New Smartphone Offers PayPal Payments with the Swipe of a Finger (Feb. 25, 2014)
Owners of the new Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone soon will be able to make in-store payments via their PayPal accounts by just lifting—or rather, swiping—a finger.
Worldwide
Fiserv: Rising ACH and Wire-Transfer Fraud Demands Broader Defenses (Feb. 25, 2014)
Fraud associated with ACH transactions and wire transfers is on the rise, creating fresh challenges for financial institutions already grappling with higher risks from data breaches, malware and account hijacking, according to Fiserv.
BBVA Keeps It Simple; Ezetap, mCASH Rake in Funding (Feb. 25, 2014)
Spanish financial services group BBVA has announced it is acquiring Paybefore Award-winning Simple, the Portland-Ore.-based digital banking company founded in 2009, for $117 million.
Prepaid Cards Play Key Role in New Contactless Transit-Payment Systems
When upgraded public transit fare-payment systems went live recently in Chicago and Salt Lake City, contactless payment transactions soared into the millions.
Banking on you – how wearable tech could change finance
Something big is happening to the internet (and, no, I am not talking about Bitcoin though that would be a fascinating topic for another time). In a nutshell, it’s changing into something you wear rather than go to, writes Aman Narain, global head of digital banking at Standard Chartered.
MasterCard Acquires M-Payments Partner C-SAM, Launches In-App Payments (Feb. 24, 2014)
MasterCard has entered into an agreement to acquire Chicago-based mobile payment technology provider C-SAM.
Nevada Gaming Commission OKs Prepaid for Slot Machines (Feb. 24, 2014)
The Nevada Gaming Commission has approved the use of prepaid cards for wagering on slot machines in the state.
Amazon Coins Expand to All Android Devices (Feb. 24, 2014)
Amazon has announced that customers in the U.S., U.K. and Germany now can use the e-retail giant’s Amazon Coins in-app currency on all Android-based smartphones and tablets.
Raincoats, taxis and the future of banking
What do taxis, the weather, mobile wallets and raincoats have in common? They are all potential variables in determining a person’s daily spend – and they provide a great opportunity for banks to use data to save customers money, according to Aman Narain, global head of digital banking Singapore at Standard Chartered.
Google Nabs Audio Authentication Startup (Feb. 20, 2014)
Google has acquired Israeli startup SlickLogin, which has developed technology that uses high-frequency sound waves to authenticate user identity when logging into Websites.
NBPCA Teams with Consumer Action for Payroll Guides to Educate, Ensure Compliance (Feb. 20, 2014)
With a growing number of U.S. employers offering their employees the option of payroll cards, the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA) has joined with consumer advocacy group Consumer Action to develop a pair of guides to help companies and employees learn about payroll cards, including how they work, options for accessing wages and how to avoid or limit fees.
European Parliament Committee Endorses Proposed Payments Rules; Plenary Vote Set for April (Feb. 21, 2014)
The European Parliament’s ECON Committee today voted to endorse proposed amendments to the European Union’s “Payments Package” legislation, which includes the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and the regulation on interchange fees for card-based payment transactions (MIF Regulation).
Blog: Tackling Financial Literacy Is a Team Effort
Wherever you sit in the industry, you can help the end users of prepaid products (or future users) by supporting basic financial education. The key is to make it fun.
Blog: From Atoms to Bits: The Digital Age of Money
As we move to digitize everything, the transition to digital wallets hasn’t been an easy feat. O2 recently announced it would discontinue its mobile wallet and despite efforts by industry heavyweights, mass adoption of a digital/mobile wallet still is proving elusive.
Visa and MasterCard Green-Light HCE, Giving Banks and Merchants New NFC Options (Feb. 19, 2014)
Visa and MasterCard today announced plans to support Host Card Emulation, which enables storage of card credentials in the cloud, rather than using the secure element embedded in handsets, a move observers say could reignite prospects for NFC.
Orange Cash Expands to Spain (Feb. 19, 2014)
Mobile network operator Orange is launching its Paybefore Award-winning Orange Cash prepaid MasterCard in Spain.
Executive Profile: One on One with Mark Putman, First Data
As a startup veteran with five companies under his belt, Mark Putman never foresaw his future as an executive for a large company. Today, he oversees the prepaid business at First Data Corp., one of the world’s largest payments processors, as senior vice president of prepaid solutions.
Trade Reporting: over the first hurdle
The deadline for trade reporting mandated by the European Market Infrastructure Regulation is 12 February, and many institutions are working hard to meet it. In this webinar, Banking Technology and the DTCC will be discussing how the industry managed the transition and what challenges remain.
Innovators’ Spotlight: Planet Payment
A global multicurrency processor is breaking down borders to make global shopping a local experience.
U.S. Bancorp, Monitise Unveil Digital Watermark-Based Mobile Shopping Platform (Feb. 18, 2014)
U.S. Bancorp and U.K.-based Monitise plc have partnered to launch a white-label mobile commerce platform dubbed Peri.
Congressional Agency Calls for Clearer Campus Card Guidelines (Feb. 18, 2014)
The Government Accountability Office is the latest government agency to scrutinize the increasingly popular campus-based debit and prepaid cards.
RBI Report Outlines Technology for Banks, Telcos to Develop Mobile Banking (Feb. 18, 2014)
The Reserve Bank of India continues to encourage development of mobile banking across its nation, where 870 million consumers have a mobile handset but fewer than half of those have bank accounts.
People on the Move: Michael McMillan, Heartland Payment Systems
Heartland Payment Systems, a Princeton, N.J.-based merchant processor, has hired Michael McMillan as chief branding officer.
Company on the Move: Calpian Inc.’s Money-on-Mobile, The Indian Merchants’ Chamber Award
Calpian Inc., a global processing and mobile payments technology company, announced that Money-on-Mobile, its India-based subsidiary and prepaid mobile payments company, has been recognized for “Excellence in Information Technology Service” by The Indian Merchants’ Chamber.
People on the Move: Mary Donovan, Nicole Willis and Erin Wood, Retail Gift Card Association
The Retail Gift Card Association, a trade association of closed-loop gift card retailers, has appointed Mary Donovan executive director, and named Kellen Company as the RGCA’s management firm.
Predicting the future in financial services
As data volumes continue to grow, being able to make greater use of the information enhances competitive advantage. The financial services industry is taking steps towards using predictive analytics technology to do just that.
Amazon Goes with ‘Flow’ to Challenge Brick-and-Mortar Retailers (Feb. 13, 2014)
Amazon this month updated its iOS shopping app with a new feature called Flow, which could add rocket fuel to the “showrooming” phenomenon already affecting brick-and-mortar retailers.
MasterPass Says ‘Hola’ to Spain (Feb. 13, 2014)
MasterCard has launched its MasterPass online shopping service in Spain, the payment card network said this week.
MCX Adds Platform Provider Paydiant and Burger Chain Wendy’s (Feb. 13, 2014)
Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), the Coppell, Texas-based, retailer-led mobile payment consortium founded in 2012, is adding Paydiant’s cloud-based platform to its mobile commerce infrastructure.
CVC Capital Finalizes 600 Million-Euro Skrill Buy (Feb. 13, 2014)
A controlling stake in European online payment company Skrill Group has been acquired by CVC Capital Partners, one of Europe’s largest investment consortiums.
It’s 2014 … time to change the way you think about payments
Ten years ago business-to-business payment options were pretty limited: cheques dominated, and organisations only had the option of 3-day BACS payments or expensive CHAPS transactions for high value, same day payments.
Payza Looks to Grow Global Reach with New Enterprise Service (Feb. 11, 2014)
Online payment provider Payza has begun offering its platform directly to money service companies, officially launching its strategic partnership phase, first announced at the end of 2013.
Vodafone Adds MoneyGram Network for M-Pesa Remittances (Feb. 11, 2014)
Vodafone has inked a deal with MoneyGram that will enable anyone to send funds via MoneyGram’s 334,000 agents worldwide to users of Vodafone’s popular M-Pesa mobile payment service.
U.S. Reps Scheduled to Vote on CFPB Bill Tomorrow (Feb. 11, 2014)
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote tomorrow on the Consumer Financial Protection and Soundness Improvement Act (H.R. 3193).
Class Action Dismissed: Expiration Date Receipt Disclosure
A consumer’s class action suit reminds businesses to adhere to FACTA requirements, and prevent potential identity theft and fraud.
FIX publishes guidelines for equities TCA
Industry standards organisation the FIX Trading Community has published its guidelines for transaction cost analysis in equities, which it says will help to create a better market by clearing up the competing methodologies and definitions that are currently in use.
Celent sees strong global growth in bank IT spending
Global IT spending by banks will grow 4.4% to $188.0 billion this year, and will continue to do so for the next few years, according to research firm Celent.
Pew Report: GPR Card Fees Go Down, But Regs Still Needed (Feb. 10, 2014)
GPR card products are on the rise and have become more affordable over the last year, according to a new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts, which examined 66 GPR cards and compared the findings to a similar report in 2012.
N.Y. Regulators Seek Digital Currency Laws that Preserve Innovation; Money2020 Announces Bitcoin Focus in 2014 (Feb. 10, 2014)
A recent hearing before N.Y. State officials outlined the possible road map toward government regulation of Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
PayNearMe Expands Footprint with Family Dollar Deal, Raises $20 Million (Feb. 10, 2014)
Hot on the heels of a fresh infusion of capital, PayNearMe, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based cash transaction network, last week announced a deal with Family Dollar, enabling consumers to use cash for online purchases, payments toward loans and rent, among other transactions, at the discount retailer’s more than 8,000 locations.
