PayTech


FIS revamps Bank Leumi USA’s tech platform

Bank Leumi USA, part of the Bank Leumi Group, has replaced its legacy technology platform with FIS’s banking and payments solutions, including core processing, branch, digital and mobile banking, compliance, risk and back office systems. FIS says it was a “big bang” project implementation and large in size and scope for a mid-sized banking institution. […]

Union Bank of Philippines picks D+H for cash management services

Union Bank of the Philippines has chosen US-based D+H Corporation’s suite of cash management solutions. The bank¸ which provides products and services to more than 7,000 corporate clients, has embarked on a “major transformation” of its cash management services business and wanted to simplify its IT environment. John Ong, head of transaction banking, Union Bank […]

U.K. Court to Hear Brexit Case in October

A U.K. hearing scheduled for October will consider if Brexit can happen without parliamentary approval. The U.K.’s June 23 vote to leave the union has led to confusion and much speculation in the payments world, as the industry wonders about such issues as licenses and passporting, along with other financial services regulations.

Apple Pay launches in France

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 […]

Another One Bites the Dust: suretap Wallet to Be Discontinued

Canada’s first mobile wallet suretap is now one of the latest casualties in the mobile wallet wars. Citing market changes and an increasing number of mobile payment and banking options, among other factors, the Toronto-based company will shut down the mobile wallet as of Aug. 26. But it’s not alone. Semble, a New Zealand-based joint venture created by several telecoms and banks, discontinued its mobile payment service July 15.

Santander Enforcement Could Preview CFPB’s Overdraft Intentions

The CFPB’s recent enforcement action against Santander Bank over the bank’s overdraft practices underscores federal regulators’ focus on holding regulated institutions responsible for the actions of third-party vendors, and could provide a preview of the CFPB’s upcoming rulemaking on overdraft.

FIS Mobile Cash Access Service Coming to 70,000 ATMs

FIS is expanding its Cardless Cash mobile ATM withdrawal service across the U.S. under a new partnership with Payment Alliance International (PAI), the largest privately held network of ATMs in the U.S. The deal will bring Cardless Cash to 70,000 ATMs in PAI’s network.

Samsung Pay Iris Scanner Could Bring New Biometric to Payments

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 7 reportedly will include an iris scanner that enables consumers to unlock their phones, one of the first major smartphones in the U.S. to include such technology. Although there was no immediate indication that Samsung plans to use iris authentication for payments, biometrics authentication is gaining momentum as providers seek to eliminate security-challenged passwords.

Samsung Pay launches in Brazil

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, […]

India’s Unified Payments Interface gets more banks onboard

Unified Payments Interface (UPI), launched in April by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), will go live by the end of this month with 15 participating banks. UPI offers instant, online bank payments, and is seen as a major change to the Indian financial sector. It enables banks to provide real-time payments through QR […]

BMO “first” for account opening with smartphones

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 […]

Open banking APIs will require a rulebook to ensure “good outcome”

Efforts to develop standards for banks to provide third-party access to customer account information are at risk of fragmentation under pressure from tight deadlines, a lack of clarity about the technical requirements and competing domestic proposals. At a conference in London last week arranged by industry body Payments UK, delegates heard that this will lead […]

Tochka Bank launches world’s “first” financial Facebook bot

Russia-based Tochka Bank of the Otkritie Financial Group has launched the world’s “first” Facebook bot for a range of financial services. The bot will allow the bank’s clients to check their accounts, find nearby ATMs using geolocation, call the bank, contact customer support and make payments via Facebook messenger. Elena Budnik, chair of Otkritie Bank’s […]

Top fintech stories this week – 15 July 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Swift seeks stronger network security Strikes back after hacks. IBM to open blockchain innovation centre in Singapore Big Blue stays true to blockchain. Starling Bank gets UK banking licence Aims to launch to customers by January 2017. Unibank […]

Visa says Europe open to biometrics for payments

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 […]

Mobile Roundup: Masterpass Adds In-Store Purchasing; Starbucks, Android Pay Hit New Markets

Mastercard is expanding its Masterpass digital payment service to enable users to make in-store purchases, adding a major competitor to the increasingly crowded field of mobile payment services—and one that boasts a roster of 250,000 merchant partners and a built-in base of existing users. Meanwhile, two other high-profile mobile payment apps—Starbucks and Android Pay—are expanding in Asia-Pacific.

Congressional Report Accuses FDIC of Covering up, Misrepresenting Data Breaches

A critical congressional report was released this week claiming the FDIC has been hacked several times over several years and regulators have been covering up or misrepresenting breaches. In an ongoing investigation by the U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee, the report implicates FDIC employees, as well as the Chinese government, as responsible for some of the breaches.

Elan Debuts Mobile Management App for Debit, Prepaid

Issuers are beginning to put the fight against fraud into cardholders’ hands with mobile app controls, such as on/off switches and geolocation. Elan Financial Services is the latest to help issuers give debit and prepaid cardholders the ability to control their cards from their smartphones.

Transport for London Licenses Technology to Cubic

Transport for London (TfL), the city’s transit authority, and Cubic Transportation Systems have consummated a £15 million (US$20 million) licensing deal enabling Cubic to tailor London’s contactless system technology for other world cities’ transport systems.

SIA and Telecom Italia team up for e-payments

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, […]

ANZ first Australian bank to offer Android Pay

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 […]

Starling Bank gets UK banking licence

New challenger bank Starling has received its UK banking licence and adopted Faster Payments. Starling Bank says the licence comes with unspecified “restrictions” from the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority. The bank aims to launch to customers by January 2017. Anne Boden, CEO, Starling Bank, says: “For the past year, our team […]

PSR calls for feedback on UK payments strategy

The UK’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is calling for feedback on its Payments Strategy Forum’s draft plans. The Forum, which was created by the PSR in March 2015, is made up of 22 experts tasked with planning the future of the UK’s payments sector. Today (13 July), the Forum published its findings in an 80-page […]

Encentus Federal Credit Union selects Fiserv’s Portico core processing system

Oklahoma-based Encentus Federal Credit Union has chosen Fiserv’s Portico core account processing platform for digital banking and lending services. The credit union is migrating from its current providers to Fiserv; and Misty Potter, president and CEO, Encentus, says Fiserv “will empower our credit union with the progressive and innovative technology to drive a more rewarding […]

Samsung Pay launches in Puerto Rico

Samsung Electronics is bringing Samsung Pay to Puerto Rico. Samsung Pay will support eligible credit cards from Banco Popular, Puerto Rico’s largest bank, and will be available on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Claro networks in Puerto Rico. The firm says Samsung Pay is the “only” mobile wallet that allows users to pay with their compatible […]

People on the Move: Beverly Cole, OCC

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has named Beverly Cole as deputy comptroller for compliance supervision. In the role, Cole will be responsible for developing and instituting compliance operational protocols, examination strategies and schedules.

Safaricom Launching M-PESA Prepaid Card in Kenya

Safaricom is planning to add a companion prepaid card to its popular M-PESA mobile money transfer service in Kenya—a move that could help close the “missing link” in the e-money ecosystem, while helping Safaricom compete against a new rival in the P2P space.

Facebook Testing Event Ticket Sales via Desktop Site, App

Turning social media into a commerce channel is still a work in progress, but one that few are giving up on with a global user base across social media of more than 2 billion, according to Euromonitor International. The latest attempt from Facebook taps into the summer concert season with the social networking giant testing a feature enabling its U.S. users to buy tickets to concerts and other events from its desktop site and its iOS and Android apps.

U.K. Financial Regulator Offers Guidance on Cloud Services

Hoping to encourage fintech innovation, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has issued a 17-page document that offers guidelines for how financial services firm can use outsourced Web-hosted services without running afoul of regulators.

EMVCo and FIDO Alliance team up for mobile payment authentication

EMVCo, the global payment specification body, and the FIDO Alliance, an industry consortium developing open, interoperable authentication standards, are to collaborate and review how FIDO can support EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) payment use cases. A “key aim” of the initiative is to investigate mobile payments using on-device authenticators, such as biometrics, as they seek […]

Walmart Pay Transactions Soar amid Nationwide U.S. Rollout

Walmart has rolled out its mobile payment service to all of its 4,600 U.S. stores. And although some analysts are skeptical the service will attract shoppers, the retailer is reporting a 45 percent jump in transactions already.

Saudi Arabia Restricts Popular Prepaid Card over Terrorism, Money Laundering Concerns

The government of Saudi Arabia has banned in-person sales of one of the leading online payment products in the Middle East over concerns about money laundering and terrorist financing. The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency—the country’s central bank—has barred the sale of CASHU prepaid cards through local agents, though consumers still may purchase cards from the company’s Website.

Global Credit Card Fraud Ring Busted, 105 Suspects Arrested

A months-long investigation that spanned from Malaysia to 14 European countries resulted last week in the bust of a credit card fraud ring allegedly responsible for approximately €5 million (US$5.5 million) in losses. The police investigation led to the arrest of 105 suspects, 29 in Malaysia and 76 in Europe.