People on the Move: Jeffrey Tourek, JetPay Payment Services
JetPay Payment Services, a division of JetPay Corporation, has appointed Jeffrey S. Tourek executive vice president and national sales leader.
Worldwide
People on the Move: Thomas Auriemma and Brahm Gelfand, Optimal Payments
Optimal Payments, a London-based online payment solutions provider, has named Thomas Auriemma as an adviser to provide strategic and regulatory advice on current and future U.S. state regulation regarding payment services for the online gaming industry. The company also appointed Brahm Gelfand as a non-executive director to the company’s board of directors.
People on the Move: Rakesh ‘Rocky’ Agrawal, PayPal
PayPal has named Rakesh “Rocky” Agrawal director of strategy.
Fiserv Inks Agreement with MasterCard for Debit EMV Solution for Accel Network (March 13, 2014)
Fiserv Inc. has opted to make MasterCard’s U.S. common debit application identifier (AID) available for its Accel debit network, as another piece falls into place in the U.S. debit networks’ EMV transaction-routing puzzle.
Prepaid Earns High Marks on CFSI Scorecard (March 13, 2014)
The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) gives the prepaid industry an A-.
Wheels in Motion for Digital Currency Regulation in N.Y. (March 13, 2014)
The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has begun accepting applications from firms looking to set up digital currency exchanges and will issue proposed regulations on digital currency in the coming months, the agency said.
Relationships between Big and Small Firms Can Be Rewarding, If Challenging
Developments in retail financial services are bringing together large financial institutions and more entrepreneurial, but much smaller, startup companies. While both groups benefit from partnerships—as those in prepaid have long known—there are challenges.
Lombard Risk in global collateral management deal with Broadridge
Broadridge Financial Solutions has formed an alliance with UK software developer Lombard Risk Management under which Lombard’s collateral management system will be integrated into Broadridge’s applications and infrastructure services.
Industry Views: M&A on the Rise
We asked M&A experts to tell us what to expect in the coming months, specifically around prepaid, mobile and emerging payments. They all agreed on one thing: Change will continue to be the norm.
Viewpoint: Inside the EC Payments Package and the Aggressive Timeline for Passage
The European Parliament’s ECON Committee vote on the “Payments Package” has resulted in inconsistent legislative text that differs significantly from the EC draft proposal. With an aggressive timeline for passage, including an April plenary vote, the payments industry needs to make its voice heard on the potentially harmful impacts of the proposed changes.
Cachet Makes Mobile Wallet Foray with Moneto Buy (March 12, 2014)
Minneapolis-based remote deposit capture (RDC) specialist Cachet Financial Solutions has made a major move into the mobile wallet arena, acquiring the moneto mobile payment platform from DeviceFidelity Inc.
BofA Merrill’s SafeBalance Account Targets Fee-Wary Consumers (March 12, 2014)
Bank of America Merrill Lynch last week began testing a new product in six states that could compete with GPR cards and low-cost bank accounts, such as Moven, Simple and Green Dot Corp.’s GoBank, the latter two of which are Paybefore Awards winners.
McDonald’s Sweden Integrates SEQR Payments into Mobile App (March 12, 2014)
McDonald’s Sweden has integrated the SEQR payment service of Stockholm-based software development company Seamless into its own mobile app, enabling customers of the QSR to pay with SEQR.
Editor’s Note: Keeping What Makes You Great
We may not be the shiny new thing like mobile, but prepaid has a role to play in the new era of payments because it’s accessible to every consumer. For prepaid businesses to stay relevant and take their place in this evolving market, they must hold onto the innovative spirit and keen focus on solving problems that sparked the industry more than 15 years ago.
Report: European Prepaid Maturing, Open-Loop Spend to Hit €112 Billion by 2020 (March 11, 2014)
Prepaid products now have a proven track record in many major European countries, where the industry has begun the process of transitioning from its adolescent phase into one of mature, stable growth.
Mobile Parking Payments Coming to Chicago (March 11, 2014)
Many Chicago drivers soon won’t have to dig under the seat for spare change to feed the meter. The city has announced a new initiative to launch a mobile payment system for parking, set for a pilot run in the downtown area this spring, with a rollout throughout Chicago to follow.
Vodafone Wallet Goes Live Across Germany (March 11, 2014)
Vodafone’s NFC-based mobile wallet and prepaid Vodafone SmartPass Visa account went live this month in Germany, enabling Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica Deutschland mobile network subscribers to conduct contactless and P2P transactions with NFC-ready phones via participating banks.
EMVCo Releases Tokenization Specification, Invites Feedback (March 11, 2014)
EMVCo today has released its tokenization specification, and is inviting all payments industry participants to provide feedback.
Blackhawk Extends Prepaid Deal with Safeway through 2019 as it Prepares to Go Solo (March 10, 2014)
Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. next month will complete its spinoff from parent Safeway Inc., but the two companies will remain close partners because of a deal Blackhawk inked to extend its role as exclusive prepaid and gift card provider to Safeway through 2019.
MasterPass Expansion Continues with UAE Launch (March 10, 2014)
MasterCard plans to roll out its MasterPass mobile wallet platform to the United Arab Emirates later this year.
MasterCard, Visa Form Cross-Industry Security Group (March 10, 2014)
MasterCard and Visa announced the formation of a new cross-industry group focused on enhancing payment system security to keep pace with the expectations of consumers, retailers and financial institutions.
Sally Beauty Refutes Breach Rumors (March 10, 2014)
Sally Beauty, the specialty retailer and distributor of professional beauty supplies, is the latest retailer allegedly falling prey to hackers—or, at least, becoming the victim of rumors that credit and debit card information and other customer data has been compromised.
‘Why Stop at Bitcoin?’ Congressman Asks; ‘Let’s Ban Cash’ (March 10, 2014)
With Bitcoin and other digital currencies continuing to stir controversy, one of the main arguments of critics calling for tightly regulating such forms of tender is that the currencies’ anonymous nature makes them conducive to use in illicit activities and transactions. But as a U.S. Congressman points out in a letter to federal regulators, paper money also can be used anonymously for illicit ends—and thus, the tongue-in-cheek missive claims, regulators should turn their attention to banning cold, hard cash too.
BNY Mellon sets out global ambitions with new payments architecture
BNY Mellon says a global overhaul of its payments infrastructure will position it for “a new era” in payments and fundamentally change its relationship with customers and other financial institutions internationally.
Visa, First Data EMV Pact Could Boost Adoption (March 6, 2014)
First Data’s plan for its STAR Network to license Visa’s common Application Identifier (AID) could help get the ball rolling for EMV adoption as other debit networks continue to weigh their own options for routing debit transactions under the Durbin Amendment, observers say.
APEX Panel: Cardholder Satisfaction Up on Gov’t Prepaid Cards; Data Analytics Key (March 6, 2014)
Government agencies using prepaid cards to deliver benefits are seeing solid user satisfaction and improving efficiencies as such programs evolve, amid an environment of pending regulatory changes and heavy scrutiny by consumer advocates, according to a panel of experts convened at the All Payments Expo (APEX) in Las Vegas this week.
Isis Reveals Usage Stats, Dangles NYC Taxi Promo to Attract More Users (March 6, 2014)
Four months after the nationwide rollout of the Isis mobile wallet, two-thirds of Isis users have installed at least one payment card on the wallet, and those users make an average of six to seven NFC-based transactions with Isis each month.
House Approves Bill to Restructure CFPB (March 6, 2014)
The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed the Consumer Financial Protection and Soundness Improvement Act (H.R. 3193), which combines six bills, approved by the House Financial Services Committee last November, that are designed to bring more accountability, oversight and transparency to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), according to the bill’s supporters.
ABN Amro launches global FIX trading push
ABN Amro Clearing has launched a new global trading platform for equities and futures which it says can route clients between Asia, Europe and the US using a single FIX connection.
APEX EMV Panel: U.S. Adoption Moving ‘At a Fast Clip’ (March 5, 2014)
Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., today are hosting the fifth in a series of hearings to discuss data breaches, their effect and possible methods to prevent them, as the All Payments Expo (APEX) wraps up four days of hot-topic discussions in Las Vegas, including payments security and fraud trends.
Panel: ‘Fractured Banking System’ Presents Opportunity for New Players (March 5, 2014)
The “fractured” U.S. banking system, which shuts out many consumers and fails to provide ideal utility for others, presents a major opportunity for new players to enter the financial services market.
‘Elephants and Mice’: Partnerships between Big Banks and Startups (March 5, 2014)
Several trends in retail financial services are bringing together large financial institutions and much smaller startup companies.
Why Yahoo’s malware attack is hitting banks hard
At the end of last year, Yahoo was hit by a malware attack. It affected over two million clients, mainly in Romania, Great Britain, France, Italy and Spain, putting their personal data at risk. Upon visiting the website between 27 December and 3 January, users received advertisements, some of which were malicious and infected users’ devices without even a click.
Paybefore Reveals Top Industry Awards in Las Vegas (March 4, 2014)
Paybefore today announced the Best-in-Category winners in 20 categories for its eighth annual Paybefore Awards.
Znap puts merchants at heart of mobile commerce revolution
Mobile payment isn’t about reinventing the wheel – it’s about making merchants and customers’ lives better by establishing a relationship built on knowledge and trust, according to mobile payments platform Znap.
Banks back Swift KYC Registry initiative
A group of major international banks have agreed to jointly develop and use the centralised Know Your Customer Registry announced by Swift at the start of the year.
Paybefore Recognizes Consumer Champions at APEX; Amex Serve Takes Crown (March 3, 2014)
Paybefore held a special 2014 Paybefore Awards presentation on the kickoff day of All Payments Expo (APEX) in Las Vegas today, honoring three winners in the new Consumer Champion category.
CFSI Issues Compass Guide for Small-Dollar Credit (March 3, 2014)
Millions of Americans use small-dollar credit products each year to deal with unexpected expenses, smooth income fluctuations or build credit history.
Pew Unveils GPR Model Disclosure Box to Promote Comparison Shopping (March 3, 2014)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. last week announced plans to adopt Pew’s GPR model disclosure box for its Chase Liquid GPR card, sold only at its bank branches.
InComm Lands New Partnerships in Asia, U.S. (March 3, 2014)
InComm has partnered with a major Asian online payment service provider to launch a POS-activated gift card mall platform in Southeast Asia.
