Viewpoint: CFPB’s Draft Model Forms Highlight Problems with Uniform Disclosures
What do apples and oranges have to do with prepaid model disclosures? See David Beam’s analysis of the CFPB’s blog proposal.
Industry Comment
What’s giving high-frequency traders the jitters?
What is the latest technological snag affecting high-speed trading performance? In a word, jitter – a major risk, particularly when carrying out arbitrage.
Why banks need to branch out into the cloud
Despite the well-known benefits of cloud computing, 75% of banks in Europe are using outdated core banking systems. Why are some banking institutions slower to adopt cloud than others?
FinTech’s Lazarus effect brings business models back from the dead
The FinTech sector is entering a new phase – one where it is bringing old business models back from the dead
Banking in the Digital World
While established banks struggle with their legacy systems, smaller players and new entrants are quickly adopting new technologies – but there are some trends in digital banking that are being slowly adopted by the banking industry as a whole.
Viewpoint: Dept. of Education Student Debit Card Report Doesn’t Make the Grade
Heading to college is all about the quest for knowledge. Part of that process is learning to use fact-based, impartial research to reach educated conclusions. Unfortunately, the March 10 Department of Education’s Inspector General’s report, “Third-Party Servicer Use of Debit Cards to Deliver Title IV Funds,” doesn’t make the grade.
Why banks need a chief mobility officer
Mobility has risen to such a level of importance that many people believe it deserves its own C-level position to advance and align mobility strategy throughout the enterprise. In no other industry is this more pressing than in banking where financial institutions are increasingly using mobile apps to set themselves apart from their rivals.
Blog: The NFC Tragicomedy: Where the MNOs Went Wrong (March 2014)
As momentum builds for HCE, MNOs may be left wondering why they’re getting cut out of the mobile payments value chain. While GSMA has been pushing NFC adoption with great force, the problem is that this force encouraged MNOs to go solo.
Blog: Square Cash: Fast, Cheap and Easy
Design of Square Cash’s caliber is not cheap. Finding a way to move money faster than conventional methods is not cheap. Is Jack Dorsey’s media darling gathering press and praise at the expense of sound strategy? Or, is Square Cash more than the very few screens that meet the eye?
Viewpoint: Better Disclosures Are Good for Consumers and Industry
Legislators and companies, such as MasterCard, are introducing standards for prepaid card disclosures that help us all.
Key technology issues facing banks
Countless articles have been written about the challenges and issues facing the banking sector globally over the last few years and it is a brave pundit that tries to pin these down to a handful of sound bites,
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.
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.
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.
Banking on you – how wearable tech could change finance
Something big is happening to the internet (and, no, I am not talking about Bitcoin though that would be a fascinating topic for another time). In a nutshell, it’s changing into something you wear rather than go to, writes Aman Narain, global head of digital banking at Standard Chartered.
Blog: Tackling Financial Literacy Is a Team Effort
Wherever you sit in the industry, you can help the end users of prepaid products (or future users) by supporting basic financial education. The key is to make it fun.
Blog: From Atoms to Bits: The Digital Age of Money
As we move to digitize everything, the transition to digital wallets hasn’t been an easy feat. O2 recently announced it would discontinue its mobile wallet and despite efforts by industry heavyweights, mass adoption of a digital/mobile wallet still is proving elusive.
Predicting the future in financial services
As data volumes continue to grow, being able to make greater use of the information enhances competitive advantage. The financial services industry is taking steps towards using predictive analytics technology to do just that.
Cashing out: Ontario mobile payment infrastructure is on the money
Canadians are in a hurry to get rid of their cash – at least as a method of payment, nor are they content with the contactless tap-and-go cards currently in use; they are anxious to replace cards with contactless smartphone technology, writes Aaron Rosland, senior economic counsellor for the Government of Ontario, Canada.
It’s 2014 … time to change the way you think about payments
Ten years ago business-to-business payment options were pretty limited: cheques dominated, and organisations only had the option of 3-day BACS payments or expensive CHAPS transactions for high value, same day payments.
Mobile vulnerabilities require banking apps rethink
Concerns are emerging over the failure of some mobile banking providers to address security risks. According to a recent review of 40 home banking apps from the world’s top 60 banks, nine out of ten apps had serious security vulnerabilities.
Blog: Beyond the Receipt: New Tools Combined with Old Offer Consumer Behavioral Insights
While receipts offer tantalizing indirect evidence of past activities, they tell us only a very modest amount about the habits, personalities or needs of the purchaser. For merchants, it’s where consumers are going next—and why they’re going there—that really matters.
Blog: Online Gamblers and Digital Wallet Providers Cash In
More than 125,000 online gambling accounts were created in less than a month, according to New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement. As one of three states where online gambling is now legal, the Garden State presents significant opportunity for digital wallet providers.
Blog: The Top Four Mobile Musts in 2014
From smartwatches to voice-recognition capabilities, 2014 promises to be mobile’s best year yet. And these and other mobile trends will influence payments and financial services innovation.
How many sides can you put on a coin?
There are two sides to every coin, but with Bitcoin those sides simply could not be farther apart. Its promise is extraordinary: for those afraid of inflation, it is gold redux, while for those who hate exchange rates, it is a way to pay internationally. For merchants it is a way of avoiding high transaction fees and for former Presidential hopeful Ron Paul, it is the destruction of the US Dollar.
Blog: Intelligent Interactions Improve Customer Service, Boost Loyalty
While there are now a dozen ways to build and maintain relationships with customers, many organizations often still treat these channels as separate silos, creating a disjointed customer care experience. By sharing data across channels, you’re more likely to have less frustrated, more loyal customers.
Viewpoint: The Future of HSAs
How employees are using their accounts can have a dramatic impact on an employer’s overall HSA strategy and benefit plan. As we approach the 10th anniversary of the enabling legislation for HSAs, the industry, employers and brokers/agents all have the opportunity to move HSAs forward with the use of insightful reporting and analytical tools.
Blog: 2014—Diversification for E-Money
2014 is shaping up to be a big year for e-money and those players with the ability to spot opportunities (think loyalty and mobile), and the agility to react to them, will increase market share and thrive.
Capital markets on a firmer footing for 2014
Following the tumultuous change that came in the wake of the subprime crisis, capital markets firms have yet to regain a strong foothold but 2014 is showing increasing evidence of a shift to a higher gear.
Industry Views: Trends and Resolutions for 2014 (Part 1 of 2)
To kick off 2014, we asked payments industry thought leaders in the U.S. and Europe to reflect on the year that turned out not to be the “Year of NFC” and to look ahead at what will dominate prepaid and emerging payments for the next 12 months. We also asked them what the industry’s New Year’s resolutions should be.
Industry Views: Trends and Resolutions for 2014 (Part 2 of 2)
Industry thought leaders weigh in on priorities for 2014.
Editor’s Letter: Starting Off the New Year Right
Now that you’re back in the office and once again glued to your computer screen, you’ll continue receiving the industry news, insights and analysis you’ve come to expect from Paybefore. But it won’t exactly be business as usual for Paybefore this year.
Blog: Prepaid Program Potential: 3 Steps Banks Must Take to Engage Millennials
To attract the key millennial demographic, banks must look to prepaid and mobile.
Blog: Turning Skepticism into Trust: 3 Ways to Improve Financial Services Loyalty Programs
Of any industry, the financial services sector might be the most contradictory when it comes to loyalty program effectiveness.
Viewpoint: Year-End Blizzard for Canada’s FIs
As we approach year-end, the Canadian federal government has introduced three items of significance to federally regulated financial institutions (FRFIs).
The gift of plug and play technology
The technology that banks offer clients can be thought of as a true gift, enabling improvements that can reduce risk, increase efficiency and ultimately put firms on a surer footing. And it is the most advanced and newest platforms which grab everyone’s attention.
Relieving the pain and expense of compliance data management
The data management aspects of compliance can run into tens of thousands of man-hours per institution, each year. Firms have to adapt and find new techniques to manage this increasing burden.
The hidden cost of corporate compliance
Former SunGard chief executive Cris Conde writes about the importance of training in firms’ governance, risk management and compliance strategies and why they should treat it as an investment.
A brave new world for CIOs?
A new role for CIOs in the banking sector was highlighted at the recent Gartner Symposium: to maintain their future relevance and position, they need to be seen as consultants in the technology space, not just providers.
