Worldwide


MasterCard Unveils MasterPass for ‘Simple’ Shopping Experience (Feb. 25, 2013)

Feb. 25, 2013 MasterCard Inc. today unveiled MasterPass, a cloud-based service that builds on its PayPass Wallet Services by eliminating the need for consumers to enter card or shipping details with each purchase and adding new tools to enhance online, mobile and in-store shopping. MasterPass will roll out through banks in Canada and Australia beginning […]

PayPal to Enter Crowded European Mobile Card Reader Market (Feb. 25, 2013)

Feb. 25, 2013 PayPal continues its diversification into brick-and-mortar payments with the announcement that it will expand its PayPal Here mobile card reader to Europe, beginning in the U.K. this summer. The European iteration of PayPal Here will differ from the version launched in the U.S. nearly a year ago in some key ways, due […]

ATM Survey Suggests Prepaid Card Opportunity for FIs (Feb. 25, 2013)

Feb. 25, 2013 Recent research into the prepaid card-buying habits of ATM users indicates an opportunity for credit unions and banks to capture a portion of the prepaid card market by leveraging the convenience of ATMs. More than 85 percent of credit union members use ATMs and 70 percent of those ATM-using members also buy […]

China UnionPay Continues NFC Push with Gemalto Pact (Feb. 25, 2013)

Feb. 25, 2013 Shanghai-based payment card network China UnionPay (CUP) continues its efforts to develop NFC payments, signing an agreement with Dutch digital payment security provider Gemalto to build “a secure mobile NFC ecosystem.” The partnership will cover deployment issues including trusted service manager interoperability, along with technology standards and specifications, the firms said. China […]

CLS hires Kos to head regulatory affairs

Foreign exchange utility CLS Group has appointed Dino Kos as head of global regulatory affairs. In his new role, he will report to David Puth, chief executive at CLS from his base in New York.

ESMA guidelines could reshape European market making

New guidelines published earlier this month by European regulator ESMA could have a major impact on market making across Europe, according to Matthew Coupe, director of regulation and market structure at NICE Actimize.

PayPal rolls out Chip & PIN reader in Europe

Payment provider PayPal has launched a card reader device that handles Chip & PIN and PayPal payments in Europe. The device will be available to select UK businesses over the coming months before becoming generally available this summer.

The changing face of payments

The Payments Council’s latest report, The Way We Pay, shows rapid changes in use of payment methods over the past decade – but cash is still in the mix.

EU/US face-off over FISA on the cards

It has been clear for some time now that some of the regulations coming into force around the globe contain contradictions and inconsistencies. A large part of the work done by JWG, Banking Technology‘s  partner for our regular RegTech coverage, has been in identifying these, working out their impact on systems and processes and what issues […]

iZettle and Santander “democratise” cheap card payments

Spanish bank Banco Santander has signed a deal with iZettle, a fledgling Swedish payments specialist that focuses on ‘social’ payments. The two companies plan to distribute mini chip-card readers to customers, so that they can accept card payments with smartphones and tablets.

European exchanges unveil MSCI derivatives

European exchanges Eurex and NYSE Liffe are soon to list a host of new derivatives, based on MSCI indices. From March, market participants will be able to trade futures and options based on the MSCI World, MSCI Europe, MSCI All Countries Asia Pacific ex-Japan and futures on the MSCI Frontier Markets.

Viewpoint: A Tale of Two Gen Ys that Desire Prepaid Cards (February 2013)(2)

February 2013   By Aleia Van Dyke, Javelin Strategy & Research The slow economic recovery from the Great Recession has forced young Americans to confront a dismal financial reality marked by unprecedented student loan debt and soaring unemployment. But the financial industry cannot afford to ignore Gen Y, the generation of consumers born from 1979 […]

Viewpoint: A Tale of Two Gen Ys that Desire Prepaid Cards (February 2013)

By Aleia Van Dyke, Javelin Strategy & Research The slow economic recovery from the Great Recession has forced young Americans to confront a dismal financial reality marked by unprecedented student loan debt and soaring unemployment. But the financial industry cannot afford to ignore Gen Y, the generation of consumers born from 1979 to 1999. By […]

Experian sets out anti-fraud tools

Information company Experian has improved its Hunter anti-fraud software to help banks and other financial services firms keep track of fraud.

Infosys claims improved “time to insight” with Big Data platform

Infosys has formally announced its BigDataEdge platform, designed to allow banks to bring together Big Data analytics onto one platform. “There have been several point solutions, but it is important to have a platform,” said Vishnu Bhat, vice president and global head for cloud at Infosys. Customers that have already deployed the platform – some […]

Inside Eurograbber: the £30m mobile banking heist

In the history of bank robberies, the £30 million stolen by the Eurograbber attack in 2012 ranks as one of the all-time biggest, globally. And when you consider that this sum was stolen from more than 30,000 accounts across 30 banks in four European countries, using malware that affected both PCs and bank customers’ mobile […]

In Wake of NetSpend Buy, TSYS Calls Prepaid ‘Innovative Cornerstone’ for Emerging Payments (Feb. 20, 2013)

Feb. 20, 2013 In a deal that could alter the competitive landscape of the prepaid industry, payments processor TSYS yesterday announced plans to acquire GPR and payroll card provider NetSpend Corp. for $1.4 billion in cash. The purchase—characterized by TSYS as a “transformational event”—enhances the Columbus, Ga.-based firm’s role in the prepaid processing arena and […]

iZettle Launches Chip-and-PIN Mobile Card Reader, Resolving Visa Europe Impasse (Feb. 20, 2013)

Feb. 20, 2013 Sweden-based mobile payments player iZettle this week announced the launch of a new smartphone-based card reader for small-business merchants that uses chip-and-PIN technology and Bluetooth to accept all major card brands, resolving iZettle’s six-month impasse with Visa Europe over a security issue. iZettle in 2011 began offering its card reader to merchants […]

Australia Supermarket Chain Launches NFC Pilot (Feb. 20, 2013)

Feb. 20, 2013 Australian supermarket giant Wesfarmers Ltd.’s Coles is conducting a small pilot of a MasterCard mobile wallet that enables customers to pay using NFC-equipped phones through an app that automatically links to the store’s loyalty program. The three-month pilot, conducted in partnership with GE Capital Australia, Vodafone and Gemalto, involves 60 Coles supermarket […]

Gifting App Developer Launches Gift Card Scanning Feature (Feb. 20, 2013)

Feb. 20, 2013 As more companies work to combine the power of social media with the popularity of gift cards, Melville, N.Y.-based GroupGifting.com has added a card scanning feature to its eGifter Web and mobile social gifting app. The scanning feature enables consumers to add plastic gift cards to their digital wallets in the eGifter app […]

Breaking News: TSYS to Acquire NetSpend in $1.4 Billion Deal

Feb. 19, 2013 Payments processor TSYS has agreed to purchase GPR card provider NetSpend for $1.4 billion in cash. The deal, which TSYS chairman and CEO Philip W. Tomlinson calls “a transformational event for TSYS and consumers,” brings 2.4 million prepaid card accounts and 500 retail distributors under the TSYS umbrella. TSYS is conducting a conference call […]

People on the Move: Steering Committee, Smart Card Alliance Payments Council (February 2013)

February 2013 Smart Card Alliance Payments Council has announced its committee members for 2013-2014. The council is managed by a steering committee composed of financial payments industry and smart chip technology vendors. Steering committee officers include: Jack Jania, Gemalto, and Oliver Manahan, MasterCard, co-chairs; Troy Bernard, Discover Financial Services, vice chair; and Deborah Baxley, Capgemini, secretary. […]

People on the Move: Chris Cresswell, Oliver Smith, Renata Burdon, Alexis Wilson and Andy Ireland, Contis Group (February 2013)

February 2013 Contis Group, a U.K.-based provider of online banking and prepaid card technologies and services, has enhanced its domestic and international capabilities with the addition of five hires. Chris Cresswell joins Contis as sales and business development director. Formerly with LaSer UK, Cresswell has experience in the cards and loyalty sector and will be […]

Sightline Launches Casino Gaming Prepaid Card Program (Feb. 19, 2013)

Feb. 19, 2013  Sightline Interactive, a provider of payment services to the gaming industry, and its partner Vantiv have inked a deal with Northern California’s Colusa Casino to create a GPR prepaid card that works in tandem with the casino’s closed-loop loyatly card. The open-loop Discover-branded Loyalty Card Plus initially will be distributed to the casino’s “best […]

Citi Targets Latin America with M-Payment Service for Small Business Buyers, Suppliers (Feb. 19, 2013)

Feb. 19, 2013 Citigroup Inc. plans to expand a mobile payments service it has developed for its small-business customers to replace large cash payments in underbanked regions into Latin America. Citi recently launched a pilot of Mobile Collect in the Dominican Republic, targeting approximately 80,000 cash-based grocery stores and other small businesses and their suppliers. […]

PCI Security Standards Council Issues Mobile Payment Guidance (Feb. 19, 2013)

Feb. 19, 2013 The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) has issued guidance to educate merchants on the factors and risks they need to address to protect card data when using mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to accept payments. Because consumer mobile devices are not solely used as point-of-sale tools, but also carry […]

Chase, MasterCard Look to Seed Loyalty with Kenyan Student Card (Feb. 19, 2013)

Feb. 19, 2013 Chase Bank (Kenya) and the University Students Community Organization (UNISCOO) have teamed up to launch a new MasterCard-branded prepaid card for Kenya’s college students. The UNISCOO card will enable students to shop in stores and online anywhere MasterCard is accepted and receive specially targeted discounts and promotional offers from merchants. Available at […]

Buck Touts ‘Dongle-Free’ Mobile Invoicing Service (Feb. 19, 2013)

Feb. 19, 2013 Buck Corp. is introducing a new mobile invoice service for small businesses that it touts as “dongle-free,” enabling businesses to send electronic invoices to any mobile phone and receive credit card payment without swiping a card. Buck Mobile Invoice is free to businesses using it, but participants must already have a merchant […]

EBS and Thomson Reuters target FX transparency

Rival FX platforms EBS and Thomson Reuters have agreed that they will cooperate to combine the sources for their FX pricing, in a bid to increase transparency for FX market participants.

NYSE Technologies adds social media sentiment tool

Market participants using NYSE Technologies’ market data feed SuperFeed and SFTI network will soon be able to get social media sentiment statistics, following a deal between NYSE and specialist company Social Market Analytics.

Will Dodd-Frank trade reporting prepare you for EMIR?

On February 28, most of the approximately 70 registered swap dealers will stumble across the finishing line for the remaining asset classes of the CFTC implementation of Dodd-Frank trade reporting regulations. Some may be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief.

Legal Entity Identifiers: between a “ROC” and hard decisions

As the global method of identifying entities and their ownership structures, the Legal Entity Identifier forms a central part of the G20’s crisis-prevention toolbox. After a few chaotic years of LEI debate and design, regulators are finally nearing the long anticipated starting line for use of the world’s first singular identifier.

Finovate Europe sees arrival of the Old Guard

For an event that is based around the idea of introducing new players and new concepts to the financial technology world, this year’s Finovate Europe was heavy on familiar faces and some increasingly familiar concepts.