News


Temenos debuts LiveDesigner at Finovate Europe

Financial systems supplier Temenos made something of a splash at the Finovate Europe conference in London with the launch of LiveDesigner, a dynamic user interface designer.

PermataBank pilots BlackBerry Messenger Payments with Monitise

Indonesia-based  PermataBank has developed the first mobile payments service for the BlackBerry Messenger service.  The bank has teamed up with UK mobile banking solutions provider Monitise to roll out a commercial pilot of BBM Money in the country ahead of a full launch. BlackBerry users will have the option to access a Mobile Money account from their […]

EDM Council hires DoD veteran to lead FIBO standards work

The Enterprise Data Management Council has appointed Dennis Wisnosky to lead the implementation process for its Financial Industry Business Ontology – FIBO – suite of standards. Wisnosky is a veteran of the data management world, having previously acted as the chief technology officer and chief architect in the US Department of Defense Business Mission Area, […]

NFC-Based Navigation System Set for Tokyo Shopping District (Feb. 12, 2013)

Feb. 12, 2013 Shoppers are getting some help navigating Tokyo’s Ginza district from nearly 300 NFC-based location tags the city’s government has placed throughout the upscale retail hub. The system works with an Android app, available for download from the Google Play store, which enables users to search for and select a destination within Ginza, […]

InComm Partner Alliance Looks to Digital/Big Data Future (Feb. 12, 2013)

Feb. 12, 2013 In the opening sessions of InComm’s annual Partner Alliance yesterday, CEO Brooks Smith and futurist Mike Walsh offered glimpses of their visions of the future. With a corporate acquisition strategy based on delivering new technologies to retailers, Smith focused his comments on a future filled with more choices—for retailers and their customers. […]

First Data: Spending Up in Spite of Payroll Tax Cut Expiration (Feb. 12, 2013)

Feb. 12, 2013 Job growth and an improved housing market, among other dynamics, put consumers in a mood to spend in January, despite the Jan. 1 expiration of the payroll tax cut, according to the latest SpendTrend data released by First Data Corp., an Atlanta-based payments processor. Dollar volume growth last month improved to 6.2 […]

MoneyGram Launches Mobile Service (Feb, 12, 2013)

Feb. 12, 2013 Money transfer provider MoneyGram has launched a mobile version of its online transfer service, which enables users to send cash via smartphones using a mobile-optimized version of moneygram.com. The service is part of Dallas-based MoneyGram’s efforts to tap into what the company claims is a $50 billion cross-border remittance industry—much of which […]

Activ expands Canadian coverage ahead of “naked access” ban

Market data and technology company Activ Financial has expanded its risk gateway tool to cover all Canadian exchanges, ahead of new rules that will require market participants in Canada to have pre-trade risk controls in place across all asset classes from next month.

War on Cash making slow progress in Europe

While card payments continue to grow – up by 10% in 2011 – the use of cash is still growing “at a more than healthy pace”, says the latest edition of the European Payment Cards Yearbook. The use of cards to withdraw cash at automated teller machines was also up – with 17.3% more ATMs issuing 2% more cash during the year.

London job market still depressed

London’s financial sector jobs market continues to be depressed, with the number of new jobs on the market down 18% on this time last year, and the number of people looking for jobs down 26%.

Panopticon poaches QlikTech sales head

Nadeem Chowdhry, formerly sales director of financial services for QlikTech, the makers of the QlikView business intelligence system, has joined data visualisation specialist Panopticon as senior vice president in the UK.

Pair of Prepaid Card Bills Moves Forward in N.J. Assembly (Feb. 11, 2013)

Feb. 11, 2013 Two prepaid card-related bills being considered by the New Jersey State Assembly took steps forward last week, earning approval by the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee. The first bill, A-3561, permits New Jersey’s Treasury Department to issue state income tax refunds onto prepaid cards, while the second, A-3562, enables state and local governments to […]

Monitise Teams with BlackBerry for Payment Service in Indonesia (Feb. 11, 2013)

Feb. 11, 2013 Monitise plc today announced the launch of a mobile payments pilot in Indonesia harnessing BlackBerry smartphones. The new service will enable BlackBerry users to access a mobile money account on their smartphones and transfer funds among bank accounts and to other BlackBerry customers who are also signed up for the service, as […]

TAS, Payair to Launch Mobile Commerce Platform (Feb. 11, 2013)

Feb. 11, 2013 Italian software provider TAS Group and Payair South Europe S.A., a Swedish mobile commerce company, have agreed to launch a mobile commerce platform that incorporates Payair’s commerce platform and a customization solution supplied by TAS. The platform will support large-scale retailers that require advanced automation of their purchase and payment processes, according […]

Fircosoft signs AML watch list reseller in India

FircoSoft has signed a partnership with Indian IT services specialist iSolve to resell its watch list filtering products to financial institutions in India, where anti-money regulations are tightening. iSolve already sells compliance solutions to financial institutions in India, making the addition of FircoSoft’s filtering solutions to iSolve’s portfolio a logical step. It will be mainly targeting […]

Nasdaq OMX helps Polish clearing house prepare for EMIR

Polish clearing house KPDW CCP has deployed technology from Nasdaq OMX to help it meet the European Commission’s new EMIR rules on OTC derivatives. Under EMIR, the majority of OTC derivatives will have to be centrally cleared via central counterparties. The rules are intended to reduce systemic risks in financial markets by removing the possibility […]

Eurex inks deal with Taiwan Futures Exchange

The Taiwan Futures Exchange is to list futures and options on German derivatives exchange Eurex, following an agreement between the two bourses to make it easier for international investors to access each other’s markets round the clock.

Euroclear Bank opens up Russian bond market

Euroclear Bank has begun clearing and settlement for Russian ruble-denominated OFZ government bonds – a market worth US$100 billion, according to figures provided by Baring Asset Management.

InComm to Supply Utah Transit Authority with Prepaid Contactless Card (Feb. 7. 2013)

Feb. 7, 2013 The Utah Transit Authority (UTA), which has been at the forefront of U.S. transit system mobile payment development since introducing an open-loop, contactless payment system for city buses and trains in Salt Lake City beginning in 2009, this fall plans to add a contactless, closed-loop prepaid card to its consumer payment options. […]

Atlanta Fed Paper Examines Money Laundering Risks for GPR Cards (Feb. 7, 2013)

Feb. 7, 2013 Do GPR cards pose significant money laundering threats? That’s the question the Retail Payments Risk Forum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta explores in recently published paper. Among the paper’s findings is that, as GPR prepaid cards have grown in popularity and come under increased scrutiny by regulators, significant regulatory measures […]

Amazon to Debut Virtual Currency in Bid to Amp up Apps (Feb. 7, 2013)

Feb. 7, 2013 Online retail giant Amazon is looking to beef up its app offerings, and to help with the goal, the company is turning to virtual currency. Set to be released in May, Amazon Coins can be used to buy apps from the Amazon Appstore and to make in-app purchases via Amazon’s Kindle Fire […]

Kuwait International Bank Releases Third Visa Prepaid Card (Feb. 7, 2013)

Feb. 7, 2013 Kuwait International Bank (KIB) has launched a new Visa-branded prepaid card, adding a third prepaid product to the bank’s offerings. The card’s release was timed to coincide with the country’s National & Liberation Day. “The national celebrations are an important aspect of Kuwait’s society, and Kuwait International Bank is taking part in […]

Funds managers sign with Eurex for OTC derivatives clearing

Next month, the European Commission’s EMIR regulation on the central clearing and reporting of OTC derivatives is due to take effect in Germany. Investment managers Insight Investment and OFI Asset Management have begun clearing OTC derivatives on Eurex via its new service, EurexOTC Clear.

New BAML trading system aims at “disillusioned” investors

Bank of America Merrill Lynch is seeking to attract long-term investors who have become disillusioned with equity markets. Its new trading system, Instinct Natural, is a crossing network that is clearly geared towards customers that want to trade in blocks. But market participants have expressed concerns about its potential to meet the needs of long-term investors.

Banco do Brasil, i2c Kick off Partnership with Student GPR Card (February 2013)

February 2013   By Adam Perrotta, Assistant Editor Recent months have seen the release of a spate of payment products targeted for use by Brazilians, whose country is rapidly emerging as a hotbed of financial services development. More than half of the country’s population of more than 200 million is underbanked, according to a MasterCard […]