FinCEN Gives Iran a Bit of Financial Breathing Room
Iran has won a slight reprieve in FinCEN’s latest advisory for anti-money laundering and countering terrorism measures.
News
Barclays and Australian Bank Launch Linked Mobile P2P Payments
Barclays said it will link its Pingit m-payments app to the CommBank app from the Australian bank, enabling customers to send payments via their phones, including between customers in the two countries.
Monitise turns corner in profit quest
UK-based payments vendor Monitise is beginning to turn its fortunes around – with a 45% reduction in operating costs and EBITDA profitability of £600,000 in the second half of the year. As Banking Technology reported in May, the firm brought in a new COO and a new, re-focused business structure. It seems the initiatives have […]
CBA and Barclays partner for Australia-UK mobile payments “first”
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and Barclays have joined forces to let their retail customers move money between Australia and the UK with “just a mobile number”. In a “first between the two countries”, CBA and Barclays say they have worked to connect each of their payment apps together – CBA’s CommBank and Barclays’ Pingit. […]
Finding the Future of Fintech
The term “fintech” has long been tied to the idea of disrupting the existing financial services industry. Although that spirit remains, Discover sees a maturation of the market and a growing realization from investors and startups that there is a greater value in collaborating with the industry rather than trying to supplant it.
New core banking system go-live finally in sight for Aktia Bank
Finland-based Aktia Bank says its new core banking platform – Temenos’ T24 – “will be implemented step-by-step during the last quarter of 2016”. The project has been underway since 2013. T24 will replace a legacy development by a local vendor, Samlink. The total investment is now estimated to exceed €65 million – a €10 million […]
Avaloq Community Conference 2016: Lego of the past for fintech innovation
Lessons learned from Lego’s business renaissance could be the way of the future for fintech innovation. At yesterday’s (7 September 2016) Avaloq Community Conference at the Seminarhotel Bocken in Horgen, Switzerland, the private banking software specialist held an open day as it looks to the future. Our first report included an exclusive interview with CEO […]
Banking Technology Awards 2016 – shortlist unveiled
Our rejuvenated Banking Technology Awards have received an unprecedented amount of entries this year – from banks, financial institutions, fintech firms and individuals worldwide – and we are happy to reveal the shortlisted candidates. Now in their 17th year, Banking Technology Awards recognise and reward excellence and innovation in the use of IT in financial […]
PriceMetrix acquired by McKinsey
McKinsey has bought PriceMetrix, a Toronto-based data and analytics company focused on the wealth and asset management sector. McKinsey says that “PriceMetrix will retain its management team, brand and identity, and will work in close collaboration with McKinsey’s wealth and asset management team”. PriceMetrix’s tools – ValueOne, CommissionCheck and FeeCheck – are complementary to McKinsey’s […]
Rash of Email Fraud Schemes Prompt FinCEN to Issue Advisory
A spate of email fraud schemes involving stolen consumer information and financial institutions being duped into conducting wire transfers has prompted the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to issue an advisory Sept. 6 in an effort to thwart the illegal activity.
Executive Profile: One on One with Sam Shrauger, Visa
Discovering the secrets of the universe may not be part of Sam Shrauger’s day job, but exploring what’s possible in payments is. As senior vice president of digital solutions at Visa Inc., Shrauger is responsible for making sure the payments network is leading the charge into new territory—whether that’s through Visa Checkout, contactless payments, wearables or whatever comes next.
Officers Use Prepaid Card Reader to Seize $10 Million
A handheld card reader released last year has helped U.S. law enforcement agencies seize or recover about $10 million in fraudulent prepaid funds, according to the Dept. of Homeland Security.
EMV Hurdles Hurt U.S. Sales for Major Terminal Makers
As EMV faces rollout hurdles in the U.S., two major terminal makers, reporting adoption delays from smaller merchants, are paying the price.
Avaloq in tune as iTunes for finserv
“We can be the iTunes for finserv,” was one of the messages from Avaloq CEO Francisco Fernandez on company strategy and software functionality. This morning at today’s (7 September 2016) Avaloq Community Conference at the Seminarhotel Bocken in Horgen, Switzerland, the private banking software specialist is holding an open day as it looks to the […]
Barclays and fintech start-up Wave pioneer blockchain trade finance transaction
Barclays and fintech start-up Wave claim to have become the first organisations to complete a global trade transaction using distributed ledger/blockchain technology. Barclays is now calling on other banks to adopt Wave’s platform. “This can develop into an industry-wide improvement in how trade documentation is managed,” Barclays urges. The letter of credit (LC) transaction between […]
Mambu plans to onboard 50 new clients by year-end
Fintech vendor Mambu says it has added 25 new clients to its portfolio this year and is set to double this figure by the end of 2016. It will also more than double the size of its team by the year-end. “All [of Mambu’s new customers] are focused on servicing consumers and businesses poorly reached by […]
USAA launches online virtual assistant
USAA, a provider of banking and insurance services to the US military personnel and their families, has launched a virtual assistant for its website. The solution is based on the Nina artificial intelligence (AI) technology, supplied by Nuance Communications. It will provide immediate online support and answers to USAA’s member’s “most critical needs”, says Nuance, […]
PayPal Signs Deal with Mastercard, Expanding ‘Ubiquity’ of Brand
PayPal has struck a deal with Mastercard, resulting in, among other terms, Mastercard being presented as an equal payment option within the PayPal Wallet, customers having the option to select Mastercard as their default payment method and Masterpass becoming a payment option for merchants of Braintree, a PayPal subsidiary.
Report: Mobile Payments Surge, Banks Could Play Larger Role as Wallet Providers
Consumer adoption of mobile payments is on the upswing, according to a new report by First Annapolis Consulting, which found that 74 percent of respondents had made at least one mobile-based payment in the preceding 12 months—up significantly from just 40 percent a year earlier.
Report: Mobile Money Boosts Inclusion and Reduces Fraud in Nigeria
Mobile payments have reduced financial fraud in Nigeria, according to the 2016 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project Report.
WeChat Mobile Payments Come to Australia
A new mobile payments deal will enable Chinese tourists and students to use their WeChat mobile wallets in Australia.
Fintech sandbox and innovation hub for Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is planning to launch a regulatory sandbox and innovation hub as part of ambitions to boost its fintech brand. At the Treasury Markets Summit 2016, jointly organised by the HKMA and the Treasury Markets Association (TMA), Norman Chan, chief executive of the HKMA, says it wants to build a […]
Barclays Wealth enlists Tech Mahindra for tech modernisation
Tech Mahindra and its specialist banking IT consultancy and integration subsidiary, Sofgen, have been recruited by Barclays Wealth for its tech modernisation initiative. Barclays has been rolling out a new core banking platform – Avaloq Banking Suite – for a number of years, as well as a new front-office investment management platform, Charles River’s IMS. […]
Erste Bank Hungary updates retail payments hub with ACI Worldwide
Erste Bank Hungary is implementing ACI Worldwide’s UP Retail Payments solution, upgrading from the older versions of ACI’s solutions. The bank will also deploy ACI Proactive Risk Manager (a fraud management solution) and ACI Interchange (central monetary transaction manager) to calculate interchange fees. Erste and ACI have been working together since 2003. Tamás Foltányi, COO […]
BNP Paribas Investment Partners live with Commcise commission management solution
Commcise has implemented its flagship cloud-based commission management software, CommciseBuy, at BNP Paribas Investment Partners (BNPP IP). The project covers the investment manager’s international network across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. The new solution comprises “a complete multi-broker, multi-asset, integrated commission sharing agreement (CSA) and share-of-wallet hosted service”, says the vendor. Commcise also provided […]
Ideal Payments launches first mobile app in Iraq
Ideal Payments has teamed with Taif Money Transfer to launch Iraq’s “first” mobile payments app – Taif eWallet. The platform aims to create a “holistic payments ecosystem” used by multiple agents in the economy including retail merchants, ecommerce platforms, private companies, and government institutions. Ideal Payments’ local partner, Taif Money Transfer, will operate the service, […]
LendIt and Capital One launch fintech start-up competition
Lend me your ears… and eyes. LendIt and Capital One are to co-host PitchIt @ LendIt, a competition to “find a future star of the fintech world”. The competition is aimed at firms innovating within the online lending and fintech space. It provides a showcase for eight firms to pitch their business case to a […]
TransferWise trebles revenue
In its first public annual report TransferWise has revealed its revenue tripled to £28 million in the year to March. The UK-based international money transfer platform also says that figure is now about £5 million a month, having doubled in the past 12 months. It was not all good news as pre-tax losses grew to […]
BGL BNP Paribas centralises securities ops on ERI’s Olympic core system
BGL BNP Paribas, a Luxembourg-based subsidiary of BNP Paribas, has gone live with a new centralised hub for securities processing. The technology that underpins it is the Olympic core banking system, supplied by banking tech vendor ERI. ERI is a long-standing supplier of core banking software to BNP Paribas’ wealth management and private banking businesses. […]
US credit union consortium plots blockchain use
Watch out R3, another US-based consortium is waking up to the potential uses of blockchain. CULedger, a collaborative effort among Credit Union National Association (CUNA), Best Innovation Group, the Mountain West Credit Union Association, PSCU and other industry partners are examining blockchain with a view to piloting applications. The organisations and Glenbrook Partners, a consulting […]
Emirates NBD unveils innovation lab
Emirates NBD has established its Future Lab, part of its digital strategy to speed up the development of digital and mobile banking services in the UAE. The bank says the lab is the “first of its kind in the UAE banking sector”, and will act as a “strategic think tank” in addition to being a […]
Blockchain payments start-up SnapSwap now an electronic money institution
Luxembourg-based start-up SnapSwap, which offers blockchain-based payments, has received authorisation to operate as an electronic money institution (EMI). The firm says the EMI licence, provided by the Ministry of Finance of Luxembourg, allows it to issue debit cards and other payment instruments linked to Gloneta accounts. The latter combines a mobile messenger (chat) with cross-currency […]
Wells Fargo and Amazon abruptly kill off US student loan partnership
It only lasted six weeks but Amazon and Wells Fargo Education Financial Services have ended their partnership to offer US college students a discount on private student loans. The deal, launched in July, was Amazon’s first venture into the lending market for college students. For Wells Fargo, it was an attempt to build up its […]
Smile and an HSBC account smiles with you
HSBC business customers can now open accounts using “selfie” verification, giving them the option to complete ID security checks on their mobile device. It says ID verification can be completed in a “few clicks” on an Apple or Android device. Once the initial headshot or selfie of a customer is captured, it is then assessed […]
Payments round-up: 2 September 2016
Time flies, so we’ve devised a quick fix. Here’s a round-up of key events in the payments space. In China, Qilong and Shenzhen Qianhai Exce-card Technology (SQEC) have formed a strategic agreement to co-ordinate with banks to issue China Union Pay audio bank cards. The latter make sounds when the buttons on the cards are […]
Yes Siri, payments get pretty
Apple’s developers are previewing new Siri integrations for payments – such as asking it to send a secure payment without ever opening an app. The firm says with the introduction of SiriKit for developers, messaging apps can now tap into the “power” of Siri. Siri can be used to make a quick payment using Square […]
Commerzbank selects AxiomSL for regulatory reporting
Commerzbank is implementing UK-based AxiomSL’s platform to automate regulatory reporting requirements. The bank, Germany’s second largest, plans to deliver the SEC 15c3-1 (Securities and Exchange Commission’s uniform net capital rule) as well as other regulatory mandates such as the Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single (Focus), Treasury International Capital (TIC), Off Balance Sheet reporting (OBS) […]
New US clients for Temenos’ Akcelerant subsidiary
Banking technology vendor Temenos says 16 financial institutions in the US have signed for its account and loan origination, collection and recovery software in the last six months. The suite of products originates from a local specialist vendor, Akcelerant, which Temenos acquired in early 2015; and 600+ credit union clients with it. Jay Mossman, formerly […]
Macquarie unveils new digital banking services
Australia-based Macquarie Group has launched a range of new digital banking functions and is looking for feedback from any early users. The services are underpinned by the DataStax Enterprise (DSE) platform. Features range from search-how-you-speak technology; the ability to tag and track transactions; upload receipts and warranties; set saving and spending goals; and automatically categorise spending through […]
Top fintech stories this week – 2 September 2016
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Tier 1 US bank live with Temenos core and payments software Part of its American dream. Swift reveals more cyber thefts Private letter goes public. PhonePe and Yes Bank unveil India’s “first” UPI-based payments app Unified Payments Interface […]
