PayTech


Fidor fuels O2 mobile banking launch

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 First Data team up for payments innovation

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 […]

CEO Fails to Keep Alive GiftCardRescue.com

Citing a lack of financing, gift card exchange GiftCardRescue.com has closed up shop. Kwame Kuadey, founder and CEO, launched the company in 2008, enabling consumers to exchange unwanted gift cards or buy new ones at a discount.

Mastercard Eyes License as China Opens to Outside Payment Firms

Mastercard is setting its sights on China, with plans to apply for a payment services license there and releasing a new index to track the pulse of the nation’s new economy. China began allowing foreign-based payment card providers to operate in the country in June, giving outside players the opportunity to access the country’s $8.25 trillion payments market—provided they met certain capital and security standards. Mastercard currently is studying the requirements and deciding whether to apply for a license alone or with a partner.

5 Ways Wearables Are Improving the Way We Shop

With nearly 40 million Americans using wearables—and that number expected to more than double by 2018, retailers are looking for ways to capitalize on wearable popularity by using these devices to push personalized offers and provide payments capabilities to improve the shopping experience.

Report: U.K. Mobile Banking on Rise as Branch Visits, Desktop Banking Dwindle

Mobile banking is catching on in a big way in the U.K., with payments via mobile banking apps reaching £347 (about US$456 million) in 2015, up a whopping 54 percent over the previous year, according to a new study. The Way We Bank Now, a report from the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) and professional services organization EY, found that U.K. consumers used mobile banking apps—ranging from those of major banks to full-featured mobile-centric accounts—more than 4 billion times last year.

Absa launches digital wallet and ChatBanking for Facebook Messenger

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 […]

WorldPay’s world of pain ends

Global payments provider WorldPay says it has put an end to two weeks of turmoil which saw millions of payments affected through one of its gateways. The company had experienced a fretful fortnight which saw many customers unable to receive cash from e-commerce sites (and other non-fintech ones). This led to a boisterous backlash and […]

ICICI and Axis first Indian banks to join Swift payments initiative

ICICI Bank and Axis Bank are the first Indian banks to sign up for Swift’s global payments innovation initiative. Swift says both of them will be joining forces with more than 70 other banks globally. The initiative aims to “enhance” cross-border payments by using its messaging platform. In its first phase, the initiative will focus […]

Mainstream fintech in India: a bird’s eye view

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 […]

MasterCard to apply for payment licence in China

MasterCard plans to become a payment service provider in China, according to Reuters. It is still pondering whether to do so alone or with a partner, it is understood. Ann Cairns, president of international markets at MasterCard, told Reuters that China is “pretty crucial” to MasterCard’s future, but the company is still “trying to understand […]

Top fintech stories this week – 22 July 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! BBA records dramatic increase in mobile banking usage Digital banking is in a “consumer-led revolution”. MasterCard buys VocaLink for $920 million Current owners Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and RBS will receive a handy windfall. Cidel Bank implementing ERI’S Olympic […]

BBA records dramatic increase in mobile banking usage

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 […]

PayPal Cuts Deal with Visa, Abandons ACH Push

For those wondering if the post-eBay PayPal would act differently, July 21 gave us the answer: Yes. On Thursday, PayPal announced a strategic partnership with Visa where Visa would get preference—in both PayPal and Venmo apps—and PayPal said that it would “not encourage Visa cardholders to link to a bank account via ACH” and “PayPal will also support and work with issuers to identify consumers who choose to migrate existing ACH payment flows to their Visa cards.”

Mastercard Makes Big U.K. Play with $1.1 Billion VocaLink Investment

Mastercard is set to gain control of a major chunk of the U.K. transaction processing market, entering a definitive agreement to acquire 92.4 percent of VocaLink in a deal that could total up to $1.14 billion. A bank-owned consortium, VocaLink’s technology underpins the British direct debit and credit payments system, as well as the LINK ATM network and the Faster Payments Scheme for real-time mobile and Internet payments.

MasterCard buys VocaLink for $920m

MasterCard has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 92.4% of VocaLink for $920 million. As Banking Technology reported in March and April, MasterCard was in “exclusive” talks with VocaLink over the acquisition. VocaLink’s existing shareholders have the potential for an earn-out of up to an additional $220 million, if performance targets are met. This […]

Viewpoint: Liberating Consumers through Payments

For once, the sound bites being used to describe upcoming changes in the global banking industry may actually be too conservative. The latest Payments Services Directive likely will revolutionize how consumers interact with their banks and the protection they can expect when paying online or on their mobile devices—and the effects won’t be limited to Europe.

Viewpoint: Can Emojis Secure Mobile Payments?

In addition to brightening text messages and tweets, the popular icons beloved by everyone from tweens to Baby Boomers may soon serve a much more substantial purpose—mobile and payments authentication.

Viewpoint: Debunking E-Commerce Payment Myths

Retailers can cater more closely to the ever-changing needs and preferences of online shoppers if they resist falling prey to these four common misconceptions about how consumers pay.

U.S. Senators Go to Bat for Credit Unions and Community Banks

In this contentious presidential election cycle, it’s hard to imagine anything getting 70 percent of the Senate to back it. But 70 U.S. Senators want the CFPB to lay off credit unions and community banks when it comes to certain, unspecified rules.

Do Easier Purchases Make Customers Less Satisfied?

A University of Toronto study raises a delightfully non-intuitive payments point. Although shoppers gravitate toward the payment forms promising the least friction, do they value purchases more when they are made with more friction, such as cash?

Wells Fargo and NCR partner for retail banking innovation

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 […]

Company on the Move: Givex, UKGCVA

Gift card processor Givex has joined the UK Gift Card and Voucher Association (UKGCVA), the country’s trade body for vouchers and gift cards.

Yes Bank says yes to Gemalto’s mobile payments for UPI

Yes Bank has deployed Gemalto’s SafeNet Network HSM to secure mobile payment transactions for its customers under India’s recently implemented Unified Payments Interface (UPI). UPI was launched in April by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and will go live by the end of this month with 15 participating banks. It offers instant, online […]

Deutsche Bank prefers Swift for intraday liquidity reporting

Swift Scope has been named by Deutsche Bank Global Transaction Banking (GTB) as the preferred solution for intraday liquidity reporting requirements. Swift Scope is an automated, end-to-end business intelligence solution used to collect and consolidate data, and provide the analysis required to monitor and report intraday liquidity flows. It supports compliance with the Basel Committee […]