First Data Buys Payment Processor CardConnect for $750 Million
First Data will buy U.S.-based payments processor CardConnect for about $750 million in cash, including the repayment of debt.
News
Chipotle Blames Malware for Payment Card Data Breach
Chipotle Mexican Grill said that whoever hacked into payments system used malware that searched for consumer track data read from the magnetic stripes of cards.
Till left with no part in Barclaycard pocket checkout
Barclaycard has begun trialling a new payment concept that lets consumers scan and pay for their shopping using their smartphone, without the need to visit a physical checkout. Called Grab+Go, it’s the firm’s plan to turn a smartphone into a “pocket checkout”, allowing users to scan the items they want to buy as they pick […]
Lombard Risk still feeling the loss
UK-based regtech and risk management vendor Lombard Risk is still reporting losses in its latest full year results. For the period ended 31 March 2017, pre-tax loss came in at £1.6 million, an improvement on the £2.2 million from the year before. As reported in May 2016, as a result of its loss for 2015/16 […]
Top fintech stories this week – 26 May 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
HSBC plots to stop rise of the technophobe
A lack of understanding and trust in technology is stalling mainstream adoption of innovative new fintech services, according to HSBC’s research. The bank’s report, “Trust in Technology”, shows that technologies such as fingerprint recognition, voice recognition and robo-advice “hold enormous potential” for uses from bank security to mobile payments and investment advice. John Flint, global […]
InComm Survey: How Retailers Can Tap into Prepaid Popularity with Themes
With graduation and wedding season upon us, InComm is advising retailers to take advantage of these occasions, among others, and improve sales by offering themed open-loop gift cards and promoting them with corresponding displays.
BitPay’s Visa-Branded Prepaid Card for Bitcoin Reaches Global Scale
BitPay, a 2017 Pay Award winner, said this week that it has released its BitPay Visa Prepaid Debit Card in 131 countries. The card “makes it possible for users to convert bitcoin into a spendable dollar, euro or pound balance” on the card in a matter of minutes, the company said.
Security Roundup: Fiserv, Intellicheck, InAuth
Retailer Target recently agreed to pay $18.5 million as part of a settlement with 47 states and the District of Columbia that stems from 2013 data breach. The news is a stark reminder of how costly and prolonged the process of recovering from a breach can be, which is why security continues to be at the forefront of payments news with three companies making significant announcements this week.
Worldpay marks the PoC for VR payments
Researchers at Worldpay are investigating how shoppers can pay using a credit or debit card while remaining within a virtual environment. As part of its real ambitions, the payments firm has created a proof of concept (PoC), with the aim to provide the “same levels of convenience, and security” that shoppers have in-store and online, […]
Bank for International Settlements unveils code for special FX
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has unveiled its FX Global Code, a set of global principles promoting good practice in the foreign exchange (FX) market. The code has been developed by a partnership of central banks and market participants from 16 jurisdictions for “integrity and effective functioning”. Many organisations are welcoming the code, such […]
Europe strives to standardise cybersecurity
The EU Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) has joined forces with the semiconductor industry in a bid to improve the continent’s cybersecurity, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). As ever region-wide initiatives such as this tend to be glacial affairs, but this announcement comes at a time when both cyber and physical security are […]
Travelex kills off Supercard
Supercard, a new card and mobile product launched by Travelex and Wirecard last June, is now being sunsetted.
Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 24 May 2017
Cut to the chase with this brief blockchain and Bitcoin round-up. Features Waves Platform, Everex and Bitcoin’s price surge. Moscow-based Waves has launched its Euro gateway, which will allow users of the platform to deposit and withdraw Euros directly from within the lite client, holding and trading them directly from their Waves accounts as WEUR […]
Fly Away: Netspend Prepaid Card Offers United Airlines’ MileagePlus Rewards
Netspend has launched a Visa-branded prepaid card that enables cardholders to earn miles good for travel through United Airlines’ MileagePlus loyalty program. The product addresses one of the main issues facing prepaid providers—long-term cardholder retention.
FIS Details How Younger Consumers—and Some Older Peers—Are Driving Digital Banking
Nearly half—49 percent—of millennial consumers had paid a bill via mobile within 30 days of a survey conducted for a new report from FIS. That data point underscores the growing importance of digital financial services and payments not only for younger consumers but their older counterparts.
Target to Pay $18.5 Million to States in Data Breach Settlement
Target Corp. has agreed to pay $18.5 million in a settlement with 47 states and the District of Columbia that stems from a November 2013 data breach of the Minneapolis-based retailer. The breach affected more than 41 million customer payment card accounts and exposed contact information for more than 60 million customers.
Comdata Adds Spend Escalator to ePayables to Save Clients Time, Money
Comdata is making it easier for clients who use the B2B payment and financial technology provider’s virtual credit cards, or ePayables, which it says will drive adoption. The company is so convinced its new Spend Escalator technology is beneficial, it has applied for a patent.
R3 hits jackpot with $107m investment for DLT
Blockchain consortium R3 has completed the first two of three tranches in its Series A fundraising round, securing $107 million in the “world’s largest distributed ledger technology (DLT) investment to date”. The consortia contest is heating up as this handy cash injection follows on from yesterday’s (22 May) announcement from the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) […]
Games without frontiers via TransferWise borderless account
TransferWise has unveiled its “Borderless” account with the promise that it works like a local bank account in different countries. The account is its plan to replace “old-fashioned” money transfers. TransferWise says local bank details in the UK, Eurozone and US are available, and other unspecified countries are on the way at some point in […]
Euronext to acquire FastMatch for FX sake
Pan-European exchange Euronext will acquire about 90% of FastMatch for $153 million as part of its expansion plans in the $5.1 trillion daily foreign exchange (FX) market. FastMatch’s management will retain about 10% interest, with minority rights. Closing is subject to regulatory and anti-trust approvals, and is expected to occur in Q3 2017. Stéphane Boujnah, […]
Swift unveils “first ever” cross-border payments tracker
Corporate treasurers have a moment to treasure as Swift has unveiled its new cross-border payments “Tracker” for real-time tracing. Swift says Tracker is the “cornerstone” of its global payments innovation (gpi) initiative – which went live in February – with the aim to deliver greater speed, transparency and end to end tracking. Tracker provides a […]
Nasdaq and Citi team up for blockchain-powered payments reconciliation
Nasdaq and Citi’s Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) have unveiled a new payment solution for automating reconciliation using Chain’s blockchain infrastructure platform. The solution enables straight through payment processing by using a distributed ledger to record and transmit payment instructions. A number of payment transactions have been done including Citi’s automated processing of cross-border payments […]
R3 rival Enterprise Ethereum Alliance expands in size
The Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) has seen a surge of interest in its plans to drive Ethereum blockchain technology best practices with the arrival of 86 new members. New faces include Broadridge, DTCC, Deloitte, Infosys, MUFG, National Bank of Canada, Rabobank and Samsung SDS. As Banking Technology reported in March, Banco Santander, BNY Mellon, Intel, […]
InComm’s Asia-Pac Expansion Continues with Sony Deal
InComm and Sony Interactive Entertainment HK Ltd. have teamed up to provide promotional programs in the Hong Kong market. The initiative is part of InComm’s continued investment in promotional tools that change how gift cards are purchased by connecting physical and digital channels.
Google Casts a Wider Net for Payments
Google has a new plan to become a bigger player in payments. The search engine and web marketing giant said that it’s enabling merchants and developers to “turbocharge checkout conversion” by making it easier for consumers to use the credit cards and debit cards stored with Google.
The Monday mindset: 22 May 2017
Fintech zeitgeist! Every Monday, we might look back at last week; look ahead to this week; share a few thoughts (our own or others); or discuss anything that catches our eye. This week, Antony Peyton, Banking Technology’s deputy editor, briefly discusses artificial intelligence (AI) and job security. It seems humans’ jobs in fintech are safe […]
Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 19 May 2017
It was only two days ago since the last blockchain and Bitcoin round-up, but here’s more news to keep you in the loop. Features Ripple, BitGo, Abu Dhabi Global Market, R3 and Corion. Ripple has enjoyed a good start to the year with ten more financial institutions recently jumping onboard its blockchain network; and deals […]
IBM unleashes blockchain accelerator for start-ups
IBM has launched its Blockchain Founder Accelerator to help enterprises and enterprise developers power up their blockchain networks. The programme provides one-on-one mentorship and support by network founders and technologists for business case development, network membership incentives, technical development, governance and legal issues. In addition, members of the Founder Accelerator will receive early access to […]
Webinar: driving mobile banking engagement with e-signatures
This free webinar provides a discussion around how to utilise e-signatures to unlock the full potential of mobile banking applications.
Payments round-up: 18 May 2017
Words cut. Time saved. A round-up of key events in the payments enclave. Featuring Australian Settlements Limited, IBM, Mastercard, UnionPay International, Visa and Wirecard. Financial services provider Australian Settlements Limited (ASL) has adopted IBM Cloud for its new payments platform (NPP) implementation. ASL provides members, including building societies, credit unions and mutual banks, with settlement […]
Google moves to claim a bigger piece of the IoT pie
Internet giant Google has launched Cloud IoT Core, a new service in its Google Cloud Platform designed to extend its capabilities to distributed devices.
Equifax forms new alliance to develop open banking products
Equifax, credit information provider Castlight and Oakbrook Finance, the owners of consumer loan brand Likely Loans, have teamed up to develop new products for the 2018 open banking initiative. Under open banking, Equifax says bank transaction data will play a crucial role in lending decisions. Lenders will have access to real-time and historic account and […]
Jabre Capital turns to Broadridge for risk management
Asset management firm Jabre Capital Partners has chosen Broadridge’s integrated trading, portfolio management, and risk management platform to help manage its front, middle and back-office operations. Broadridge says its solution will enable Jabre to streamline and automate workflow, and help meet its pre- and post-trade compliance requirements while providing connectivity to brokers and EMS platforms. […]
Vacation Savings Plan, Prepaid Card Help Employees Get Away
It’s vacation season, and employers have a new tool to encourage employees to take much-needed time off and come back more productive. 401Play is offering what it calls a vacation savings account program with a companion Capital Prepaid Services’ BlazePays Visa Prepaid Card to help employees save for vacation.
Sweet sixteen keen on CCRManager’s trade finance platform
Sixteen financial institutions (FIs) are onboard for CCRManager’s new electronic platform, developed for the distribution of trade finance, supply chain finance and working capital assets. Bank of China, DBS Bank, ICICI Bank, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and UniCredit have signed up as members of the platform to support their trade risk distribution businesses. In addition, […]
CFSI Sets the Table for Financial Health
Hoping to build on last year’s success, the Center for Financial Services Innovation is encouraging participants in next month’s FinHealthMatters Day to craft videos, write blogs and plan events that highlight the need for better financial health for U.S. consumers. FinHealthMatters Day is June 27.
Fintech boosted by IBM’s quantum computing leap
Fintech innovation could be getting a push as IBM has built and tested its most powerful universal quantum computing processors. IBM says this development opens up a range of possibilities within the fintech world. Namely, solutions to optimisation problems found in supply chains, modelling financial data, and risk analysis; making facets of artificial intelligence (AI) […]
Fintech funding round-up: 17 May 2017
Quickly following on from the cash flow glow of 15 May, here’s another fintech funding round-up. Features Additiv, BZ Bank, Symphony, BNP Parabis and IOTA. Zurich-based digital finance provider Additiv knows how to stay healthy as it has secured its first capital investment funding round of CHF 21 million ($21.3 million). The round was headed […]
Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 17 May 2017
The world moves fast, so you need a fast read. A round-up of key events in the blockchain and Bitcoin arena. Featuring Coinsilium Group, SatoshiPay, Aragon, ShapeShift and Kotak Mahindra Bank. Blockchain accelerator Coinsilium Group reveals that SatoshiPay, a “nano-payments” company in which Coinsilium has a 12.08% equity interest, has added PayPal as a new […]
