Report: Apple Pay Coming to Canada (April 20, 2015)
Apple Inc. is negotiating with Canadian banks to bring Apple Pay to Canada as early as November, with details about fees and security protocols at the center of discussions.
News
PayPal on Security: Thinking Outside the Box, Inside the Body (April 20, 2015)
Jonathan LeBlanc, global head of developer advocacy at PayPal, says the future for mobile payments and other sensitive transactions could lay with embeddable, injectable and ingestible devices.
CFPB Consumer Finance Research Conference May 7-8 (April 20, 2015)
The CFPB is holding a conference next month that it says will focus on high-quality consumer finance research, with academic and government experts presenting data.
Viewpoint: Canada’s Regulation of Mobile Payments: Merchant Protection at the Cost of Innovation?
Some of the most significant changes to Canada’s Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry affect the rights of merchants regarding mobile and contactless payments. Will the updated Code have the unintended consequence of disincenting investment in and adoption of innovative payment technologies in Canada?
UK mobile banking set to double to £3.4 billion a week
The number of UK mobile banking users is set to almost double from 17.8 million to 32.6 million by 2020, according to a new report commissioned by Fiserv. Online banking is still growing too, the research found.
Volante lays Foundation for faster payment systems integration
Financial messaging and data integration specialist Volante Technologies has taken a step into the world of packaged products with the launch of VolPay Foundation, a development platform “designed to ease the challenges of payment integration and payment processing projects”.
EC calls time on the broker crossing network – so what happens now?
Broker crossing networks will be heavily affected by upcoming European Commission rules on dark trading. But with 18 months to go until implementation, uncertainty still unnerves brokers and asset managers – prompting some market participants to re-examine whether they want to trade at all.
Senate’s Tax Refund Fraud Bill Takes Aim at Prepaid (April 16, 2015)
Several U.S. senators used income tax season to promote new legislation that takes aim at program providers that enable consumers to receive their tax refunds on prepaid cards.
InstaMed Integrates Apple Pay for Consumer Health Care Payments (April 16, 2015)
Apple Pay is expanding its reach to the health care sector, where InstaMed has integrated the mobile payments service as an option for consumers making payments to hospitals, clinics, doctors’ offices and insurance companies.
Discover Adds ‘On/Off’ Switch to its Cards (April 16, 2015)
Discover cardholders who have temporarily misplaced their cards or suspect fraudulent activity on their accounts now can shut off their credit cards with Discover’s Freeze It security feature.
World Bank Reports 20 Percent Drop in Unbanked Since 2011 (April 16, 2015)
The world’s unbanked population plummeted by 20 percent between 2011 and 2014, as 700 million adults became account holders, according to a new report from the World Bank.
Target Reaches Data Breach Deal with MasterCard (April 16, 2015)
Target will pay $19 million to MasterCard issuers to cover costs stemming from the retail giant’s 2013 data breach.
CounterpartyLink adds hierarchy profiles to legal identity service
CounterpartyLink, a provider of legal entity intelligence for buy- and sell-side institutions and law enforcement agencies, has announced CPL Hierarchy Profile, a new product designed to provide a single view of the client across complex client groups.
MiFID II will prevent traders doing their job, TradeTech delegates told
The European Commission’s MiFID II legislation is a poorly thought-out, arbitrary and unclear piece of rulemaking that will prevent traders from being able to do their job. Worse still, a lack of clarity over the final details will inflict uncertainty and cost on market participants from now until 2017, according to delegates at TradeTech Paris this week.
NCR offers cloud control for Android-based ATMs
NCR has announced a radical new approach to ATM network deployment, with cloud-based enterprise application allowing banks to control and manage thin-client devices running a locked-down version of the Android operating system.
Specialisation “resonates” with traders as competition pressures mount
Banks and asset managers are being forced to learn to live in a world of greater specialisation, as unbundling of research and execution drives greater competitive pressure on costs. That is probably a good thing – but it will take the buy-side and the sell side in different directions, according to senior executives speaking at the TradeTech conference in Paris this week.
Study shows 60% of banks’ digital assets on wrong side of firewalls
Security specialist RiskIQ says the growth in digital business is producing an increasing threat to banks across the world, with the largest banks owning an average of 7,500 public facing digital assets – 60% of which are outside the company firewall.
Beware of cyber-complacency warns ex-MI5 director
A former head of the UK Security Service better known as MI5 says banks need to beware the danger of state agencies and others stealing or destroying confidential information.
RBC makes first cross-border payment on Canadian RMB Trading Hub
Royal Bank of Canada has made the first cross-border Renminbi payment on Canada’s new RMB Trading Hub through the hub’s designated clearing bank, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (Canada).
Report: American Express, Jawbone to Launch NFC Fitness Band (April 15, 2015)
American Express Co. is getting in on the expanding niche of wearable technology.
Canada’s Code of Conduct Expands to Include Mobile (April 15, 2015)
Canada’s Financial Consumer Agency this week has released amendments to Canada’s code of conduct for credit and debit card transactions that extend to mobile payments.
Bento Goes Outside the Box with SMB Prepaid Solution (April 15, 2015)
A new startup headed by longtime payments veteran Farhan Ahmad is seeing big opportunity in small businesses.
People on the Move: Stephen Grice, i2c Inc.
i2c Inc., a provider of payment processing and emerging commerce solutions, announced that Stephen Grice has joined the company as general manager, Europe.
People on the Move: Neil Erlick, Fantasy Sports Trade Association Board
Optimal Payments Plc, an online payment solutions provider, announced that Neil Erlick, executive vice president of business development, has been elected to serve on the board of directors of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.
People on the Move: Emily Baum, Declan Byrne and Dr. Hartwig Gerhartinger, PIF Board
Prepaid International Forum, the not-for-profit body representing the prepaid industry, has elected three new members to serve on the board.
People on the Move: Kerry Penfold, Raphaels Bank Board
Raphaels Bank has appointed Kerry Penfold to its board of directors.
People on the Move: Daniel Issen, YapStone
YapStone, a provider of Web and mobile payment technology solutions for large vertical markets and online marketplaces, has announced the addition of Daniel Issen as chief technology officer.
Buy-side builds confidence as home-brew smart order routers gain ground
Buy-side firms stand to gain from developing their own smart order routers and carrying out their own capital markets research. But the growing independence of the buy-side must still be weighed against sell-side advantages of scale, according to speakers at the Trade Tech conference in Paris on Tuesday.
i2c Gets Face-to-Face in Europe with U.K. Office
i2c Inc. is bolstering its European business by putting “people on the ground” and opening a London office.
5 Signs Microsoft Will Launch Payments Service (April 14, 2015)
More signs point to the fact that Microsoft is preparing to brand its own payments service, but the tech giant’s approach could be much different than that of mobile wallet rivals Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Inc.’s Android Pay, some observers suggest.
Blackhawk GoWallet Makes Checking Balances, Redeeming Gift Cards a Snap (April 14, 2015)
With Blackhawk Network’s GoWallet mobile app, consumers now are able to determine gift card balances by taking photos of their cards.
Ingo’s Hot Streak Continues with $13.5 Million Funding Round (April 14, 2015)
Fresh off a major acquisition and a 2015 Paybefore Award for Breakout Company of the Year, Ingo Money’s big year continued with this week’s closing of a $13.5 million funding round. Baltimore-based private equity firm Camden Partners co-led the round with venture capital firm MissionOG.
Paybefore Unveils European Awards Winners
Paybefore announces the winners in its fourth annual Paybefore Awards Europe competition, honoring the best programs and companies operating in prepaid and emerging payments across Europe. Winners represent companies entering the European market from the U.S., Asia, South Africa, Germany, Gibraltar, Italy and the U.K.
PayPal and eBay Forge Agreement to Go Forth as Friendly Competitors after Split (April 13, 2015)
PayPal will expand its competitive reach when it flies solo after its planned spinoff from parent eBay later this year. The deal guarantees certain protections and continuity for both companies, but it also underscores the heightened stakes in the e-commerce and digital payments industries.
Amex ‘Facing’ the Future of M-Payments with Biometrics Plan (April 13, 2015)
Biometrics continue to make inroads into payments, with American Express testing new technology that uses facial recognition to authenticate mobile transactions.
The Time is ‘Now’ for Funds Transfers Say BBVA Compass, Dwolla (April 13, 2015)
The momentum around faster payments continues to build with BBVA Compass becoming the largest financial institution to use the Dwolla platform, which eliminates the customary two- to five-day wait associated with ACH transfers.
Boat to launch APA reporting service for MiFID II transparency
Boat Services, the OTC trade reporting service provider owned by technology vendor Cinnober, plans to introduce a MiFID II compliance solution, offering publication services for all instrument classes. It will apply for authorisation by the FCA in the UK when Approved Publication Arrangement registration is available in 2016.
TEB expands mobile banking to include live chats
Türk Ekonomi Bankası, one of the private sector commercial banks in Turkey, and a strategic partner of BNP Paribas, has launched an enhanced digital banking service featuring the ability to hold live chat sessions with bank staff.
IG launches trading app for Apple Watch
IG Group has launched a trading app for the Apple Watch, which it says is one of the first of its kind. The Apple Watch is due to be released on 24 April.
S&P Capital IQ launches Salesforce app
Financial data and analytics specialist S&P Capital IQ has launched a new app on the Salesforce AppExchange designed to enable sales, marketing and other professionals to rapidly identify, research and vet potential new business clients and partners.
