Durbin/NACS Oral Arguments: Appellate Court Expresses Skepticism
A ruling from the circuit court could be issued within the next 30 to 60 days.
Payments
Mobile Solutions Can Assist Underbanked Consumers
According to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, innovative mobile banking features can help underserved consumers obtain safe, secure and convenient options that foster financial inclusion.
Retailer Group to Appeal Card Fee Settlement
In the latest development of the ongoing credit card interchange fee dispute between merchants and Visa and MasterCard, the National Retail Federation (NRF) has appealed a $5.7 billion settlement with the payment card networks.
U.S. Appeals Court Panel Hears Arguments on Interchange Rate-Cap Dispute (Jan. 21, 2014)
Three judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. convened last Friday to ask questions of lawyers representing debit card issuers, the Federal Reserve and merchants, as the panel weighs the Fed’s appeal of a lawsuit vacating its rule capping debit interchange rates at 21 cents in 2011, in accordance with the Durbin Amendment in the Dodd-Frank Act.
Border Arrests Believed to Be Linked to Target Data Breach (Jan. 21, 2014)
The Target stores data breach that occurred during the holiday shopping season and affected millions of Target shoppers continues to make headlines as police made two arrests at the Texas-Mexico border.
Visa’s V.me Nears Full Commercial Rollout, Adding Countries and Merchants
As the push to minimize steps for consumers inputting card data when making online and mobile purchases gathers steam, competition among digital wallets is intensifying.
Five Minutes with First Data
Paybefore chats with First Data’s Ben Love to get some insight into the company’s recent moves, as well as the future of payments.
PayPal Unveils Plans to Streamline Payment Process Online and In Stores (Jan. 16, 2014)
PayPal is vowing to make it simpler for consumers to use its brand.
MasterCard Makes another Stride in Africa with Ecobank Licensing Pact (Jan. 16, 2014)
MasterCard has finalized a licensing deal with pan-African banking group Ecobank under which the bank’s customers will have access to MasterCard’s payment solutions.
As Customers Move to Mobile, BofA to Shutter More Branches (Jan. 16, 2014)
Bank of America may close up to 150 branches by the end of the year as the bank’s heavy investment into mobile banking continues to bear fruit, the company said.
TD Bank Launches Teen Card (Jan. 16, 2014)
TD Bank, the Cherry Hill, N.J.-based subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, has launched a Visa-branded GPR prepaid card for teenagers—giving them the ability to make purchases in stores and online and enabling parents to track spending and set limits.
i2c to Provide Processing for New Japan Prepaid Card (Jan. 15, 2014)
Prepaid processor i2c Inc. will launch a new prepaid card in Japan in partnership with Shinsei Bank and CardFlex Japan, a subsidiary of Japanese electronics and media retailer Tay Two Corp.
Transit Systems in Washington D.C., Chicago Testing NFC Payments (Jan. 15, 2014)
Contactless transit payment is coming to the nation’s capital.
Five U.K. Banks to Offer Zapp’s Mobile Payments Service (Jan. 15, 2014)
Zapp has partnered with five banks in the U.K. that have approximately 18 million customers combined to provide the financial institutions with its mobile payments service.
Innovators’ Spotlight: Womply
San Francisco startup offers merchants a data-driven business insights platform that does the heavy lifting for them.
Treasury Solicits Vendors for Direct Express Debit Card Contract Expiring in 2015 (Jan. 14, 2014)
One of the largest prepaid programs in the U.S. has an RFP out for issuers.
Alibaba Nixes Bitcoin; Canada to Demo Gov’t-Backed Digital Currency (Jan. 14, 2014)
Digital currency continued to receive a hot-and-cold reception around the world this week, with Chinese e-commerce provider Alibaba banning Bitcoin payments, just as the Royal Canadian Mint prepared to demo a digital currency of its own.
Better ATM Services Expands Reseller Network in California (Jan. 14, 2014)
Better ATM Services today announced a reseller agreement with Advanced Network Inc., in which ANI becomes a member of Better ATM Services’ reseller network.
An Inside Look at the CFPB (Jan. 14, 2014)
As the payments industry awaits new rules on GPR prepaid cards set to be issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in May, an in-depth piece in Sunday’s Washington Post offers a fascinating look at the inner workings of the agency—and valuable insights into the CFPB’s origins, culture and motivations.
2013 Holiday Sales Tick Up in U.S. and Canada (Jan. 13, 2014)
The 2013 holiday shopping season generated brisk sales figures in the U.S. and Canada, according to newly released reports from both sides of the border.
Scope of Target Data Breach Widens; Neiman Marcus Also Hit (Jan. 13, 2014)
The scope of the data breach Target Corp. initially disclosed last month has expanded from 40 million credit and debit card customers to as many as 70 million more Target customers whose names, mailing addresses, phone numbers or emails may have been exposed, the retailer said on Jan. 10. The second set of data, which […]
RBC, Bell Wallet Now Live in Canada (Jan. 13, 2014)
Royal Bank of Canada and telecom provider Bell Canada have gone live with a mobile payment system that enables RBC customers to make purchases online and in stores using NFC-compatible smartphones over Bell’s mobile network.
Breaking News – Sen. Warner Introduces Bill Targeting Prepaid Card Fee Disclosures (Jan. 10, 2014)
Expected by the payments industry for weeks, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) yesterday introduced a bill calling for banks to “more fully disclose the hidden fees often charged for the use” of prepaid cards.
Breaking News – Chase to Exit Corporate, Public Prepaid (Jan. 9, 2014)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is seeking to exit the corporate and public prepaid sectors.
Breaking News – U.K.’s O2 Wallet Shuts Down after 18 Months (Jan. 9, 2014)
O2 Wallet, which made a splash when it launched in April 2012 as the U.K.’s first mobile wallet, is shutting down after just 18 months.
PayPal in Asia Launches ‘mo.bi.pay’ Website Checkout Feature for SMBs (Jan. 9, 2014)
PayPal is making it easier for small and midsize businesses to add mobile payment capabilities to existing Websites with mo.bi.pay, a new service announced this week.
Sluggish Transition Leads to SEPA Deadline Extension (Jan. 9, 2014)
The European Commission today has announced a six-month grace period from the Feb. 1 migration deadline for electronic payments that don’t meet Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) requirements.
Singapore Issues Bitcoin Tax Guidance (Jan. 9, 2014)
Another day, another government weighing in on the ongoing Bitcoin brouhaha.
Card Manufacturer TCT Lands £3.2 Million Infusion to Grow Operations (Jan. 9, 2014)
Thames Card Technology Ltd. (TCT) has landed a capital infusion of £3.2 million (US$5.3 million) to expand its operations.
Industry Views: Trends and Resolutions for 2014 (Part 1 of 2)
To kick off 2014, we asked payments industry thought leaders in the U.S. and Europe to reflect on the year that turned out not to be the “Year of NFC” and to look ahead at what will dominate prepaid and emerging payments for the next 12 months. We also asked them what the industry’s New Year’s resolutions should be.
Industry Views: Trends and Resolutions for 2014 (Part 2 of 2)
Industry thought leaders weigh in on priorities for 2014.
HSBC targets online commerce with FX conversion for retailers
HSBC has rolled out a service that will allow online retailers to give customers the choice to pay in various international currencies.
Senate Confirms Yellen as Next Fed Chief (Jan. 7, 2014)
The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Janet Yellen as chairman of the Federal Reserve, succeeding Ben Bernanke, whose term expires Jan. 31, after eight years in that post.
Report: Smartphone, Tablet Sales to Top $700 Billion in 2018 (Jan. 7, 2014)
Mobile payments via smartphones and tablets are set to surge over the next few years, reaching $707 billion worldwide in 2018, according to a new report by Juniper Research.
Industry Groups Release Latest SEPA Standardization Requirements (Jan. 7, 2014)
The European Payments Council (EPC), which represents the European banking industry in relation to payments, and the Cards Stakeholders Group (CSG), which represents retailers, vendors, processors, card schemes and the EPC, have published the latest version of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) Cards Standardisation Volume.
Executive profile: One on One with Mark Schatz, Stored Value Solutions
When he can’t sleep at 2 a.m., Mark Schatz, managing director of Stored Value Solutions, will get up and run eight miles. Akin to a phoenix, running invokes renewed clarity that supports his mission in managing one of the companies that gave birth to the closed-loop gift card industry.
Spurred By Zynga Acceptance Plan, Bitcoin Tops $1K Mark (Jan. 6, 2014)
Zynga Inc., the maker of popular social media games like FarmVille, has announced it will begin accepting Bitcoin as payment for in-game virtual goods.
RBI: Lack of Bank, Telecom Cooperation Holding Back Mobile Banking in India (Jan. 6, 2014)
The uptake of mobile banking in India has been hampered by a lack of cooperation between banks and telecoms, among other issues, according to a report by the Reserve Bank of India.
Spindle Closes Yowza!! Deal Combining M-Payments with Couponing (Jan. 6, 2014)
Mobile payments tech company Spindle Inc. today announced it’s closed a deal to buy Yowza!!, a Los Angeles-based mobile couponing platform, adding some scale to Spindle’s service.
Companies on the Move: Fiserv Inc., Industry Accolades
Fiserv Inc., a Brookfield, Wis.-based financial services technology provider, recently announced that Mobiliti from Fiserv received the highest score for a customizable solution in the Javelin Strategy & Research 2013-2014 Mobile Banking Vendor Scorecard.
