There were more than 1 billion mobile money transactions worldwide in December 2015, according to a report released by the GSMA this week at the mobile association’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. In its fifth annual State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money, the GSMA outlined the growth of mobile money, which it said is “changing the landscape of financial inclusion.”
The demand for large cross-border transactions is on the rise, and consumers making those purchases are seeking the most convenient and cost-effective transaction methods and channels. That’s according to Flywire, a 4-year-old company that got its start in the international student tuition sector and has since expanded to enable multiple types of cross-border payments.
Starbucks will change its loyalty program, rewarding what consumers spend instead of how often they visit. The change, due in April, has drawn some criticism from the chain’s customers although the coffee giant claims customers suggested it.
Digital financial services (DFS) have the power to transform the lives of millions living in poverty. However, the lack of merchant acceptance presents a significant obstacle to its success. Sacha Polverini, chairman of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) focus group on digital financial services and Carol Benson, managing partner at Glenbrook Partners, look at how […]
Fiserv has revealed that 25 US credit unions, with approximately $2.5 billion in assets and 250,000 members collectively, have committed to its CUnify account processing platform. Five of these credit unions are new core processing clients of Fiserv, and will be converting to CUnify in the course of 2016. CUnify is a core platform used […]
The European Automated Clearing House Association (EACHA) is to deliver a framework for ACH interoperability for instant payments by March 2016. EACHA leads, upon invitation by the European Central Bank (ECB), a taskforce consisting of ACHs (including members of EACHA, EBA Clearing and representatives of Target2), national central banks, the ECB, and “ad hoc other […]
Wearable payments technology and the Internet of Things continue to gain steam, with MasterCard and Visa announcing separate initiatives involving the technologies at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week.
Growing demand for prepaid products of all types in Canada helped drive Vancouver-based issuer Peoples Trust to add 150 new programs in 2015, and led to a 19 percent increase in the bank’s overall prepaid load volume, to CAN$1.2 billion (US$870 million), for the year, Peoples tells Pay News.
Apple Pay launches in China via a UnionPay deal, giving further mobile payment competition to homegrown rivals such as Alipay. Meanwhile, Samsung Pay also is set to enter the market.
Natixis Payment Solutions has teamed up with French start-up CopSonic to create SwipeSonic, an ultrasound payment solution for online shopping transactions. CopSonic’s technology uses ultrasound to encrypt information within music and voice, or transmit data “entirely inaudibly to the human ear”. Emmanuel Ruiz, CEO of CopSonic, says: “Sound is the easiest and most effective technology […]
Barclays and BlackBerry are bringing BBM, the mobile instant messaging service, to Pingit money transfers in the UK. BBM users can now make mobile payments to each other using Barclays’ mobile payment app Pingit. Matthew Talbot, SVP, BBM at BlackBerry, says to “exchange money was a logical extension” of BBM’s functions. Once a user has […]
Payments provider Ingenico Group has reported a revenue of €2.197 billion in its full year (FY) 2015 results – a rise of 14% on a comparable basis. For the period ended 31 December 2015, it says revenue was also up 37% on a reported basis, and adds that the US is now its number one […]
Three commercials tied to the big game, including one from PayPal, reflect how transactions are changing and what consumers expect from their payment systems.
The CFPB wants the nation’s top banks to offer consumers more lower-risk account choices. That could be good news for the prepaid card industry even as some might grumble about the agency meddling in their affairs.
With the hospitality industry accounting for 38 percent of credit card fraud, and recent breaches showing ongoing vulnerability, the time has come for stronger security measures.
Consumers certainly know of Apple Pay. But recent survey results shed light on how shoppers are employing the mobile payment technology and suggest that challenges to further use remain.
With recent legislation calling for increased cooperation between companies and government agencies to combat potential cyberthreats, officials are asking financial institutions to include information such as IP and bitcoin wallet addresses in suspicious activity reports (SARs).
Following a new privacy shield agreement, which upon approval will replace an expired Safe Harbor pact between the U.S. and the EU Commission, European Data Protection Supervisor Giovanni Buttarelli last week said he supported the agreement.
Online marketplace giant Amazon is acquiring India-based online services provider EMVANTAGE Payments.
Peru’s new nationwide mobile money network has launched with the goal of bringing 5 million of the country’s unbanked citizens into the financial system over the next five years.
A Wendy’s customer has filed a class action complaint against the fast food chain for its alleged failure to protect consumers’ credit and debit card information.
Nearly five years after Square founder Jack Dorsey announced that Visa had invested in the business, the payments network reveals its stake in the m-POS company, which went public last year. In related news, a Swedish m-POS provider launches a loan service for merchant clients.
MoneyGram agrees to pay $13 million to settle claims that criminals used its network for fraudulent transactions. The company also will increase its anti-fraud activities.
A year after the Federal Reserve announced a plan to enhance the speed, safety and efficiency of payments in the U.S., the program has made substantial progress, the Fed reports.
Spanish financial services group BBVA is changing its fintech investment strategy, closing its in-house VC fund and contributing $250 million to a new, independently managed firm, Propel Venture Partners.
Visa Europe is expanding its Visa Europe Payment Tokenisation Service (VEPTS) for cloud-based payments. VEPTS will be available for payment credentials such as banks’ own mobile payment apps, a variety of wearable and other connected devices, internet browser-based wallets, and retailer-specific checkout offerings such as Visa Checkout. Sandra Alzetta, executive director product enablement for Visa […]
BBVA, a major shareholder in Atom Bank, a UK challenger, has announced an increase in its financial technology fund to US$250 million from US$100 million and a partnership with Propel Venture Partners which will see Propel managing the investment independently. Propel will use the US$250 million in a US and a European fund while opening an office […]
A Blackhawk study finds that grocery shoppers with gift cards prefer larger online rebates than smaller instant discounts at checkout. The study also examines which mobile apps top shoppers’ lists.
Canada’s payments system is undergoing a rapid transition, with mobile P2P, e-wallet and contactless transactions on the rise, according to a report from the Canadian Payments Association.
Retailers have long recognized the importance of customer engagement to drive sales and retain customers. But Reno, Nev.-based PaySwag is proving the power of engagement to improve results in a somewhat unexpected sector—bill payments.
The latest edition of our flagship magazine – Banking Technology – is out now, packed with news, analysis and insights, case studies, research and expert commentary.
Aite Group has promoted Virginie O’Shea to research director of the institutional securities and investments practice.
The Bancorp has appointed Sepideh Behram senior vice president, chief compliance officer.
Louise Roseman, director of the division of reserve bank operations and payment systems, will retire later this year after more than 30 years of service to the Federal Reserve Board, including 17 as director.
First Data intends to establish a research and development center in Ireland that will house up to 300 skilled employees to centralize work on a number of the company’s leading technology platforms.
MasterCard has appointed Alexander N.M. Niejelow senior vice president of public policy.
Shazia Manus, CEO of payments processor The Members Group (TMG), has been named one of the 2016 Most Influential Women in Payments.
Andrew Siden recently has been named to the NBPCA’s board of directors.
Oh the irony. On the same day President Barack Obama and his administration presented plans to strengthen the country’s cybersecurity, the IRS announced an attack on its Website.
A U.K. government panel is calling for the development of an open banking standard that will enable banking data to be shared and used securely, giving consumers access to tailored financial solutions and an easier way to compare products and services.
