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SEC Issues Bitcoin Warning (May 8, 2014)

Suggesting that investments in digital currencies, such as Bitcoin, might carry with them a higher risk of fraud and a harder time recovering losses in the event of fraud or theft, the SEC yesterday issued an investor alert regarding the decentralized P2P currency.

U.K. Banks Debut P2P Payments Service (May 5, 2014)

A group of the biggest financial institutions in the U.K. have banded together to launch a new P2P mobile payments system that by year-end will be accessible to 9 out of 10 bank account holders in the U.K.

GPR at Retail: Details Count

Neither the costs of shepherding a card into stores nor increased competition has deterred new entrants from launching GPR prepaid cards. Providers are coming into the market with astute hooks that play to their strengths to attract and retain cardholders.

Barclays takes Harte from Commonwealth

In one of the highest-profile tech hire in recent years, Barclays has poached Commonwealth Bank’s Michael Harte as chief operations and technology officer, filling the gap left by the surprise departure of Shaygan Kheradpir last autumn.

Blog: Apple Is ‘Serious’ about Moving into Payments

Apple entering the payments space has been a tantalizing prospect for many for a while now. It’s certainly something that would easily upset the status quo of the payments market, and I don’t believe Apple is aiming for the low-hanging fruit.

Blog: Retain Customers by Measuring the Right Data

Management of metrics—such as average handle time, first call resolution, etc.—certainly results in cost saving. But exclusive focus on these metrics results in a huge missed opportunity to improve customer loyalty, increase sales and build brand identity.

Mobile payment security will depend on using the ‘smart’ in smartphone

Confusion and concern over security is cited over and over again as the biggest barrier to widespread consumer uptake of mobile payments. And no wonder – confidence in the protection of sensitive cardholder data lies at the heart of trust in this technology. An EMV card as a physical asset is cryptographically secure. How can we emulate this security with something that is virtual?

PicomoPay, MoneyGram Hoping to Capitalize on Facebook’s Popularity (April 29, 2014)

Just weeks after a report surfaced that Facebook was seeking an e-money license in Europe to boost its international remittance business, PicomoPay, a social networking payments platform, announced a deal with MoneyGram to enable U.S. Facebook users to send money transfers to more than 336,000 MoneyGram agent locations in more than 200 countries.

People on the Move: Kelly Mahon Tullier and Ellen Richey, Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. has announced that Kelly Mahon Tullier will join the company as executive vice president and deputy general counsel. Ellen Richey, chief legal officer, chief risk officer and member of the executive committee, will continue in those roles through Sept. 30, 2014, when she will become vice chairman, risk and public policy.

The Future of Payments: towards a vision for 2020

While the payments landscape has evolved rapidly over the past decade, due to a flurry of innovation and regulation, expansive growth in electronic payments and the inclusion of new market entrants, industry research indicates that the next decade will be a period of even faster changes.

A Square Deal? (April 24, 2014)

First the Wall Street Journal reported in November that Square Inc. was considering an IPO. Then acquisition rumors swirled after the newspaper reported this week that Square had been in M&A talks with companies including Google, Apple and PayPal.

Mobile payments push past 20% of transactions says PSP

Payment services provider Adyen has reported that one in five payments made on its network are now being made using a mobile device – a finding that reflects the rise of mobile payments worldwide, according to the firm.