News


JWG hires MD for RegDelta platform push

JWG, the financial services regulation specialist, has appointed Blythe Barber as managing director as part of the continuation of the company’s expansion. Barber has been hired as part of an expansion of JWG’s RegDelta regulatory change management platform.

Citihub and Excel IT ally for cloud data centre services

Citihub Consulting, a global IT advisory firm, has partnered with IT services specialist Excel IT to offer a combined proposition covering infrastructure strategy and architecture through to migration logistics and ongoing support.

Digitalisation will double bank IT spending in next four years

Bank IT spending in developed markets is set to double over the next four years, according to figures provided by analyst firm Gartner. The rise is driven mainly by the desire to reduce maintenance costs on legacy IT and support newer, digital technologies.

First Data Exec: With Android Pay Launch, U.S. Mobile Payments Ubiquity ‘A Couple of Years’ Away (Sept. 23, 2015)

This month’s launch of Google Inc.’s Android Pay, just weeks before the U.S.’s Oct. 1 EMV liability shift date, is a key milestone in expanding mobile payments access to the majority of consumers, but we’re still “a couple of years” away from mainstream m-payments with ubiquitous support from banks, merchants and handset makers, predicts Dom Morea, senior vice president of business development for First Data Corp.

PayNearMe, 7-Eleven Offer Bill Pay Services (Sept. 23, 2015)

Financial services provider PayNearMe has partnered with 7-Eleven Inc. to launch the PayNearMe Bill Pay app, enabling consumers in the U.S. to pay more than 17,000 national and local billers, such as cable companies, utilities providers and insurance companies, with cash using a barcode scan at participating 7-Eleven stores.

New York State Issues First BitLicense (Sept. 22, 2015)

After much debate over whether New York Department of Financial Services’ (NYDFS) state-level framework for licensing digital currency companies is too restrictive, the state agency has issued its first regulatory license, the so-called BitLicense, to Boston-based mobile payment company Circle Internet Financial.

Insurance and education should be weapons in fight against cyber-crime

The majority of businesses do not have cyber security insurance, with many not even aware such protection exists – and even those that do have insurance in place may find themselves at a loss if they don’t have the correct cover. The solution may be to mandate more data sharing and raise public awareness, according to speakers at a roundtable organised by software security company Kaspersky Lab.

Worldpay Hopes to Reap $1.4 Billion in IPO

With several companies vying to acquire Worldpay Group Ltd., Advent International Corp. and Bain Capital, owners of the U.K.-based payment processor, have decided to proceed with their planned IPO of the company with the hopes of raising $1.4 billion.

Apple Pay Registers for Business in China (Sept. 21, 2015)

Apple Inc. is making good on its plan to bring Apple Pay to China, with news that it’s registered a subsidiary, Apple Technology Service (Shanghai) Ltd. in Shanghai’s free-trade zone, with permission to operate Apple Pay, but it’s already late to the m-payments party in China, say observers.

RBC Goes Live with HCE-Based M-Payments (Sept. 17, 2015)

Royal Bank of Canada this week introduced a new—and still somewhat rare—approach to connecting its customers to its RBC Wallet mobile payments service via host card emulation (HCE), so it works with any NFC-based Android handset, regardless of its brand or the user’s wireless carrier.

Saxo opens trading platform with advanced API

Saxo Bank is to allow access to its multi-asset trading and back office infrastructure through a new open API that will allow developers and partners to integrate Saxo’s trading functionality into their own applications and systems.

Top-tier banks rally round R3 distributed ledger project

Nine major global investment banks have formed a partnership to explore the potential of distributed ledger technology in financial markets. The project, led by financial technology company R3, aims to create early standards for the emerging technology that will make it easier and more efficient as it grows.

People on the Move: Bastien Latgé, EMVCo

EMVCo, the EMV technical body collectively owned by American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, UnionPay and Visa, has appointed Bastien Latgé to the newly created role of director of technology.

Visa Sets Deadline for Issuers in Target Settlement

Visa set a deadline for its debit card issuers to request extra payment on top of the monies the issuers will receive in accordance with an earlier settlement reached with Target related to the 2013 breach.