PayTech


CFPB Supervisory Highlights Focus on Remittances, Restitution

The CFPB’s latest Supervisory Highlights report is the first to detail the bureau’s examinations of remittance providers since the agency’s rules governing international money transfers went into effect more than two years ago. Next up, Director Richard Cordray’s semi-annual report to Congress.

Typo spells confusion in $101m cyber bank heist

A $101 million cyber heist has central bank officials from Bangladesh to New York quarrelling over what may be one of the biggest and boldest bank raids in history, according to CNBC. Hackers allegedly breached the Bangladesh central bank’s security system and then pretended to be Bangladeshi officials to send a series of requests for […]

Watch out EBA, Swift and Visa – here comes Masterlink!

MasterCard’s planned acquisition of VocaLink has the potential to create a new payments powerhouse in Europe and beyond. Tom Hay, head of payments, Icon Solutions, explores the possibilities. The news of the planned acquisition broke a few days after the Payment Systems Regulator’s (PSR) recommendation that banks divest their ownership of the company. I’m sure […]

What will the future of money look like?

Cash payments are in decline – mobile payments are on the rise (thank you, Apple Pay, Google’s Android Pay and Samsung Pay). This nifty infographics sums up the ideas on what the future of money might look like. The infographics is courtesy of the MBNA credit card company (owned by Bank of America) and its […]

Top fintech stories this week – 11 March 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! MasterCard mulls VocaLink acquisition There are some things money can buy. US to move to shorter T+2 settlement cycle by September 2017 Make a note, industry target has been unveiled. Big US banks to fight for instant payments […]

Two Major U.S. Banks Launch Real-Time P2P Transactions

Bank of America and U.S. Bank are using the clearXchange network from Early Warning. The deal means the banks’ combined 22 million U.S. customers can send payments to each other—not to mention to customers of Early Warning’s other partners.

APEX Speakers Offer Glimpse into the Future of Retail

The changing face of commerce will be among the hot topics at the All Payments Expo (APEX) March 21-23 in New Orleans, where top prepaid, payments and retail executives will highlight the key developments that will shape the future of the shopping experience over the coming years, including omnichannel, new payment methods and the rise of millennials as a buying force.

People on the Move: Mayer Brown LLP

Mayer Brown LLP, a legal services organization advising clients in the Americas, Asia and Europe, announced that a consumer financial services group of partners has joined the firm, representing an addition to its global financial services regulatory and enforcement practice.

People on the Move: PIF Board

The Prepaid International Forum (PIF), the London-based nonprofit trade association for the prepaid sector, welcomed four new members to its board of directors and announced the reappointment of three existing members.

People on the Move: Pamela A. Joseph, TSYS

Columbus, Ga.-based payments processor TSYS has announced that Pamela A. Joseph will join the company as president and chief operating officer effective May 1, 2016.

EMV’s Unintended Consequence for Gift Cards

For retailers that haven’t yet implemented EMV terminals, gift card acquisition fraud is on the rise, according to the National Retail Federation. But how big is the problem and what does it mean for legitimate buyers of the popular products?

Challenger banks must strike the right balance between mobile and card

NFC mobile payments continue to grab headlines, but to really drive uptake and ensure full market coverage, combining contactless cards with next-gen mobile banking apps is surely the right way to go for 2016’s challenger banks, says Paul Underwood, MD of Thames Card Technology. Much has already been said about the opportunity for challenger banks to […]

Viewpoint: What’s the Best Route to Market in Europe?

Europe is the largest single market in the world and an attractive proposition for most payments businesses looking to expand, but you do need to look at the different options available and determine the best route to market for your own firm.

Amex Patent Seeks to Improve Reward Redemption

American Express could be exploring a way to enable its cardholders to pay with loyalty points on e-commerce sites or mobile wallets, according to a recently released patent application.

Tuxedo launches world’s first “live load” payments platform

UK payments provider Tuxedo has launched a “live load” payments technology platform, which removes the need to prepay. The vendor says it is the world’s first. The platform is based upon a single, partner-issued Visa or MasterCard, which is linked to customers’ existing payment sources via Tuxedo’s own platform. The platform is PCIDSS (Payment Card […]

Finnish SME banking specialist, Holvi, acquired by BBVA

BBVA has acquired Finnish online-only payments and banking services provider Holvi, as it seeks to expand its portfolio of digital businesses. Holvi will continue to be run as a standalone business, and Spain-based BBVA says there will be a “two-way flow of knowledge, ideas and support” between both parties. Teppo Paavola, chief development officer and […]

Harvest Doubles Down on Call for Change at Green Dot

Harvest Capital Strategies has escalated its criticism of Green Dot Corp. and reiterated its call for the ouster of Green Dot CEO Steve Streit. In a letter sent to Green Dot’s board of directors last week, Harvest blasted what it called Green Dot’s failure to respond adequately a previous letter Harvest sent the company in January, in which the hedge fund manager outlined concerns with Green Dot’s performance and called for the removal of Streit and other two board members.

Fed: Small Banks Not Feeling the Hurt from Debit Interchange Limits

Despite some claims from the banking industry that small banks may be at a competitive disadvantage in a post-Durbin Amendment interchange environment, a new Philadelphia Fed report suggests that banks with less than $10 billion in assets have not suffered from the Durbin Amendment, which capped debit card interchange for larger financial institutions.

suretap Wallet Discontinues Prepaid Card, Keeps Loyalty

Canada’s first mobile wallet suretap has announced its discontinuing its prepaid MasterCard program effective at the end of April. What’s staying is the wallet’s capability of loading credit and gift cards for payment and a loyalty program, which enables consumers to integrate more than 20 loyalty programs with the wallet.

NCR brings first bill payment kiosk to Taiwan

NCR Corporation (NCR) has customised the first ever financial kiosk solution in Taiwan for E.Sun Bank. Called E.Sun iPayment Kiosk, it includes bill payment, statement printing and notes exchange. The bank also selected NCR Aptra Connections software to run on the kiosk and purchased NCR SelfServ ATMs to provide personalised ATM transactions. The E.Sun iPayment […]

Infographics: the state of fintech industry as we know it

Who, what, where, when of the fintech industry today – this excellent infographics pulls together plenty of useful data, from top specialists, unicorns and start-ups to geographies and M&As.   Created by Savvy Beaver and Call Levels.

MasterCard mulls VocaLink acquisition

MasterCard could be buying the UK’s payments infrastructure, VocaLink, in a £1-billion acquisition, according to Sky News. Following the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) telling banks last month that they should sell their stake in VocaLink to “help increase innovation and competition”, MasterCard is reportedly in talk with those banks. According to David Bannister, financial services […]

Big data analytics and its many uses

There are many uses of big data analytics by financial organisations to meet evolving regulatory and compliance requirements, Swift Institute reveals in its recent paper, “The Role of Big Data in Governance: a regulatory and legal perspective of analytics in global financial services”. The paper cites two case studies as examples of how these analytical […]

Dwolla docked dollars for its data security

US payments start-up Dwolla has been fined $100,000 by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for its data security. Data security issues included: “Use appropriate measures to identify reasonably foreseeable security risks; ensure that employees who have access to or handle consumer information received adequate training and guidance about security risks; use encryption technologies to […]

Top fintech stories this week – 4 March 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! D+H Corporation bullish on payments software business Do you hear it? That’s the sound of optimistic noises. ICE pours cold water on Deutsche Börse and LSE merger bid ICE ICE maybe, ICE ICE maybe. Out of Africa for […]

Google pilots “Hands Free” payment app

Google has built a pilot app, allowing payments in stores “completely hands-free”. The app, wait for it, is called Hands Free. Pali Bhat, senior director, product management at Google, says in a blog post: “Imagine if you could rush through a drive-thru without reaching for your wallet, or pick up a hot dog at the […]

What Apple’s encryption fight means for payments

The gloves have come off as Apple digs in its heels against the FBI’s request to create a backdoor to the iPhone. We asked payments experts what might be at stake for mobile payments in this encryption battle.