Payments platform Payza has partnered with New RAMPgreen Technologies (NRGT) in India to launch the “first” global online wallet that can be used by Indians in their local currency. Payza says prior to this local payment service Indians were not permitted to hold any rupees in any online ewallet. It says the “only way” they […]
Czech bank ČSOB and Italian payments firm SIA have launched the first mobile wallet for NFC payments in the Czech Republic. The new app, NaNákupy (literally “go shopping”), supports both MasterCard and Visa, and enables ČSOB’s customers to make contactless payments by smartphone. Petr Hutla, member of the ČSOB board of directors in charge of […]
Rupert Scofield, president and CEO of microfinance organisation Finca International, discusses how it brings banking to the developing world and why people should follow America’s lead in the art of philanthropy. “This is your world. My generation had its shot. We thought our problems were daunting but it’s nothing like the stuff you’re dealing with. […]
Years of friction could be over as PayPal is talking to MasterCard on a potential strategic alliance, according to the Financial Times. PayPal, with its network of 188 million active users, has been expanding at MasterCard’s and Visa’s expense. One example was its recent partnership with Mexican telecommunications giant América Móvil for growth in Latin […]
Accenture has acquired 100% of the shares in Amsterdam-based start-up Mobgen. Mobgen says with Accenture it can expand its “end-to-end mobile approach”. The Dutch firm will be part of Accenture Digital, but will keep the same brand, culture and operate from its offices in Amsterdam, London, and A Coruña and Malaga in Spain. It has […]
UK-based start-up Monizo is planning to launch the “first” banking service targeted solely at freelancers. In an exclusive interview with Banking Technology, CEO and co-founder Samuel O’Connor says the firm caters for the particular needs of freelancers across the UK. He says: “The rules are getting more onerous for freelancers and by the end of […]
Do you know an outstanding Tech Leader? The Tech Leadership Award, part of our annual Banking Technology Awards, will go to an individual for leading and playing an instrumental role in devising and/or delivering the technology strategy to support the key business objectives of an organisation. The award is open to all industry participants worldwide […]
Project Sentinel, a collaborative initiative by a group of banks to mutualise the cost of MiFID II implementation in the OTC front office, has completed the detailed business requirements that meet MiFID II regulatory obligations. The project is now focused on finding the right vendors to deliver the solution. “Once the vendor assessment is complete, […]
UK-based Tide will offer a “nimble small business current account”, with a swift set-up and no monthly fees. It claims to be among the “world’s first” mobile-first banking services for SMEs. Tide’s CEO George Bevis says the company will open its virtual doors for business in autumn this year. Tide is currently in the “private alpha […]
Who is leading the digital way among the US retail banks? We have put together some nifty stats for the top ten online banking sites in the US for the past month (data courtesy of SimilarWeb). We’ll be publishing regular updates on a monthly basis, to track the changes, developments and trends – to bring you a fuller […]
FinTech Group and Rocket Internet have formed a technology partnership, with the first step to launch a digital bank. Based on the banking licence of its subsidiary bank Biw, FinTech Group will provide Rocket Internet the infrastructure such as its own, proprietary core banking system and automated processes. In addition, XCOM, FinTech Group’s technology supplier, […]
Who is leading the digital way among the retail banks in India? We have put together some nifty stats for India’s top ten online banking sites for the past month (data courtesy of SimilarWeb). We’ll be publishing regular updates on a monthly basis, to track the changes, developments and trends – to bring you a fuller picture of […]
EBA Clearing, a provider of payment infrastructure solutions owned by 53 major banks in Europe, has published the specifications for its future pan-European real-time payments solution. The new solution is set to go live in November 2017. It will comply with the SCT Inst Scheme of the European Payments Council (EPC). The document, which can […]
With digital banking (and particularly mobile) sharply on the rise in the UK – according to the latest figures released by the British Bankers Association – who is leading among the UK retail banks? We have put together some nifty stats for the top ten online banking sites in the UK for the past month (data […]
It has been a couple of weeks of important announcements in the challenger banking space, with some interesting long-term trends emerging in the sector. Two new challenger banks have received their banking licences in the past week. Berlin-based Number26 renamed itself N26 and received its full banking licence from the European Central Bank and German […]
Italian payments firm SIA has invested in a 3.17% stake in technical university Politecnico di Milano (MIP). SIA is the third new partner to join in 2016 after Microsoft and Whirlpool, and says it has already been collaborating with MIP for several years on international innovation and development projects. “Being close to companies and to […]
Axis Bank has partnered with OT (Oberthur Technologies) to pilot the “first” open loop EMV contactless smart cards to be used in public transportation in Bengaluru, India. OT, a provider of security software products and services, says the cards allow people to tap and pay instead of buying a ticket each time they use transportation […]
Telefónica Germany, in association with Fidor Bank, has launched its mobile banking offering, “O2 Banking”, in Germany. As Banking Technology reported in May, Matthias Kröner, CEO of Fidor Bank, said the collaboration offers “the best of two digital worlds” – banking services via a mobile app and additional services from an O2 mobile contract. The […]
Bancolombia and US-based First Data have formed a strategic agreement to integrate their technology platforms to “improve and diversify” services for business owners in Colombia. The companies will focus on building e-commerce and business management solutions for merchants as well as improving access to the banking system. First Data and Bancolombia say they will bring […]
Absa has launched a MasterCard-powered digital wallet and ChatBanking for Facebook Messenger. ChatBanking will let customers conduct banking without having to leave the social media platform; and follows on from the recent introduction of Absa ChatBanking on Twitter in May. Ashley Veasey, group CIO and chief digital officer at Barclays Africa (Absa is majority owned […]
Soumik Roy, Banking Technology’s editorial contributor based in India, explores India’s digital banking landscape, examines innovative players like DBS digibank, and ponders what’s next for the nation’s fast-paced fintech sector. Electronic banking and payments are rapidly picking up pace in India; citizens love the convenience, the government hopes it will drive transparency and reduce the […]
British Bankers Association (BBA) says digital banking is in a “consumer-led revolution”. Its latest report – Way We Bank Now – shows a drastic increase in consumers using digital channels to manage their money. Changing customer habits and major technological advances in banking have resulted in the following: Customers are using mobile banking apps more […]
Société Générale has acquired a stake in TagPay, a French mobile banking firm, as it looks to develop mobile banking in Africa. Société Générale says the deal will support the development of TagPay on the market and it will roll out the service to its African subsidiaries. TagPay’s mobile-centric core banking system, also called TagPay, […]
Thomson Reuters and Imperial College London have teamed up on research projects to look at big data challenges impacting global fintech and regtech. Working with researchers from the Data Science Institute at Imperial, Thomson Reuters will contribute financial market data and legal expertise, as well as data management and machine-learning expertise, to Imperial’s data visualisation […]
German digital bank Number26 becomes N26 and has received its banking licence, 1.5 years after launching. After applying for the licence nine months ago; Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the European Central Bank gave the bank regulatory approval to conduct operations across Europe. “This banking licence is an important additional step for us […]
NCR Corporation and Wells Fargo have established a team focused on research and development in ATM and retail banking customer experience. Over the past eight years, NCR and Wells Fargo have worked together on other projects. These range from cash- and check-processing to self-service devices. The latest agreement expands the relationship to a “more strategic […]
Barclays and MuleSoft, a platform provider for building application networks, have teamed up to host a digital banking hackathon. The hackathon will take place at Barclays Technology Centre Radbroke in Cheshire (UK) on 20-21 July. The event aims to foster innovation and harness technology to build a range of new financial services solutions. Peter Josse, […]
Santander InnoVentures, the fintech venture capital fund of Santander Group, has secured a further $100 million in funding from the group’s balance sheet. Launched in 2014, Santander says the fund is now set to deploy a total of $200 million (up from the $100m originally allocated) in minority stakes in fintech start-ups. Santander says this […]
Apple Pay is now available in France – with Visa debit and credit cardholders from Banque Populaire et Caisse d’Epargne (BPCE group) getting immediate access. Apple Pay can be used to touch and pay wherever Visa contactless payment is accepted. Visa says France already has over 400,000 merchant locations live with contactless payment today (19 […]
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Samsung Electronics will roll out Samsung Pay in Brazil tomorrow (19 July), the first market in South America to introduce its mobile payment service. The service will launch with “major issuers” including Banco do Brasil, Brasil Pré-Pagos, Caixa, Porto Seguro and Santander. Additionally, Samsung says it is working with other bank partners including Banrisul, Bradesco, […]
Japanese operator group Softbank has successfully bid £24.3 billion to buy UK mobile chip designer ARM in a bid to position itself at the centre of the IoT revolution, reports Scott Bicheno at Telecoms.com. The bid represents a 43% premium to the ARM share price at close of trading on Friday last week and the […]
BMO Bank of Montreal has introduced a new service that allows customers to open an account using their smartphone, without having to go to a branch or download an app. The bank says this “first-of-its-kind account opening capability” allows customers to search, select and open a new account with BMO “in minutes”. Niti Badarinath, head […]
FIS and Payment Alliance International (PAI) have teamed up to offer cardless cash services across the US. The partnership connects mobile solution FIS Cardless Cash to PAI – the nation’s “largest”, privately-held provider of ATM processing and maintenance services. FIS says the deal will “ultimately” expand to 70,000 ATMs in the PAI ATM network. Anthony […]
German mobile payments start-up Cringle is working with SolarisBank to launch a peer-to-peer (P2P) payments platform for the Eurozone. Berlin-based Cringle will use SolarisBank’s banking licence and Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) access API to roll out its wallet-less mobile payment solution. Cringle says the SEPA-based approach allows it (with SolarisBank’s help) to “move and […]
In the face of an ever rising digital agenda in Europe, banks are jumping on the fintech bandwagon, hoping to jumpstart innovation. Technology stands today as a catalyst for change in established banking institutions, write Astrid Froidure, digital transformation lead at Open Reply, and Fausto Jori, owner of E-finance Reply. The spark comes in a […]
According to new research from Visa, consumers across Europe are interested in using biometrics when making a payment – especially when integrated with other security measures. About 73% of the 14,000 European consumers surveyed see two-factor authentication, where a biometric is used in conjunction with a payment device, as a secure way to confirm an […]
TIM, the single brand of Telecom Italia Group, has teamed with SIA (through its subsidiary TSP), to make POS MultiPay terminals operative in over 2,200 stores in its sales network across Italy. The aim is to extend the methods of e-payment for its offers; and SIA says TIM’s prepaid mobile phone customers will be able, […]
Australia and New Zealand-based banking group, ANZ, is the first bank to launch Android Pay in Australia. ANZ chief executive officer Shayne Elliott says: “Being the first major bank in Australia able to offer Android Pay is another important milestone for ANZ.” Google senior director product management Pali Bhat adds: “Using Android Pay is more […]
Standard Bank in South Africa has launched its existing banking app to four additional African markets. The app is now available in Uganda, Namibia, Ghana and Botswana; with plans to roll it out to Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe by the end of 2016. The latest development is part of its drive to “enhance its […]
