Mastercard Accelerate-s search for fintech mates
New Accelerate initiative to offer tools, tech and investment.
Mastercard
Amazon eyes PayPal’s crown with Alexa payments platform
E-commerce titan could be taking on Visa, Mastercard and PayPal.
Mastercard and IBM join forces for new “data trust”, Truata
Truata is an independent trust to enable companies conduct analytics while complying with GDPR.
Dream Payments and Mastercard speed up insurance payouts
Cloud-based payments platform Dream Payments has teamed up with Mastercard.
Stack selects i2c for new mobile payments platform
Toronto-based challenger Stack still in private beta – scheduled to launch publicly early this year.
Payments round-up: 30 January 2018
Featuring Vocalink, Shieldpay, Huawei, UnionPay, Pelican, PaymentComponents, Infosistema and Banco BAI Europa.
Mastercard eyes biometric totality by 2019
Banks issuing Mastercard-branded cards will have to offer biometric authentication.
Payments round-up: 10 January 2018
With special guest stars Worldpay, Como Global, Mastercard, Here Technologies, Dream Payments and Wirecard.
Mastercard calls for fintech start-ups
Mastercard has put its cards on the table with a clear call for start-ups to join its Start Path programme – its effort to tap into later-stage fintech and tech firms.
Wirecard Gives boon a Boost with Virtual Prepaid, P2P and Overdrafts
Pay Award-winning payments technology company Wirecard is expanding its mobile payment app boon with new features to make it an “all-embracing app in everyday life.”
Mastercard Wants to Help Issuers Fight Card Fraud Faster after Data Breaches
On the heels of Equifax’s massive data breach that compromised 143 million identities, Mastercard today (Oct. 2) announced the launch of Early Detection System, which alerts banks to high-risk cards and accounts that are exposed in security incidents or data breaches.
Hawk Incentives Launches Mastercard Prepaid Incentive Card for Mobile Wallets
Hawk Incentives, a Blackhawk Network business that provides rewards and incentive solutions, has unveiled a new open-loop Mastercard prepaid card that can be added to major mobile wallets.
Mastercard, Swarovski Launch VR Shopping
Mastercard and Swarovski have teamed up to launch a virtual reality (VR) shopping app for the Atelier Swarovski home décor line. The app immerses consumers in a home where they can browse and purchase the pieces with Masterpass.
Executive profile: Solana Cozzo, Mastercard
It’s a good thing Solana (“Sol”) Cozzo is high energy. When she’s not literally running or chasing after 3-year-old twins, she’s running Mastercard’s North American prepaid and inclusive growth business. It’s hard work when you consider that “the cardable opportunity is about seven times the current market,” she says.
STACK Taps Mastercard Prepaid for Challenger M-Banking App
There’s a new fintech challenger in town. Toronto-based STACK announced its partnership with Mastercard two weeks ahead of the beta launch of its mobile financial services app and companion prepaid card.
Payments Industry Steps up to Help Harvey Victims
Several payments companies have announced efforts to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana, including monetary donations, interchange fee waivers and m-POS equipment.
Mastercard, Commonwealth Bank Work for Financial Inclusion in Indonesia
Commonwealth Bank and Mastercard are working together to improve financial inclusion for Indonesian women with a focus on business owners.
Plaintiff Appeals U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal Decision in £14 Billion Suit
Former financial ombudsman Walter Merricks is appealing the U.K.’s Competition Appeal Tribunal’s decision not to certify his claim in a proposed £14 billion (US$18.2 billion) class action lawsuit against Mastercard over interchange.
Mastercard Triumphs against £14 Billion Collective Action Lawsuit
Mastercard can breathe a sigh of relief as the £14 billion (US$18.15 billion) lawsuit—a collective action over card charges that were passed on to shoppers—has been stopped by the U.K.’s Competition Appeals Tribunal.
Mastercard Buys in to AI with Brighterion
Mastercard has entered into an agreement to acquire Brighterion Inc., a software company specializing in artificial intelligence. This acquisition follows Masterdard’s March acquisition of NuData Security and will further expand Mastercard’s capabilities to “deliver an enhanced customer experience and security.”
Curve Takes Users ‘Back in Time’
Payments startups usually boast about their ability to future-proof their technology. For U.K. payments startup Curve, a big part of its appeal is helping users go back in time.
Curve Hits 50-50 Milestones; Consumer Card to Come
Curve and its all-cards-in-one Curve Mastercard and accompanying banking app apparently has struck a chord with small businesses and freelancers. More than 50,000 SMEs have signed up for the London-based startup’s program, which recorded £50 million (US$63.3 million) in user spending since the beta period began last year.
Mastercard, Western Union Designing Digital Solutions for Refugees
Mastercard and Western Union have teamed up to help refugees around the world access goods, services and financial services within refugee settlements. Announced on June 20—World Refugee Day—the partnership will explore ways to use a digital model to serve the more than 65 million people around the world currently displaced from their homes due to political conflict and natural disasters.
Q&A with Andrew Buckley, Mastercard
When the self-described skeptic took over as global head of prepaid for Mastercard earlier this year, Andrew Buckley wasn’t quite convinced that the opportunities ahead were worthy of all the hype. Five months later and he’s among the converted, preaching the gospel of democratization—not just of payments but of innovation.
Mastercard, Oxford Plan Helps Banks Breathe Life into Biometrics
With increasing global smartphone penetration and a willing consumer base, financial institutions recognize the potential of biometrics to offer more convenience and security to their customers—but a lack of familiarity with the still-new technology among top banking brass remains a significant barrier to adoption, a new report from Mastercard and Oxford University found.
People on the Move: Shafi Shaikh, Mastercard
Mastercard has appointed Shafi Shaikh executive vice president, customer delivery, Asia-Pacific. Shaikh oversees customer support, product delivery and customer relationships.
The View from Finovate
Payments compete for attention with “RegTech” while an overall lull in disruption suggests that fintech could be in the eye of a storm.
UBank’s Chatbot Helps Customers with Home Loan Applications
Bank has found another way to use the artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistants. The online-only Australian bank launched RoboChat May 15 to help home buyers—and homeowners who want to refinance—complete UBank’s online home loan application more easily.
French Retailer, Bank Tag Team on Mobile Wallet
France-based retail giant Carrefour and French bank BNP Paribas have joined forces to launch Lyf Pay, a new mobile wallet that supports in-store and P2P transactions as well as loyalty cards, coupons and offers.
U.S. Credit Cards Gain Ground on Debit, Prepaid, Nilson Says
The U.S. purchase volume of credit, debit and prepaid cards increased 7 percent in 2016 compared with last year, according to The Nilson Report. That purchase volume hit $5.648 trillion last year, with the volume from American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa credit cards increasing 8 percent year over over to reach a combined $3.059 trillion—the first time that figure has topped $3 trillion.
Starling Bank Unveils Real-Time Mobile Payments
U.K. challenger bank Starling is staying busy with the launch of its real-time mobile offering, Starling Payment Services. The new division of the bank will offer sponsorship access to the U.K.’s major payment schemes, enabling other banks, payment service providers and fintech companies to use real-time payments from the summer.
How Fintech Startups Are Transforming Retail Banking and Finance
Sure, convenience remains vital. But to reach digitally savvy consumers—including millennials—new entrants in the payments arena will need to think socially, and be ready to chat.
Mastercard, Merchants Launch Masterpass-Enabled Bots
Hungry Facebook Messenger users can order a meal, do their grocery shopping or send a gift card for a sweet treat without leaving the messaging platform. Mastercard announced April 18 at the Facebook Developer Conference that it has launched Masterpass-enabled, artificial intelligence-powered chatbots with Subway, FreshDirect and The Cheesecake Factory.
India Meal Vouchers Go Digital: Paytm, Zeta Launch Electronic Alternatives
Competition in the corporate meal voucher market in India is heating up as providers are launching alternatives to paper vouchers, which the Reserve Bank of India will no longer allow beyond 2017. Among them is online commerce platform Paytm and electronic payments provider Zeta.
Mastercard Wins U.K. Approval for VocaLink Buy
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority gave its blessing April 11, enabling Mastercard to complete its acquisition of 92.4 percent of VocaLink Holdings for $920 million. The deal, which is expected to close within weeks, gives Mastercard control of a large portion of the U.K. transaction processing market.
Cachet, CBKC Take Mobile, Prepaid to Rebar Customers
Cachet Financial Solutions is working with Central Bank of Kansas City again. The two companies, which in March announced a partnership to bring mobile-optimized prepaid programs to community banks, now are working with Rebar Interactive to provide Select Mobile Money-Express, a platform that includes a Mastercard-branded prepaid card.
Mastercard Bolsters Authentication with NuData Acquisition
Mastercard is beefing up its transaction security and authentication capabilities in the age of connected devices, entering an agreement to acquire NuData Security, a Pay Award-winning provider of anti-fraud technology that uses session and biometric indicators to verify online transactions.
SCOTUS Won’t Revive Settlement in Interchange Case
A legal battle between merchants and payment networks over interchange fees that has been raging for more than a decade will continue now that the Supreme Court has declined to restore a $5.7 billion settlement agreement that was tossed out by a lower court.
Proposed M-Wallet Rules Don’t Hinder Samsung Pay Launch
While the Indian government works toward a digital economy, the Reserve Bank of India is soliciting feedback through March 31 on guidelines for prepaid payment instruments that could adversely affect issuers of prepaid products, including mobile wallets.
Servion: FIs Must Bank on Latest AI for Customer Service
Banks that aren’t proactive in adopting the latest artificial intelligence technology for customer service risk losing those customers. That’s because many online-only banks and others are investing in automated assistants that improve customer interactions by predicting why customers are contacting the bank and resolving the issue quickly.
