Google is launching a trio of new services that leverage the tech giant’s ubiquitous online presence to spur usage of its mobile wallet. Announced at Google’s I/O Conference in San Francisco this week, the new initiatives include a one-click payments function for Google Wallet, an instant buy feature for Android and the ability to send […]
May 16, 2013 Green Dot Corp.’s GoBank mobile banking concept has proved successful with its first batch of users during a beta test launched in January and the company plans to roll out nationally by July 4, with a marketing push targeting younger consumers, including promotions at Rite Aid and Kmart, the company said this […]
May 16, 2013 Marqeta today announced plans for a major expansion with the $14 million raised in its latest funding round. The company also went public with the news that its stored value payments platform is powering the Facebook Card launched earlier this year. The Emeryville, Calif.-based startup last year rolled out its stored value […]
Turkish bank Turkland has installed new core banking, CRM and treasury systems from Infosys – the first time a Turkish bank has implemented an externally developed core banking system according to the firm.
Brazil is to gain its first ever mobile payment service this month, with the launch of a joint service provided by Spanish and South American telecom firm Telefónica and MasterCard.
New Zealand’s NZX has joined BT Radianz Cloud, a network that connects to global markets, making it easier for international investors to access the New Zealand market, which is predominantly known for dairy products.
Social investment network eToro is to open up shop in the UK, having won approval from new regulator the FCA this month. Founded in 2007, eToro is a social trading network that aims to revolutionise the way retail investors and high net-worth individuals connect with the market.
Best prepaid or emerging payments program launched and operated by a non-U.S. company outside the U.S. Best in Category: Power to Pay Program Power to Pay NFC tags for mobile phones were developed exclusively for IIT Bombay students and faculty and can be used at select campus outlets for day-to-day purchases via the RuPay payments […]
The prepaid or emerging payments program that delivers the best consumer value proposition for the combination of features, functionality, service and price. Best-in-Category: BlackboardPay An open-loop, FDIC-insured prepaid account that can be integrated with a student ID card to facilitate disbursement of financial aid and student payroll, and providing access to 50,000-plus surcharge-free ATMs, free […]
Best use of in-store merchandising to promote the sale, use and acceptance of prepaid cards and/or emerging payments products. Best-in-Category: Green Dot Retail Marketing Comprehensive program of permanent and promotional merchandising that enabled smaller chains to participate, drove significant ROI and addressed cardholder behavior, such as usage and retention. Green Dot Corporation Left […]
Milan-based financial technology firm SIA is expanding its reach to New York later this year in a move that caps the latest-phase of a three-year recovery plan for the firm. The extension of SIA’s Financial Ring to New York follows that activation of a hub in Frankfurt is the third cornerstone, after Milan and London, […]
Amazon hopes to spark interest among tablet customers in using its apps to purchase games and other items by giving certain users $5 in free digital goods.
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has teamed up with telecom provider Bell Canada to announce a new mobile payment system that will enable RBC customers to make purchases online and in stores using NFC-compatible smartphones on Bell’s mobile network.
Ukraine’s Oschadbank has installed a remote banking service that it says will help it to create a single ‘payment ecosystem’ that covers cards, security, payments and transfers.
US post-trade services company the DTCC and Belgian settlement specialist Euroclear are planning to create a joint service that aims to provide better, safer collateral management for market participants.
A new program from MasterCard and Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) will roll out 13 million new ID cards with prepaid payment functionality, in what the payment network calls the largest program of its kind in Africa.
May 13, 2013 As fees on GPR prepaid cards go down, prepaid purchasing volume is expected to grow by nearly $45 billion over the next five years, from $150 billion this year, according to a new report by Javelin Strategy & Research. The study found that more than 13 percent of adults in the U.S. […]
Two different visions of the future of retail financial services did battle at the Building Societies Association annual conference in Harrogate this week , revealing a dilemma facing UK building societies.
Think Finance, a Fort Worth, Texas-based developer of financial products for underbanked consumers, has named Martin Wong as the company’s first chief integrity officer. He will oversee the company’s compliance with all state and federal laws and will be responsible for ensuring Think Finance offers clear, transparent and fair products in the industry. Wong joins […]
Square Inc., a San Francisco-based mobile payments company, has hired Alex Petrov as vice president of partnerships. His extensive background in retail, consumer products and payments will help drive strategic business development and customer acquisition, according to the company. He has served as vice president of consumer brands at Safeway, and as vice president of […]
Paybefore Award-winning SpendSmart (formerly BillMyParents), a San Diego-based provider of payment solutions targeted to teens, young adults and their parents, has appointed Kim Petry chief financial officer. Previously, Petry was vice president and chief financial officer, global corporate/commercial card, at American Express. Prior to American Express, she served as a vice president at TIAA-CREF Life […]
Skrill Group, one of Europe’s largest payment providers, has appointed Roland Schaar senior vice president of technology. He has more than 17 years of experience in the IT industry and 13 years in the financial payments sector. He recently joined the company following Skrill’s acquisition of paysafecard, the Austrian prepaid payments business, where he was, […]
R&P Group, a Sioux Falls, S.D.-based payments industry recruiting firm, has announced that Ian Horsted, vice president of recruiting, has earned the U.S. Recruiting Network Top Producer Award for Q1 2013. In the past three years, Horsted has received this distinction more times than any other recruiter in the region, according to the company. He leads the […]
Alan Safahi, founder and CEO of ZipZap Inc., a San Francisco-based cash payment network for online financial services and e-commerce transactions, has been named to the advisory board of OpenCoin, creator of the open-source currency platform Ripple. With nearly 30 years of hands-on experience in the IT, telecommunications and financial services industries, Safahi has created […]
MasterCard has appointed Andrew Buckley head of commercial products for Europe. Based in London, he will be responsible for leading the commercial team in Europe and delivering advanced commercial payments solutions to small businesses and large corporations and their employees. Prior to joining MasterCard, Buckley served as vice president for global corporate card product management at American Express, […]
The board of directors of First Data Corp., an Atlanta-based payments processor, has named Frank Bisignano CEO. He also joins the First Data board of directors. Bisignano most recently served as co-chief operating officer of JPMorgan Chase, where his responsibilities included overseeing global technology, real estate, operations, procurement, compliance, regulatory control and oversight, resiliency, security […]
Social and mobile gifting company eGifter, has hired Andrew Dodge as vice president of sales. He will focus on driving demand among retailers and payment channel partners for the eGifter platform, which enables retailers to add social gifting, group gifting and mobile delivery of e-gift cards to their own Websites, fan pages and mobile apps. Dodge […]
Braintree Inc., a Chicago-based e-commerce payments processor, has announced that Rob von Behren has joined the company as lead engineer for its San Francisco office. He will help to advance Braintree’s position in mobile commerce, including its one-touch mobile payment solution Venmo. A long-time systems engineer, von Behren has deep experience in distributed computation, high-performance […]
MTS, the European electronic fixed income marketplace majority owned by the London Stock Exchange, plans to open a platform for US institutional investors, allowing them direct access for the first time.
Momentum continues to build for U.S. merchant consortium MCX, which today announced another batch of diverse merchants joining its mobile commerce effort. Southwest Airlines and Chili’s Grill & Bar are the latest to join MCX, along with other recently added companies, including DICK’S Sporting Goods, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., Meijer and convenience store chains QuikTrip […]
Payment processor i2c Inc. has processed more than $1 billion in payments on cards issued by partner banks in Latin America and the Caribbean over the past year, the company said this week. “We started focusing on [the region] just over two years ago and our $1 billion milestone is evidence of the momentum our […]
Google Inc.’s vice president of payments and wallet has left the company to pursue outside interests, Google confirms. Osama Bedier, who joined Google in 2011 after eight years at PayPal, played a key role in Google Wallet’s recent milestones as well as announcing Google’s purchase of TxVia about a year ago. “We can confirm that Osama […]
As municipalities continue to explore and, in at least one case, implement programs involving government-issued identification that doubles as a prepaid card, Consumers Union this week urged city leaders to be cautious of prepaid cards that might come with “high fees and weak consumer protections.” In letters sent to the National League of Cities, an advocacy group […]
