News


Project Neptune pilot goes live

Project Neptune, the fixed income trading initiative between a group of 42 large banks and asset managers, has gone live with its pilot production network, bringing the project closer to its ‘hard’ platform later this year.

Sen. Blumenthal Asks MCX to Explain M-Payments Exclusivity Policy (Aug. 6, 2015)

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) this week sent a letter to the retail consortium Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), which is readying the launch of its CurrentC mobile payments service, demanding details about its exclusivity policy requiring participants to block rival mobile wallets, along with other information.

Barclays opens startup accelerator programme in London

Barclays and startup accelerator company Techstars have opened the application process for the third cohort of their Accelerator programme in London, which will give ten businesses a chance to “shape the future” of financial services, the bank has said.

People on the Move: Meredith Fuchs and David Bleicken, CFPB

The CFPB has announced that Meredith Fuchs will serve as acting deputy director, replacing Steve Antonakes, who left the bureau at the end of July. David Bleicken, deputy associate director for supervision, enforcement and fair lending, will serve as acting associate director for supervision, enforcement and fair lending until a replacement is hired.

People on the Move: Andrew Johnson, National Gift Card Corp.

National Gift Card Corp. has announced that ngcEurope CEO Andrew Johnson was recently honored with the annual U.K. Gift Card and Voucher Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and named to the organization’s Hall of Fame by a vote of its members.

People on the Move: Cathy Pace and Andrew Rosen, PSCU

PSCU, a credit union service organization (CUSO) based in St. Petersburg, Fla., has appointed as associate directors Cathy Pace, president and CEO, Allegacy Federal Credit Union, Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Andrew Rosen, president and CEO, Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, Honolulu, Hawaii.

GMEX signs Bank of America, prepares for launch

International derivatives market GMEX is due to go live on Friday after more than two years of development. Created by co-founders Hirander Misra and Vj Angelo, the new exchange has just signed Bank of America Merrill Lynch and will start by offering futures contracts backed by German derivatives giant Eurex.

Android users most at risk of fraud warns survey

The rate of mobile fraud is highest on Android devices, according to new data from cyber security company Kount, with mobile fraud also outpacing that of online and in-store fraud for the first time this year. The data also shows that average transaction amounts on iOS mobile devices are greater than those made from Android devices.

Benchmark shows banks overpaying for IT

The eye-watering amounts of money banks spend on technology are legendary – and largely inflated according to research that shows that they are paying far higher margins on significant parts of their budget than other industry sectors .

Visa Considers Acquisition of Visa Europe (July 27, 2015)

Visa Inc. has confirmed it’s in negotiations to acquire Visa Europe in what could be a $20 billion deal. Visa expects to resolve discussions about the possible acquisition in October and provide an update about its decision during the company’s fourth quarter earnings report.

Square Secretly Files for IPO (July 27, 2015)

After more than a year of rumors, it appears Square finally could be taking the plunge and going public. The m-POS pioneer—which has been expanding steadily into other verticals—has filed confidentially for an IPO with the SEC, according to Bloomberg, which cited sources with knowledge of the plan.