollout of the South African Social Security Agency initiative in 2012, which provides millions of South Africans a secure way to receive social grants, MasterCard has announced the launch of a similar program in Pakistan.

ATM Report: Cash is King at Local Shops (June 2, 2014)

While recent reports are showing a decline in cash transactions, convenience store and gas station owners can increase customer loyalty, foot traffic and sales by installing an ATM, according to a survey of consumer habits in the U.K.

Collateral management moves to centre stage

Collateral management as it is currently known will no longer exist within a few years as increased regulatory demands, rising levels of automation and growth of industry tools to optimise collateral transform the industry, according to a new survey and report by Sapient Global Markets.

Cloud – what is it not good for?

Across the financial services sector, the question is now less about where cloud technology is being used, and more about where it isn’t used. Where do financial institutions draw the line when it comes to deciding whether to keep a process or IT-related service in-house or outsource it to specialists such as Amazon Web Services, SAP and many others?

Forget ‘mobile first’: are we heading for mobile-only banking?

The speed at which the mobile market evolves is staggering. Just as we started to look at mobile first, where banks need to align their services and strategies to cater for mobile before desktop or other traditional channels, the notion of mobile-only is now creeping to the fore.

Citi adds TCA tools to futures and options platform

Citi has launched a new set of trading features and transaction cost analysis tools on its Citi Futures and Options Execution platform, which it says will help clients to gain clarity from their futures clearing merchants.

People on the Move: Naveen Surya and Vishwas Patel, Payments Council of India

Naveen Surya, managing director at ItzCash Card Ltd., is serving a two-year term as Payments Council of India chairman as well as chairman of the prepaid issuers working committee. Vishwas Patel, CEO at Avenues India Pvt Ltd., is serving two-year terms as PCI vice chairman and chairman of the merchant aggregator and acquirers committee.

People on the Move: John Walsh, SightSpan

SightSpan Inc. CEO and President John Walsh and John Walsh, former host of “America’s Most Wanted” recently met at a Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Foundation event in Charlotte, N.C.

APEX Europe Wraps Up in Marbella, Spain (May 22, 2014)

Following sessions on Tuesday that featured a keynote presentation by Guido Mangiagalli, Visa Europe’s head of prepaid/core payments; a deep dive into PSD2 and MIF regulations for prepaid, mobile and payments providers by TrustEu Affairs’ Monica Monaco; and a merchant panel addressing interchange and regulation from their side of the table, APEX Europe wrapped up yesterday with panels and individual speakers addressing the opportunities in emerging payments.

Blog: I Want My EMV

EMV chip card technology that helps block counterfeit card fraud at the POS is coming to the U.S., and last week I was one of the first on my block to experience it.

What next for the ATM?

Given that bank customers are unlikely to increase significantly their usage of ATMs and now that opportunities to deploy large numbers of additional dispensers are limited, what does the future hold for the ATM and where does its next phase of growth lie?

KYC Regulatory Impact: Beyond Compliance

Looked at from a data perspective, many new regulations have overlapping requirements that come back to customer data. Banking Technology joined forces with Markit | Genpact KYC Services and regulatory specialist JWG and recently conducted a survey to look at how firms are approaching the challenges this poses, the survey proved hugely popular with over 200 responses.

Cyber criminals target “vulnerable” applications

Security breaches at major institutions in financial services, healthcare and other industries are going undetected for months at a time and are often caused by basic errors of security, such as weak passwords, vulnerable applications and a lack of interest in security, according to a new report by cybercrime specialist company Trustwave.

Wall Street vendor launches FX smart order router

Lucera Financial Infrastructures has launched LumeFX, a technology platform that aims to help market participants increase their chances of finding a fill by using a smart order router to find FX liquidity.

Nasdaq OMX launches MiQ business intelligence

Nasdaq OMX has launched a new business intelligence service called MiQ, which it says will help its regional exchange, clearinghouse and CSD customers to better understand liquidity, market movements, performance and business opportunities.

Uniting entity data – the missed opportunity

In a post-2008 crisis landscape dominated by regulatory reform, compliance is only part of the issue. If firms can address how they manage multiple data sets and deploy a truly enterprise-wide model, they can capitalise on the real opportunity – achieving a competitive advantage.

When Banks Play Games

For the banking sector, which by definition at least is as much economic activity as it is social utility, the relevance of gamification is no longer debatable. Yet recent research shows that just 9% of banks globally have made forays into gamification