Spain’s first fully digital bank Openbank in major transformation
Openbank, a subsidiary of Spain’s banking giant Santander, has undergone an enterprise-wide overhaul, from products and services, to technology, to corporate culture, to new branding.
Mobile
Monese debuts direct debits to challenge traditional banks
Mobile-only bank Monese has unveiled direct debit functionality for its customers – a move designed to offer services closer to that of a traditional high street bank account. Alongside this, it has also gained access to Faster Payments, so customers can send funds to accounts outside or within the UK with a “quicker transfer”. In […]
Top fintech stories this week – 16 June 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Banking Technology Awards 2017 now open for entry!
Know any innovative products, inspirational projects, skilled teams or visionary leaders that deserve a special recognistion this year? Nominate them for a Banking Technology Award!
Circle rounds on rivals with free cross-border payments
Payments services provider Circle is offering its customers in the US, UK and Europe the ability to send and receive money across borders with no fees and no mark-up on foreign exchange (FX) rates. The firm says it is “just like sending email or sharing photos” – meaning it’s “free and instant”. There will be […]
Are Plastic Cards Headed for Extinction?
Probably not. Even so, the case for virtual prepaid accounts is growing stronger. A journey through the landscape—including a stop at a recent Apple conference—shows why.
Why getting ready for real-time is a priority for Rabobank
When it comes to payments, the Netherlands, like its Scandinavian neighbours, is certainly one of the most advanced countries in the world. Banks and retailers have been working together for many years in an effort to decrease the amount of cash in circulation, working instead towards a “cleaner” and “safer” cashless environment.
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.
Walmart Pay Offers Instant Credit Access
Can a mobile payment service gain users by offering instant access to credit card accounts? Walmart is about to find out. The retail giant has launched a program that enables Walmart Pay customers to spend via their credit lines immediately upon approval instead of waiting for plastic cards to arrive.
Fiserv sets sights on mobile payments tech vendor Monitise
US tech giant Fiserv has offered to buy Monitise, a UK-based mobile payments software and solutions provider. The cash offer to acquire is at 2.90 pence per share – valuing Monitise at approximately £70 million.
Zelle P2P payments network onboards new members
More banks and credit unions have joined Zelle Network, a new peer-to-peer payments platform in the US.
Redwood Credit Union launches mobile P2P payment service
California-based Redwood Credit Union (RCU) has launched a new mobile peer-to-peer payment solution, RCUPay. “RCU ends the IOU,” the credit union states.
The age of face-to-face conversation is pretty much over
It wouldn’t quite be June if we didn’t have rain or Cisco’s annual visual networking index (VNI) forecast. We’ve had plenty of rain, now it’s time to tuck into some stats! Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication) reports that you probably didn’t need us to tell you, but internet traffic is going to grow. The total […]
Australia Post taps i2c for digital payments push
Australia Post is partnering with processor i2c Inc. to “expand and modernize” its digital payments offerings. Under the pact, the Australian postal service will use i2c’s Agile Processing platform to roll out enhanced digital functionality for its payments products, including the Load&Go GPR Visa card, along with gift, multicurrency travel and corporate incentive cards. The i2c platform also will underpin future financial services products from Australia Post.
Philip Morris Test Promotes Blockchain Payments in Poland
Moving incentives to virtual prepaid cards is an important trend, but Philip Morris International is taking its incentives a step further with blockchain. The cigarette company and fintech firm Billon Group reportedly have completed a test replacing prepaid cards with the distributed ledger technology, enabling digital and mobile payments.
Concardis brings Alipay to Austria and Switzerland
German payment service provider Concardis is bringing Chinese mobile payment solution Alipay to Austria and Switzerland. Clothing brand Gössl will be the first merchant in Austria to let Chinese citizens pay via smartphone and the Alipay app. The roll-out in the Swiss market is planned for October this year. In Germany, Concardis says it has […]
Bankjoy scores digital banking tech deal with SafeAmerica Credit Union
California-based SafeAmerica Credit Union is building a new omnichannel banking platform with fintech start-up Bankjoy.
SunTec system fits the bill for Amex business travel
American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has opted for SunTec’s Xelerate billing system for its corporate clients. According to SunTec, its platform can onboard new geographic regions and “weaves data locked in various legacy and modern billing systems” to create relevant offers for American Express GBT’s corporate clients. Michael Konstas, VP of billing strategy at […]
SBS Bank in major digital revamp with Sandstone Technology
New Zealand-based SBS Bank is rolling out a new “end-to-end” digital banking platform supplied by Sandstone Technology.
Green Dot Aids Apple’s Bid to Bite into P2P
Apple has made a bold foray into the P2P money transfer market—and Green Dot is helping the tech giant in its bid to unseat Venmo and other established players in the increasingly crowded space.
Saving and investing service Moola launches
After 18 months of development, UK-based online saving and investing service Moola has launched. The firm says there are 5.4 million “mass affluent people in the UK who have no access to financial advice, but disposable income and a desire to save and invest”. It wants to tap into that market by doing the “hard […]
Apple squares up to rivals with Pay Cash feature
Apple has unveiled Pay Cash as it looks to fight it out with PayPal, Square and Venmo in the overcrowded peer-to-peer (P2P) payments market. In a range of updates to its mobile operating system, iOS 11, new features to the iPhone and iPad are coming this autumn. Apple Pay users will be able to make […]
CIBC launches free mobile credit scores in Canada
Canada’s banking group CIBC, fintech firm Borrowell and Equifax Canada have unveiled a free credit score for mobile banking users – a “first for a major Canadian Bank”. The credit score is accessed through the CIBC mobile banking app, and clients can get their Equifax credit score which will be updated quarterly, allowing them to […]
LG Electronics unleashes mobile payments in South Korea
Watch out Samsung Pay, but South Korean titan LG Electronics has unleashed its mobile payment service in the country. Called LG Pay, it will be offered first as a service that allows users to pay offline in the same way as a credit card. Its use is limited at the moment to Shinhan, KB, BC […]
GPS Captures Contactless Lightning in a Bottle
You’ve heard of wearables—now meet “drinkables.” Global Processing Services (GPS) is helping support a new energy drink marketing campaign featuring special bottles equipped with contactless chips, each preloaded with a credit for a trip on the London Underground. The campaign for the Lucozade Energy brand launched last week, with bottles distributed free at major London train stations and commuter hubs.
Payments Firm Tilt Wilts
Following Airbnb’s acquisition of crowdfunding and social payments startup Tilt in February, it is now being wound down.
Abcul perseveres with Model Credit Union project
The Association of British Credit Unions (Abcul) says it is making progress with its Model Credit Union initiative, to modernise the tech and operations of its members. Three credit unions are now live with new core and mobile banking software.
Contactless Fraud Scare? Not So Fast.
Breathless reports point to a terrifying increase in U.K. contactless fraud. Dig a little deeper, however, and the story changes.
Android Pay arrives in Taiwan
Android Pay has now launched in Taiwan and users can add an eligible Visa or Mastercard credit card from one of its supported banks, including CTBC and First Bank. It will have the usual rivals – Apple Pay arrived in Taiwan in March this year, while Samsung Pay was launched across the island nation just […]
ING’s Yolt money app beta launches in UK
With an intended jolt and volt of energy, Yolt, a new money platform backed by ING, has launched its open beta for iOS and Android in the UK. The app has been tested in closed beta since October last year, and is now ready to invite more people to the platform. Yolt enables users to […]
Banking Technology June 2017 issue out now
The latest edition of our flagship magazine – Banking Technology – is out now, packed with news, analysis and insights, case studies, research and expert commentary.
Square Launches Virtual Terminal Service in U.K.
About two months after launching in the U.K., Square has introduced its Virtual Terminal service there. The technology enables merchants to accept payments through the Square dashboard, an appealing prospect for online service providers, contractors and other smaller firms that do relatively few face-to-face transactions.
People on the Move: Ryan Farley, Judopay
Mobile payments platform provider Judopay has appointed Ryan Farley CEO.
OCBC Bank unveils first standalone mobile payments app
Singapore’s OCBC Bank has launched its first standalone mobile app for QR code cashless payments at nearly 2,500 NETS terminals. The new OCBC Pay Anyone app brings together all its Pay Anyone services – peer-to-peer e-payments, QR code payments, and integration with Siri and iMessage – into one place. Pranav Seth, OCBC Bank’s head of […]
Till left with no part in Barclaycard pocket checkout
Barclaycard has begun trialling a new payment concept that lets consumers scan and pay for their shopping using their smartphone, without the need to visit a physical checkout. Called Grab+Go, it’s the firm’s plan to turn a smartphone into a “pocket checkout”, allowing users to scan the items they want to buy as they pick […]
Bank of Sydney in online and mobile banking tech revamp with Fiserv
Bank of Sydney has completed its search for a new digital channels software provider – the winner of its tender is Fiserv with its DigitalAccess omnichannel system.
Android Pay to launch in Canada
Android Pay is set to launch in Canada on 31 May, according to sources that gave news site MobileSyrup internal documents. MobileSyrup says there are still a number of questions that need to be answered regarding the payment service, “including specific bank partners and how setting up the payment platform with a Canadian debit and […]
Top fintech stories this week – 26 May 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
U.S.-Based Ebix Buys Majority Stake in India’s ItzCash
Indian payment solutions provider and Pay Award-winning ItzCash Card Ltd. has a new main backer. U.S.-based Ebix, which sells on-demand software and e-commerce services, has taken an 80 percent stake in the company for $120 million.
