Banking Technology Dec 2016 / Jan 2017 issue out now
The latest edition of our flagship magazine – Banking Technology – is out now, packed with news, analysis and insights, case studies, research and expert commentary.
PayTech
Grinch Comes to N.Y.: Gift Certificate Law Could Push Some Prepaid Cards from Market
A New York State law setting fee and expiration date restrictions on “gift certificates” could spell big trouble for providers of several types of open-loop prepaid products in the state, and may even render certain types of products impossible to offer in New York, according to industry experts.
President Obama Signs Health Care Law, Opens Doors for Standalone HRAs
President Obama signed a health care bill into law on Dec. 13 after the U.S. Senate—despite its lame-duck status—overwhelmingly approved legislation that’s been called the largest health care reform since the Affordable Care Act.
Viewpoint: Frictionless Payments: Will They Become a Mirage?
Regulations requiring two-factor authentication could force the industry to move away from frictionless payments experiences like Uber and one-click checkout.
Retailers ask Supreme Court to Reconsider Second Circuit’s Rejection of Interchange Fee Settlement
On Dec. 1, retailers involved in long-standing litigation against Visa and Mastercard asked the Supreme Court to reconsider a landmark $7.25 billion settlement that was rejected by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year.
Judge Tosses out Shareholder Suit Related to Home Depot Breach
Home Depot has scored a victory in the legal fight that followed the retail chain’s 2014 data breach. The retailer’s investors cannot sue its board of directors via a shareholder derivative suit, ruled a federal judge in Georgia, the home state of the chain.
EBA’s Proposed Guidelines Call for 2-Hour Notice of Data Breach
The European Banking Authority working with the European Central Bank has released a consultation paper on guidelines for payment service providers to follow in the event of security breaches. Among the suggested mandates is notifying authorities of an incident within two hours from the moment the breach is detected—that’s significantly faster than the breach notification requirements set to go into force next year, which mandate notice within 72 hours and applies to some U.S. companies.
Mastercard: Europe Not Immune to Unbanked Problem
More than 138 million Europeans do not have access to formal banking services, says Mastercard in a new report—news that could present an opportunity to prepaid providers and so-called “challenger banks.”
Fiserv Continues Notification Push with OBS Buy
Financial services technology provider Fiserv Inc. has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Online Banking Solutions Inc. (OBS), in a deal Fiserv said will bolster its cash management and digital business banking capabilities—and continues the firm’s recent focus on driving customer engagement via notifications.
South African Bank Eyes Bigger Role in M-Payments with Firepay Acquisition
South Africa’s Standard Bank has acquired a majority stake in Firepay, the maker of mobile payments service SnapScan, which is used to make in-store and online payments at more than 32,000 merchants across South Africa.
Viewpoint: Combating Fraud with Teamwork
The IRS reports that there’s been a nearly 50 percent drop in fraudulent returns, and there has been significant progress in stopping fraudulent returns before refunds are ever paid, due in part to new information provided by industry and state partners.
Mastercard: Gift Cards Pack One-Two Punch during Holidays; In-Store Sales Still Dominate
An “extremely strong” November for holiday shopping concluded with a “solid start” over Thanksgiving weekend, according to Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president of Market Insights for Mastercard. Although final holiday shopping data won’t be available until the end of the month, Quinlan spoke with Paybefore about how the shopping season is shaping up for retailers.
Irish E-Money License Could Make Facebook a P2P Force in EU
Facebook has received a key license that would enable the social media giant to bring its Messenger P2P service to Europe. The Central Bank of Ireland quietly granted an e-money license to Facebook Payments International Ltd. in late October, the company confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch, paving the way for the potential launch of Facebook’s Messenger-based money transfer service throughout the EU’s 28 member nations under passporting rules.
Chase Pay Bites into QSR Sector with LevelUp
Consumers with Chase Pay mobile wallets can now order and preemptively pay for their meals at quick service restaurants thanks to a deal with Boston-based LevelUp, Chase said. The deal, which comes as Chase expands its mobile wallet, promises to help make that payment technology more important for consumers, as the deal eventually will involve thousands of eateries.
M-Payments Deal Report: Apple Pay, WeChat, Starbucks and Square
Some of the biggest players in the mobile payments space have announced deals that could bring digital payments and gifting to more consumers around the globe. Starbucks will provide “social gifting” and payments to users of China’s WeChat messaging service, while Square will integrate its digital debit cards with Apple Pay, two recent developments that could boost the popularity of mobile payments.
BNY Mellon suffers payments glitch
BNY Mellon experienced problems with processing clients’ payments instructions – it blamed the issue on its connection to Swift. The problems were subsequently resolved.
Top fintech stories this week – 9 December 2016
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Viewpoint: Tapping the Power of Prepaid
Prepaid will continue to be a key ingredient in bringing 2 billion people worldwide into the financial mainstream. But over the past five years, we’ve learned that public-private partnerships are mission-critical. And we’ve still got work to do.
Viewpoint: The Year in Review and a Look Ahead to 2017
The market is evolving from being dazzled by the flashy lights of innovation to buckling down and implementing plans to address the opportunities ahead. Emphasis is shifting from talking about the cool stuff to driving adoption of the most actionable innovations. Are you investing in the right trends?
Viewpoint: The Case for B2C Digital Payments
As consumers start using mobile to pay each other, it’s only natural that they’ll expect businesses to pay them that way, too. For those of us who serve corporate clients, enabling electronic payments to those mobile-centric consumers is a significant opportunity.
Viewpoint: Winning the Prepaid Loyalty Challenge Is about Financial Empowerment
Having achieved status as a “mainstream” financial services product, prepaid cards now must prove themselves indispensable to cardholders’ lives. To take prepaid to the next level, prepaid providers need to connect with and engage cardholders in ways that position the product as vital to their financial wellbeing.
Viewpoint: How Older Millennials’ Love of Selfies Is Transforming Mobile Payments
While you might think younger millennials are more likely to make a purchase from their mobile devices, more likely to snap a selfie and more likely to want to use selfies for ID verification, in fact a new survey found just the opposite.
U.K. Regulator Proposals Take Aim at Competition Barriers to Payments Infrastructure
The U.K.’s Payments Systems Regulator (PSR) plans a sea change to the U.K. payments system after determining an inability for new payments infrastructure projects to compete as alternatives to the three interbank payment systems, Bacs, Faster Payments Service (FPS) and LINK.
Can Amazon Make the Checkout Lane Obsolete?
Amazon’s vision of the future, which it’s testing in Seattle, is a grocery store that enables customers to complete purchases via scanning mobile phones instead of waiting to pay.
People on the Move: Steve Pruitt, Americhip
Steve Pruitt has taken on the role of director of new business development for the Americhip Gift Card Group, a provider of print, specialty packaging, shopper marketing and gift card programs.
People on the Move: Jo Kenrick, Bacs Board
Jo Kenrick has been named an independent director on the board of Bacs Payment Schemes Ltd., the network behind the clearing and settlement of U.K. automated payment methods, direct debit and Bacs direct credit, as well as the Current Account Switch Service and the Cash Isa Transfer Service.
People on the Move: Elly Hardwick, Philip Milne, Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank has made two leadership appointments to its fintech innovation team. Elly Hardwick will become head of innovation for the bank, while Philip Milne has been named chief technology officer (CTO) for innovation.
Company on the Move: GlobalPlatfom, New China Task Force
GlobalPlatform, an industry body which standardizes the management of applications on secure chip technologies, has launched a China Task Force to give Chinese members and all GlobalPlatform members with business interests in China a dedicated platform to identify and agree on requirements from the region and work directly with Chinese industry and standards associations.
People on the Move: Miguel Vias, Ripple
Blockchain-based financial settlement solutions provider Ripple has named Miguel Vias as head of XRP markets.
People on the Move: Crystal Caligiuri, ShopKeep
Cloud-based m-POS solutions provider ShopKeep has appointed Crystal Caligiuri as the company’s new senior vice president of operations and customer care.
Citi Prepaid Talks Samsung Pay Rewards, Tipping Point for Incentives
Most of the talk around Samsung Pay’s new points-based loyalty program has been about whether it can spur mobile wallet adoption. But the in-app delivery of a virtual prepaid rewards card could mark a substantial shift for the incentives business, according to Brad Garfield, global product head for Citi’s corporate and public sector prepaid cards.
American Express Acquires Mobile Authentication Provider
Fraud prevention is driving payments acquisition activity, with two major moves by the networks in the last two weeks. American Express has acquired InAuth Inc., a provider of mobile device authentication and intelligence solutions, which follows Visa’s announcement of its plans to acquire e-commerce authentication specialist CardinalCommerce, which operates the largest authentication network in the world, according to the company.
Western Union Gains Mobile Momentum with Investment in Billing Specialist
Western Union continues to expand its presence in the mobile vertical with an investment in Walletron Inc., a provider of mobile wallet bill presentment and payments services. The investment follows a deal struck between the companies earlier this year, under which Western Union’s Speedpay electronic bill payment service began offering biller clients the option to incorporate Walletron’s moBills platform.
Can PayPal, Google Holiday Promotions Spur Long-Term Adoption?
PayPal and Google’s Android Pay are making the holidays more festive with new promotions, but will they lead to more consumer usage? PayPal says it’s making its P2P payment service “more personal and heartfelt,” while Android Pay is offering U.K. users a free gift when they use the mobile wallet for purchases.
Russia Says Cybercriminals Stole $31 Million from Central Bank
Cybercriminals have stolen about $31 million from Russian Central Bank accounts, according to a Reuters report. The hackers broke into bank accounts after faking a client’s credentials, a bank spokesman said at a briefing, disclosing few other details. In a separate instance, Russia had recently warned about a plot by foreign countries to wage cyberattacks on its financial institutions.
The Future Is Now: Helping Merchants Engage Consumers
Whether it’s digital coupons, next-generation mobile apps or using augmented reality technology to enhance shopping, have no doubt: That future is here and it’s all about engagement. Paybefore sat down with Amy Parsons, vice president and head of global commerce, Discover Global Network, to get her take on what’s ahead.
Blackhawk Network Connects Merchants to Apple Pay
Blackhawk Network said Dec. 5 that it will “integrate gift cards, e-gifts, loyalty and rewards programs into Apple Pay,” a move that could make the mobile wallet more attractive to consumers.
Visa Buys World’s Largest Authentication Network
Visa Inc. has acquired e-commerce authentication specialist CardinalCommerce in a move the payment network called a bid to amp up security for online and mobile transactions and reduce fraud. Visa already provides Cardinal’s services to merchants and acquirers through its CyberSource enablement platform.
Payment Networks Give Fuel Sellers Reprieve amid Shortage of EMV-Compliant Fuel Pumps
Three of the four major U.S. networks have pushed back the EMV liability shift for fuel pumps three years. The cost of EMV migration at the pump—which is more extensive and complex than POS changes and can require pump replacement—now can be spread out over a longer implementation period, Randy Vanderhoof, director of the U.S. Payments Forum, tells Paybefore.
OCC Encourages Fintech Companies to Apply for Federal Banking Charters
Fintech companies seeking charters would have to fulfill multiple requirements under the proposal, including performing core banking services.
