Payments


Mercator Forecast: Prepaid Growth Expected to Slide (Oct. 31, 2013)

Growth of the open- and closed-loop prepaid card markets will be slower than previous years as the industry weathers a stubbornly sluggish economy and regulatory uncertainty, according to Mercator Advisory Group. Total loads on open-loop cards, which include GPR, payroll, open-loop gift and unemployment benefits, will drop from a previously forecasted 21 percent compound annual […]

Report: Mobile Bill Pay Has $2.1 Trillion in Potential (Oct. 31, 2013)

More than 12.5 million Americans already are taking advantage of mobile bill payments, but the untapped potential of the market could be worth $2.1 trillion, according to a new report from Javelin Strategy & Research. That’s the total amount Javelin estimates Americans spend annually on seven essential bill types: open-loop credit cards, store-branded credit cards, […]

First Data Acquires Perka, Reports Increase in Third-Quarter Earnings (Oct. 29, 2013)

First Data Corp., an Atlanta-based payments processor, has acquired Perka, provider of a mobile marketing and consumer loyalty platform enabling small to midsize merchants to better engage with customers through location-based smartphone apps. Perka will continue to operate autonomously as an entrepreneurial company led by its current management and product development team, according to an […]

Report: Incentive Programs Motivate Workers to Go Extra Mile (Oct. 29, 2013)

Workers are highly motivated by rewards and inventive programs provided by their employers, with nearly three-quarters of employees saying they would put in extra effort to earn rewards, according to a new study from U.K. payment provider Ixaris. The company’s 2013 Study of Rewards and Incentives polled 4,800 workers in the U.S., U.S., Canada, France […]

PayPal Inks Deal with Kenyan Bank; CFPB Investigates Bill Me Later (Oct. 28, 2013)

PayPal on Oct. 25 announced a new partnership with Kenya’s Equity Bank to link local merchants with the global online marketplace. Kenya’s e-commerce operators for the first time will be able to hold proceeds from online sales in a local bank account where they may receive payments in 26 different currencies, which are automatically converted […]

House Dems Propose Pair of AML Measures (Oct. 28, 2013)

Two House Democrats have proposed measures to crack down on money laundering by deterring the use of shell corporations and giving regulators the authority to hold bank executives accountable for misconduct taking place on their watch. The first bill, proposed by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), would strengthen the government’s ability to charge individuals with violations […]

EU High Court Weighs in on Austrian Mobile Surcharge Case (Oct. 28, 2013)

A law prohibiting surcharges on certain types of payments should apply to mobile carriers, an adviser to the EU’s Court of Justice told the Austrian Supreme Court, which is currently deliberating an appeal by T-Mobile after the carrier’s surcharges were ruled illegal by lower Austrian courts. The case stems from a lawsuit filed by a […]

Clear2Pay scotches sale story

Clear2Pay, the Brussels-based payments systems company, says that selling the company “is not part” of its current plans.

HSBC rolls out mainland China corporate cash management solutions

HSBC Bank China has completed its first electronic tax payment for a corporate client in Shanghai, in a move that the bank says is the first among all foreign banks I the city. The new tax payment service deducts funds in real time and enables customers to complete tax reports and process payments on the government’s tax system terminal from any location.

Consumers don’t trust mobile payments study finds

Fewer than one in four of UK consumers would use their smartphone like a credit card to make payments even if they had the relevant app, according to a new survey carried out by YouGov on behalf of outsourcing firm Firstsource Solutions.

Blackhawk, PayPal Join on Digital, Physical Cards (Oct. 24, 2013)

A pair of payments industry heavy-hitters is banding together, with prepaid provider Blackhawk Network announcing that its electronic gift cards will be accessible within the PayPal mobile app. Meanwhile, the partnership gives PayPal yet another foothold in the physical payments space, bringing PayPal’s reloadable GPR prepaid card to Blackhawk’s extensive retail distribution network. “Our collaboration […]

Fed White Paper Explores PayPerks’ Prepaid Benefits Card Literacy Program, Effects (Oct. 24, 2013)

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Payment Cards Center this week unveiled a white paper analyzing the effects of sweepstakes-based financial literacy programs New York-based PayPerks developed to help educate unbanked and underbanked consumers using prepaid government benefits cards. The 26-page paper, “Driving Positive Behavior Change Through Education and Motivation: Summary of a PayPerks Workshop,” […]

Ingo Money’s MDC Service with Visa Prepaid Goes Live (Oct. 24, 2013)

Oct. 24, 2013 Mobile deposit capture took a big step toward mainstream adoption in the prepaid industry with the announcement this week that Ingo Money Inc.’s mobile deposit capture pilot with Visa, which began last year, is officially out of beta. Ingo Money’s service enables consumers to deposit checks into their Visa Prepaid card accounts by […]

ECB Cautions against Last-Minute SEPA Migration (Oct. 24, 2013)

The European Central Bank (ECB) is calling the next three months critical for stakeholders still needing to migrate to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) for electronic payments transactions. The deadline for migration to SEPA credit transfer (SCT) and SEPA direct debit (SDD) schemes is Feb. 1, 2014. “Everybody has to be ready . . […]

Next Stop, Contactless (October 2013)

Amid big transit rollouts in Chicago and Salt Lake City, Las Vegas is getting in on the action with a new pilot program enabling transit riders to pay bus fares with a tap.

Blackhawk Snaps Up InteliSpend (Oct. 22, 2013)

Blackhawk Network late Monday announced it plans to acquire InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions, a leader in corporate incentive cards and promotions, in an all-cash deal expected to close no later than next month. Blackhawk sought InteliSpend, a 2013 Paybefore Award winner, because of the “great synergies” that exist between Blackhawk’s own retail gift card partners and […]

Fiserv Unveils Multichannel E-Billing Platform (Oct. 22, 2013)

Financial services technology provider Fiserv has launched a new platform that enables small- and medium-size billers to send electronic bills and accept payments through multiple channels. Dubbed Biller Advantage, the platform targets companies that send between 2,000 and 500,000 bills a month, according to Brookfield, Wis.-based Fiserv. “Biller Advantage provides the functionality small- to mid-sized […]

Clinkle Tabs McCarthy as COO (Oct. 22, 2013)

Payments startup Clinkle Corp. already has landed some big name investors—and now the San Francisco-based company is filling out its executive team, announcing that former Netflix CFO Barry McCarthy will join Clinkle as COO. Established in 2011 by 22-year old Stanford grad Lucas Duplan, the company has been developing a payment app that reportedly will […]

FEXCO Acquires Mobile Payments Startup FLASHiZ (Oct. 22, 2013)

FEXCO, a provider of financial transaction processing, foreign exchange and outsourcing services based in Ireland, has acquired mobile payments and loyalty startup FLASHiZ, with BNP Paribas Personal Finance taking a minority shareholder stake in the Luxembourg-based company.

UK Payments Council reports 11% increase in account switching

The number of UK consumers who switched their current account during the last month increased by 11% compared to the same period last year, giving hope to the UK Payments Council that its new seven-day account switching service which launched on 16 September may be beginning to work.