Fintech outside London – part 2
We look at UK fintech firms working outside of the London “bubble”, examining where they are based and why; their history; target markets; clients; tech specialisations, concerns and future plans.
Payments
Moneycorp buys Commonwealth Foreign Exchange for US boost
Moneycorp in the UK has signed an agreement to acquire US-based payments firm Commonwealth Foreign Exchange (Commonwealth FX). The acquisition, subject to regulatory licensing approvals, will allow Moneycorp to “extend the geographical reach of its payments platform”. Nick Haslehurst, chief financial and operating officer at Moneycorp, says it sees “huge potential in the US among […]
British judge calls contactless cards “quite ludicrous”
A UK judge has taken a swipe at contactless card payments because they make life too easy for criminals. According to the BBC, Exeter Crown Court recorder David Bartlett says it is “quite ludicrous that the banks have allowed this to happen”, after hearing how a card was used by a thief to buy goods […]
Top fintech stories this week – 12 May 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
UK start-up success story becomes Hollywood movie
The glorious rags to riches tale of a UK start-up has caught the cold, beady eye of Hollywood and been transformed into a well-polished and formulaic movie. Charon Ferries, a London-based payments firm, is the brainchild of the husband and wife team of Mark and Michelle Morrison. (Recently married, and still happy. Give it a […]
Misys and Diebold Nixdorf team for cloud banking tech in Germany
Misys has announced the availability of its solutions for German retail banks in the cloud. Diebold Nixdorf will deliver infrastructure services out of its certified data centres in Germany.
Swedbank acquires PayEx
Swedbank has acquired payment provider PayEx as it seeks to enter new markets and add more services. PayEx is a privately-owned group comprising several companies in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. It offers payment solutions for internet, mobile and physical commerce and administrative services within billing, account management and debt collection. The company also offers […]
People on the Move: Brad Fauss, Wirecard North America
Brad Fauss is joining Wirecard North America as general counsel and vice president, compliance and governmental affairs. In his new role, he is responsible for managing the legal, compliance and governmental affairs functions for the North American business. Wirecard, a payments and commerce leader headquartered in Munich, finalized its acquisition of Citi Prepaid Services in March 2017, as part of its global expansion strategy.
Blackhawk Study: Brand Loyalty Can Solve Pain Points for Merchants
Brand power is serious business, according to a new Blackhawk Network study that found consumers trust their favorite brand almost as much as they trust their own families. What’s more, retailers can harness that brand loyalty to help with a bevy of challenges, including driving foot traffic, acquiring new customers and bolstering loyalty among shoppers.
UniRush Starts Paying Off for Green Dot in Q1
Green Dot’s acquisition of UniRush, a deal that closed in February, is already paying off for the company. As part of its first-quarter earnings release, Green Dot said that UniRush not only added $12 million in revenue during its first month of new ownership, but contributed to 6 percent growth in the company’s overall active card base, to 5.05 million.
Startup Enters Teen Market Touting Budgeting Tools, Parental Controls, Charitable Giving
Current, a startup comprised of a small team of New York-based fintech entrepreneurs, has launched a prepaid card program and mobile app for kids and parents that goes beyond dispensing allowances
Industry views: Trump’s first 100 days
What President Trump’s record on regulatory reform means for payments and financial services so far, and what comes next.
South Africa’s Mercantile Bank goes omnichannel with TCS Bancs Digital
South Africa-based Mercantile Bank has implemented a new digital channels platform, TCS Bancs Digital, supplied by TCS Financial Solutions.
Fintech M&A round-up: 10 May 2017
Say goodbye to long reads with this brief round-up of the latest buys in the fintech world. Features KPMG, Matchi, Ancoa, Cinnober, Valitor, International Payment Services and AltaPay. KPMG has acquired Matchi, a matchmaking platform that connects financial institutions with fintech companies. The pair have worked together since 2015, so the deal “cements” their relationship. […]
Bank of England unveils blueprint for new RTGS service
The Bank of England (BoE) has released its blueprint for a renewed real-time gross settlement (RTGS) service for payments in the UK – with plans to interface with blockchain and deal with APIs. On an average day, BoE says RTGS settles around £500 billion between banks – around a quarter of the UK’s annual GDP […]
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.
Alipay Expands in North America with First Data Deal
The Alipay online payment platform operated by Ant Financial Services Group is moving further into North America through an agreement with payments technology provider First Data. Alipay is considered the world’s largest online and mobile payment platform, with more than 450 million global active users.
Former MoneyGram Compliance Chief to Pay $250,000 Fine
A former MoneyGram compliance head will pay a $250,000 fine and be barred from performing a compliance function for a money transmitter for the next three years after agreeing to a settlement over alleged AML and fraud prevention failures that took place at the company under his watch.
Going Digital: E-Gift Cards Post Triple-Digit Growth
Consumers in India are increasingly turning to physical and digital gift cards. A new study showed that providers issued some 50 million gift cards over the past year, up from 20 million from the previous 12 months, an increase of 150 percent.
Alipay attacks Apple in North America expansion
Alipay is teaming up with First Data in North America as it looks to take a bite out of Apple’s market share. As Banking Technology previously reported, Alipay has been gaining plenty of traction around the globe – with HelloPay Group in Asia merging with Ant Financial (which runs Alipay); and inking deals with European […]
WorldFirst launches international payments platform for SMEs
WorldFirst has unveiled World Account, an international payments platform for SMEs and online sellers. The company states the account offers international banking functionality on one platform. It says “many businesses waste time and money” trying to open up bank accounts in new currencies. These accounts are also often held in the UK resulting in “additional […]
Square Cash Gets Physical with Companion Prepaid Card
Square Inc. has begun rolling out a physical plastic card for use with the company’s Square Cash P2P money transfer service—a move that could help differentiate the service from its P2P competitors by making it easier for users to instantly spend funds they receive via transfer.
Amid Brexit, London Keeps its Fintech Glow—but Berlin Might Change That
Score one for London. Even as the U.K. prepares to leave the European Union through Brexit, the British capital and banking and investment center stands as the global hub of fintech, according to Paybefore readers.
Starling Bank unveils real-time mobile payments
UK challenger bank Starling is staying busy with the launch of its real-time mobile offering, Starling Payment Services. The service, which it calls a new division of the bank, will offer sponsorship access to the UK’s major payment schemes, allowing other banks, payment service providers, and fintech companies to use real-time payments from the summer. […]
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.
The Monday mindset: 8 May 2017
Fintech zeitgeist! Every Monday, we might look back at last week; look ahead to this week; share a few thoughts (our own or others); or discuss anything that catches our eye. This week, Soumik Roy asks – will Paytm become India’s WeChat? Ever since demonetisation, electronic payments in India have been all the rage. In […]
North East Small Finance Bank to launch on FIS Profile core banking system
North East Small Finance Bank (NESFB), the first bank of its kind in the northeast of India, is gearing up for launch in early June. For its technology, it’ll be using an outsourced banking and payments platform provided by FIS.
Time running out for CRA rollback of US final prepaid rule
The clock is winding down for US Congressional lawmakers to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) final prepaid accounts rule under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), reports Paybefore (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). Under that law, Congress has until 9 May – 60 legislative days after the law was published in the Federal Register – to repeal […]
FinovateSpring 2017: panel discussion (the conference’s first ever!)
FinovateSpring 2017 in San Jose, US, concluded with its first ever panel discussion! “Our panelists will recap the key demos and help put the innovations on display into a broader context,” the conference organisers said.
Fintechs blast banks over PSD2 direct access angst
A group of fintech companies and associations are asking for changes to the second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) due to fears it will force them to become technologically dependent on banks. The coalition of 60 European Union (EU) based entities have signed a seven-page manifesto seeking the European Commission (EC) to make changes to the […]
Middle East and Africa the world’s fastest growing payment cards region
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) is the payment cards region increasing the quickest across the globe, according to research by Retail Banking Research (RBR). According to RBR’s Global Payment Cards Data and Forecasts to 2021, the number of cards in issue in MEA increased by 13% to 611 million in 2015, making it the […]
Conference overview: “literally everything” from FinovateSpring 2017
Wished you were at FinovateSpring in San Jose but missed it? No worries – we’ve got it covered. A comprehensive overview of the two-day conference – session by session.
The Bancorp Sells European Prepaid Operations
The Bancorp Inc. has closed the sale of its European prepaid properties to Neptune International Ltd. The news comes amid a strong quarter for the financial holding company, which reported a net income of $8 million for the first quarter of 2017, compared with a $10.9 million net loss for the same period last year.
Top fintech stories this week – 5 May 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Banks banking on APIs for payments and beyond
Facing increased competition from financial services upstarts and tech firms, banks are doubling down on application programming interfaces (APIs) as a competitive tool, a new report shows. Paybefore (Banking Technology‘s sister publication) reports that an Aite Group study canvassed product and digital channel managers at Asia-Pacific, European and North American banks, and found that those […]
Time Running Out for CRA Rollback of Final Prepaid Rule
The clock is winding down for Congressional lawmakers to repeal the CFPB’s final prepaid accounts rule under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Under that law, Congress has until May 9—60 legislative days after the law was published in the Federal Register—to repeal the prepaid rule by simple majority vote in the Senate. But with lawmakers currently in the midst of negotiations over a revised health care bill and Democratic opposition to the rollback likely to be strong, proponents of a repeal could run out of time.
PayNearMe Expands Bill-Pay Service with CVS Deal
With 27 percent of U.S. households unbanked or underbanked, according to the most recent FDIC report on the subject, PayNearMe continues in its efforts to make it easier for such consumers, as well as those who prefer not to use plastic or checks, to pay bills using cash.
Results Are In for Top Payments Consultants
In spirited voting, the payments industry has chosen the top five consultants who help their businesses thrive by providing perspective, research and strategic planning. Surprisingly, write-in candidates played a key role in shaping the top five list—one of them received nearly 6,500 votes.
Payments: correspondent banking faces its future
In an increasingly globalised economy, payments have struggled to keep up and pressure is mounting on the traditional correspondent banking model.
N.Y. DOL Fires Back at Industrial Board of Appeals, Global Cash Card
The New York Department of Labor has fired the latest salvo in the battle over the use of payroll cards in the state. The agency has filed an appeal that could jeopardize the outcome of a petition granted to Global Cash Card to revoke the N.Y. DOL payroll card regulations, which were due to go into effect March 7, 2017. At stake are rules that are considered so burdensome by the prepaid industry that—if restored—could force some payroll card providers out of New York.
