Next Stop, Contactless (October 2013)
Amid big transit rollouts in Chicago and Salt Lake City, Las Vegas is getting in on the action with a new pilot program enabling transit riders to pay bus fares with a tap.
PayTech
Walgreens Encourages Healthy Finances with GPR Card (October 2013)
Pharmacy giant will soon find out if its suite of financial services is just what the doctor ordered for the millions of unbanked and underbanked consumers in the U.S.
Money2020 Packs Punch with Big Numbers, Startups and Product Demos (October 2013)
Money2020 highlighted financial services technology innovation, as the biggest names from major payment companies, startups and investors convened to glimpse the future of payments.
Viewpoint: Let’s Make a Deal (October 2013)
Although retailers traditionally had balked at offering discounted gift cards, many are shifting strategies to keep up with consumer demand and are increasing overall sales.
Blackhawk Snaps Up InteliSpend (Oct. 22, 2013)
Blackhawk Network late Monday announced it plans to acquire InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions, a leader in corporate incentive cards and promotions, in an all-cash deal expected to close no later than next month. Blackhawk sought InteliSpend, a 2013 Paybefore Award winner, because of the “great synergies” that exist between Blackhawk’s own retail gift card partners and […]
Fiserv Unveils Multichannel E-Billing Platform (Oct. 22, 2013)
Financial services technology provider Fiserv has launched a new platform that enables small- and medium-size billers to send electronic bills and accept payments through multiple channels. Dubbed Biller Advantage, the platform targets companies that send between 2,000 and 500,000 bills a month, according to Brookfield, Wis.-based Fiserv. “Biller Advantage provides the functionality small- to mid-sized […]
Clinkle Tabs McCarthy as COO (Oct. 22, 2013)
Payments startup Clinkle Corp. already has landed some big name investors—and now the San Francisco-based company is filling out its executive team, announcing that former Netflix CFO Barry McCarthy will join Clinkle as COO. Established in 2011 by 22-year old Stanford grad Lucas Duplan, the company has been developing a payment app that reportedly will […]
FEXCO Acquires Mobile Payments Startup FLASHiZ (Oct. 22, 2013)
FEXCO, a provider of financial transaction processing, foreign exchange and outsourcing services based in Ireland, has acquired mobile payments and loyalty startup FLASHiZ, with BNP Paribas Personal Finance taking a minority shareholder stake in the Luxembourg-based company.
The Financial Services Circus
An ex-Coca Cola chief executive was once quoted talking to staff about the work-life balance – juggling careers, family, health, friends and spirit. In the financial services industry today, work life itself is quite a balancing act.
People on the Move: Craig Fuller, TransCard (October 2013)
Chattanooga, Tenn.-based prepaid processor and program manager TransCard announced that CEO Craig Fuller has been named CEO of the Year in the North America division by Finance Monthly.
People on the Move: Lisa Shipley, Transaction Network Services (October 2013)
Transaction Network Services has hired Lisa Shipley as head of global strategy for the Reston, Va.-based company’s payments division.
People on the Move: Pilar Aurrecoechea, Telefónica Digital (October 2013)
Telefónica Digital has hired Pilar Aurrecoechea as digital financial services director, reporting to Vivek Dev, CEO of digital services.
People on the Move: Ned Horsted, R&P Group (October 2013)
Ned Horsted has been awarded the U.S. Recruiting Network, South Dakota Top Producer for Q3 2013.
People on the Move: Michael Pirker and Michaela Unger, paysafecard.com Wertkarten AG (October 2013)
Austria-based paysafecard.com Wertkarten AG, provider of digital prepaid online payment solutions, has appointed Michael Pirker to the newly created position head of business development, and Michaela Unger has been appointed public relations and communication manager.
People on the Move: Patricia Hewitt, Amy Hoke and Ronald Mazursky, Mercator Advisory Group (October 2013)
Mercator Advisory Group recently announced several company appointments.
People on the Move: Grace Wang, Green Dot Corp. (October 2013)
Green Dot Corp. has named Grace Wang chief financial officer. She will report to CEO Steve Streit, and will assume her new role Nov. 18, 2013.
People on the Move: Matt Wilcox, Fiserv Inc. (October 2013)
Fiserv Inc., a Brookfield, Wis.-based financial services technology provider, has hired Matt Wilcox as managing director, marketing strategy and innovation, digital payments.
People on the Move: Lois Hansen, CO-OP Financial Services (October 2013)
CO-OP Financial Services, a Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based credit union service organization, has named Lois Hansen vice president, product development.
People on the Move: Ben Kaplan, CashStar Inc. (October 2013)
CashStar Inc., a Portland, Maine-based provider of digital gifting technology and Paybefore Award-winner, recently announced that Ben Kaplan has been named president and CEO.
People on the Move: Meyer Malka and Elizabeth T. Ploshay, Bitcoin Foundation Board (October 2013)
Bitcoin Foundation, a nonprofit institution founded last year to promote Bitcoin use, has elected Meyer (Micky) Malka and Elizabeth T. Ploshay to its board.
People on the Move: Rajeev Kumar, Access Prepaid Worldwide (October 2013)
Program manager Access Prepaid Worldwide, a MasterCard company, has appointed Rajeev Kumar regional director and general manager for the Middle East and Africa.
MasterCard Inks Broad MasterPass Distribution Deal with Worldline (Oct. 21, 2013)
MasterCard’s MasterPass digital wallet service will become available to thousands of e-commerce merchants across 17 countries in Europe and Asia beginning next month, through a partnership with Paris-based payments provider Worldline.
Rio Latest City to Get NFC Transit Pilot (Oct. 21, 2013)
The global push toward NFC-based transit payments continues—this time in Rio de Janeiro, the site of a new pilot program enabling transit riders to tap mobile smartphones to pay on trains, buses and ferries.
Wonga Bolsters Payments Business by Nabbing German Provider (Oct. 21, 2013)
U.K.-based e-loan provider Wonga Group has struck a deal to acquire German online payments provider BillPay. The deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, will create what Wonga called “one of Europe’s leading digital finance and payment systems businesses.” In addition to its home country of Germany, BillPay also operates its PayPal-like service in […]
NYC Commuters Can Pay Taxis with Amex Reward Points (Oct. 21, 2013)
American Express cardholders traveling by taxi in New York City now are able to pay their fares using membership reward points. The technology enabling this payment method began rolling out today to the more than 7,000 VeriFone Systems in-taxi devices. When customers reach their destination and choose to pay with credit, they will be prompted […]
Pan Am-Branded Travel Card to Take Flight (Oct. 21, 2013)
Payments processor and program manager TransCard will release a new prepaid travel card branded by Pan Am Brands, a division of Pan American World Airways. The card will feature the iconic name and logo of Pan Am, one of the largest international air carriers in the U.S. between 1927 and 1991. “We are excited to […]
ACI Worldwide targets “fragmented” retail bank payment systems
Large retail banks sometimes find it hard to change because they have assimilated many smaller banks through acquisition, each of which is running on a payments engine that has different features and may be very old. That can make it difficult to offer new services, but there is a solution according to Paul Thomalla, head of EMEA at US-based payments and technology firm ACI Worldwide.
KPMG calls time on the universal banking model
Geopolitical shifts and increasing protectionism among nations will mean that the universal banking model is no longer sustainable – and there is little that anyone can do, according to Bill Michael, EMA head of financial services at KPMG. “The future shape of banking is beyond the control of boards, individual regulators or countries alone,” Michael […]
China’s Alipay Reboots Digital Wallet, Heads to Taiwan (Oct. 17, 2013)
China’s giant retail payments operator Alibaba Group this week announced plans to expand its Alipay online payment service to Taiwan and simultaneously unveiled key upgrades to Alipay’s digital wallet, significantly increasing customers’ options for online and offline purchases.
New Payment Method on Tap for Salt Lake City Commuters (Oct. 17, 2013)
Commuters in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area starting this week have a new way to pay for fares on buses, trains and streetcars serviced by the Utah Transit Authority. The UTA, in partnership with Atlanta-based InComm, have launched the FAREPAY card, a contactless, closed-loop card that can be loaded with funds from $5 to […]
Virtual Currency Exchange Kraken Reaches into Europe (Oct. 17, 2013)
U.S.-based digital currency exchange Kraken is set to be released into Europe. San Francisco’s Payward—the company behind Kraken, which exited beta last month—has inked a deal with Fidor Bank, a German financial services provider that combines traditional banking with Internet-based payments. Under terms of the deal, Kraken will become Fidor’s “exclusive digital currency trading platform” […]
Western Union Strikes Deal for Italian Remittance, Prepaid Card (Oct. 17, 2013)
Western Union is set to launch a new reloadable prepaid card in Italy in partnership with Lottomatica, a gaming technology solutions company that provides payment, reload and e-money services. The deal brings Western Union’s Paybefore Award-winning MyWU Prepaid Card to Italy, where it is targeted to serve more than 4 million migrant workers who can […]
Blog: Security vs. Convenience: The Online Payments Conundrum
Online commerce has begun to approach saturation in Western markets, while fraud, competition and a more demanding consumer base are squeezing online payments providers.
Blog: Money2020 Opens Door to Payments’ Future (October 2013)
The second annual Money2020 in Las Vegas earlier this month had a vibe unlike payment conferences of the past, and not just because of the acrobats roaming around during networking sessions.
Blog: Mobile App Permissions: Scaring Users and Haunting Developers?
Please let me use your camera. Do you mind if I browse through your contacts so I know all your family and friends, and can call or text each at my discretion? To the uninitiated, these eerie questions read like a disturbed love note from a stalker. But these are common permissions requests for many mobile apps. Could they scare off users?
Pay Magazine – Fall 2013
B2B Ignites Prepaid Growth; Prepaid Frenzy: Moving Beyond GPR; Who’s Afraid of Big, Bad Apple?; The Bitcoin Craze: Lovers and Haters; Companies & People: B2B’s Top Power Players; Chucking the Cash Register
‘Square Cash’ Joins Crowded P2P Field (Oct. 16, 2013)
Square Inc. is wading into the crowded U.S. P2P field this week with Square Cash, taking a somewhat unique debit card-based approach versus competitors by enabling Visa and MasterCard debit cardholders to send funds to each other free of charge via email.
PFS Expands Reload Network with Ukash (Oct. 16, 2013)
Prepaid Financial Services (PFS), a London-based provider of global prepaid solutions, announced that its cardholders throughout Europe now can load their prepaid cards using the Ukash e-money service. Ukash codes can be purchased with cash from thousands of retail outlets, and the 19-digit code can be used to transfer funds by logging into the cardholder’s […]
Jamba Juice to Sweeten Deal for Isis Adoption (Oct. 16, 2013)
With the Isis digital wallet set to launch nationwide later this year, the companies behind the wallet are hoping a special launch promotion will sweeten the proposition for consumer adoption.
Hong Kong’s JETCO to Build M-Payment Platform Using NFC (Oct. 16, 2013)
Joint Electronic Teller Services Limited (JETCO), along with its 30 member banks, announced plans to build a mobile payment platform that uses NFC technology.
