Payments


Amex Bot Enhancement Enables Purchases on Facebook and Messenger

The expanded capability enables U.S. consumers and small businesses with OPEN cards, to add American Express card and billing information to their Facebook accounts. Once the information is added, cardholders can make in-game purchases and shop on business’ Facebook pages.

Cash Still King for P2P, Even Among Millennials

A recent study from VocaLink polled more than 5,000 U.S. consumers ages 18 to 35 on their payments behavior and preferences. And while the survey found that cash has lost ground to cards for most types of payments, it’s stubbornly clinging to the No. 1 spot when it comes to P2P.

Face the ace for NEC and Sumitomo Mitsui cashless payments trials

Tokyo-based IT provider NEC Corporation is conducting trials for cashless payment services using NEC facial recognition technology in co-operation with Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and Sumitomo Mitsui Card. The SMBC trials will continue to 30 January 2017, involving around 1,000 employees at the dining facilities of SMBC’s head office. […]

ACI Worldwide powers pan-European instant credit transfer scheme

ACI Worldwide has been named by EBA Clearing as one of the “frontrunner service providers” for the pan-European EBA SEPA Instant Credit Transfer Scheme (SCT Inst), due to go live in November 2017. The scheme will enable consumers and businesses to make euro credit transfers in real-time between accounts across an international area that will […]

Judge Tosses out Shareholder Suit Related to Home Depot Breach

Home Depot has scored a victory in the legal fight that followed the retail chain’s 2014 data breach. The retailer’s investors cannot sue its board of directors via a shareholder derivative suit, ruled a federal judge in Georgia, the home state of the chain.

EBA’s Proposed Guidelines Call for 2-Hour Notice of Data Breach

The European Banking Authority working with the European Central Bank has released a consultation paper on guidelines for payment service providers to follow in the event of security breaches. Among the suggested mandates is notifying authorities of an incident within two hours from the moment the breach is detected—that’s significantly faster than the breach notification requirements set to go into force next year, which mandate notice within 72 hours and applies to some U.S. companies.

Mastercard: Europe Not Immune to Unbanked Problem

More than 138 million Europeans do not have access to formal banking services, says Mastercard in a new report—news that could present an opportunity to prepaid providers and so-called “challenger banks.”

Fiserv Continues Notification Push with OBS Buy

Financial services technology provider Fiserv Inc. has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Online Banking Solutions Inc. (OBS), in a deal Fiserv said will bolster its cash management and digital business banking capabilities—and continues the firm’s recent focus on driving customer engagement via notifications.

Viewpoint: Combating Fraud with Teamwork

The IRS reports that there’s been a nearly 50 percent drop in fraudulent returns, and there has been significant progress in stopping fraudulent returns before refunds are ever paid, due in part to new information provided by industry and state partners.

Mastercard: Gift Cards Pack One-Two Punch during Holidays; In-Store Sales Still Dominate  

An “extremely strong” November for holiday shopping concluded with a “solid start” over Thanksgiving weekend, according to Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president of Market Insights for Mastercard. Although final holiday shopping data won’t be available until the end of the month, Quinlan spoke with Paybefore about how the shopping season is shaping up for retailers.

Irish E-Money License Could Make Facebook a P2P Force in EU

Facebook has received a key license that would enable the social media giant to bring its Messenger P2P service to Europe. The Central Bank of Ireland quietly granted an e-money license to Facebook Payments International Ltd. in late October, the company confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch, paving the way for the potential launch of Facebook’s Messenger-based money transfer service throughout the EU’s 28 member nations under passporting rules.

Chase Pay Bites into QSR Sector with LevelUp

Consumers with Chase Pay mobile wallets can now order and preemptively pay for their meals at quick service restaurants thanks to a deal with Boston-based LevelUp, Chase said. The deal, which comes as Chase expands its mobile wallet, promises to help make that payment technology more important for consumers, as the deal eventually will involve thousands of eateries.

M-Payments Deal Report: Apple Pay, WeChat, Starbucks and Square

Some of the biggest players in the mobile payments space have announced deals that could bring digital payments and gifting to more consumers around the globe. Starbucks will provide “social gifting” and payments to users of China’s WeChat messaging service, while Square will integrate its digital debit cards with Apple Pay, two recent developments that could boost the popularity of mobile payments.

BNY Mellon suffers payments glitch

BNY Mellon experienced problems with processing clients’ payments instructions – it blamed the issue on its connection to Swift. The problems were subsequently resolved.

Mobey Day Toronto: The disruption paradox

Teamwork triumphs in Toronto. The theme of collaboration between start-ups and the big players dominated day one of Mobey Day. While some in the fintech industry say they’re disruptive, it seems that’s no longer true as they all look to work together. At yesterday’s (7 December) sessions at the elegant Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, […]

Viewpoint: Tapping the Power of Prepaid

Prepaid will continue to be a key ingredient in bringing 2 billion people worldwide into the financial mainstream. But over the past five years, we’ve learned that public-private partnerships are mission-critical. And we’ve still got work to do.

Viewpoint: The Year in Review and a Look Ahead to 2017

The market is evolving from being dazzled by the flashy lights of innovation to buckling down and implementing plans to address the opportunities ahead. Emphasis is shifting from talking about the cool stuff to driving adoption of the most actionable innovations. Are you investing in the right trends?

Viewpoint: The Case for B2C Digital Payments

As consumers start using mobile to pay each other, it’s only natural that they’ll expect businesses to pay them that way, too. For those of us who serve corporate clients, enabling electronic payments to those mobile-centric consumers is a significant opportunity.

Viewpoint: Winning the Prepaid Loyalty Challenge Is about Financial Empowerment

Having achieved status as a “mainstream” financial services product, prepaid cards now must prove themselves indispensable to cardholders’ lives. To take prepaid to the next level, prepaid providers need to connect with and engage cardholders in ways that position the product as vital to their financial wellbeing.

Fintech tour Toronto: Ontario calls for venture capital

Ontario in Canada is calling for more venture capital to come to the region as it looks to boost its fintech industry. This is the main message from a tour of Toronto, given to the international media by the Ministry of Economic Development and Growth (MEDG).

Can Amazon Make the Checkout Lane Obsolete?

Amazon’s vision of the future, which it’s testing in Seattle, is a grocery store that enables customers to complete purchases via scanning mobile phones instead of waiting to pay.

Company on the Move: GlobalPlatfom, New China Task Force

GlobalPlatform, an industry body which standardizes the management of applications on secure chip technologies, has launched a China Task Force to give Chinese members and all GlobalPlatform members with business interests in China a dedicated platform to identify and agree on requirements from the region and work directly with Chinese industry and standards associations.

Citi Prepaid Talks Samsung Pay Rewards, Tipping Point for Incentives

Most of the talk around Samsung Pay’s new points-based loyalty program has been about whether it can spur mobile wallet adoption. But the in-app delivery of a virtual prepaid rewards card could mark a substantial shift for the incentives business, according to Brad Garfield, global product head for Citi’s corporate and public sector prepaid cards.

American Express Acquires Mobile Authentication Provider

Fraud prevention is driving payments acquisition activity, with two major moves by the networks in the last two weeks. American Express has acquired InAuth Inc., a provider of mobile device authentication and intelligence solutions, which follows Visa’s announcement of its plans to acquire e-commerce authentication specialist CardinalCommerce, which operates the largest authentication network in the world, according to the company.

Western Union Gains Mobile Momentum with Investment in Billing Specialist

Western Union continues to expand its presence in the mobile vertical with an investment in Walletron Inc., a provider of mobile wallet bill presentment and payments services. The investment follows a deal struck between the companies earlier this year, under which Western Union’s Speedpay electronic bill payment service began offering biller clients the option to incorporate Walletron’s moBills platform.

Can PayPal, Google Holiday Promotions Spur Long-Term Adoption?

PayPal and Google’s Android Pay are making the holidays more festive with new promotions, but will they lead to more consumer usage? PayPal says it’s making its P2P payment service “more personal and heartfelt,” while Android Pay is offering U.K. users a free gift when they use the mobile wallet for purchases.

Russia Says Cybercriminals Stole $31 Million from Central Bank

Cybercriminals have stolen about $31 million from Russian Central Bank accounts, according to a Reuters report. The hackers broke into bank accounts after faking a client’s credentials, a bank spokesman said at a briefing, disclosing few other details. In a separate instance, Russia had recently warned about a plot by foreign countries to wage cyberattacks on its financial institutions.

The Future Is Now: Helping Merchants Engage Consumers

Whether it’s digital coupons, next-generation mobile apps or using augmented reality technology to enhance shopping, have no doubt: That future is here and it’s all about engagement. Paybefore sat down with Amy Parsons, vice president and head of global commerce, Discover Global Network, to get her take on what’s ahead.