People on the Move: Ralph A. Bianco, JetPay Card Services
JetPay Card Services, a Berwyn, Pa.-based division of JetPay Corp., has appointed Ralph A. Bianco executive vice president and general manager.
Worldwide
People on the Move: Tim Murphy and Noah Hanft, MasterCard
MasterCard has appointed Tim Murphy general counsel and chief franchise officer, effective April 1, 2014, replacing Noah Hanft, who has announced his retirement from MasterCard.
Company on the Move: Optimal Payments, International Gaming Awards
Optimal Payments, a London-based online payment solutions provider, recently won an award at the International Gaming Awards dinner in London this month.
People on the Move: Craig James, Prepaid International Forum Board
International nonprofit trade association, Prepaid International Forum today announced the appointment of Craig James, CEO of Neopay, as chairman of the PIF board of directors.
People on the Move: William Mills, Sionic Mobile Advisory Board
Sionic Mobile, an Atlanta-based m-commerce company providing mobile gifting, payments and rewards, named William Mills, CEO of William Mills Agency, to its advisory board of directors.
February 2014 SEPA: a two-way stretch
A nominal six-month delay in the need to migrate to SEPA-compatible formats hasn’t slowed down the rush to convert clients
Futures algos come of age
Long-only institutional investors are increasingly turning towards advanced futures trading strategies that have previously been the preserve of hedge funds and proprietary trading shops, according to a new report published by Tabb Group and Fidessa.
Mobile vulnerabilities require banking apps rethink
Concerns are emerging over the failure of some mobile banking providers to address security risks. According to a recent review of 40 home banking apps from the world’s top 60 banks, nine out of ten apps had serious security vulnerabilities.
Estimating Libor damage past – automating index surveillance future
In the wake of scandals involving manipulation of market indices, can statistical learning theory be used to detect and fix anomalies in Libor and other market indices?
Isis Touts Progress as Wells Fargo Dangles 20 Percent-Off Promo (Feb. 6, 2014)
Isis, the NFC-based mobile payment initiative backed by the nation’s major wireless carriers, has hit a few key milestones recently that will go a long way toward building the scale vital to the effort’s success.
Weve, MasterCard Partner in U.K. to Push NFC Mobile Payments Forward (Feb. 6, 2014)
MasterCard has joined forces with Weve, the mobile payments joint venture from the U.K.’s three largest mobile telecom providers, to accelerate adoption of NFC mobile payments.
Transportation Official: Utah’s Reloadable Prepaid Transit Card Gaining Popularity (Feb. 6, 2014)
The Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) prepaid reloadable contactless FAREPAY card in Salt Lake City, supported by InComm, appears to be a hit with riders, as one of several promising new mass-transit payment options around the U.S.
Calls for Regulatory Overhaul as Congressional Hearings Continue on Data Security (Feb. 6, 2014)
Lawmakers yesterday continued their calls to strengthen regulations protecting consumers’ financial data in the wake of recent retailer data breaches.
Blog: Beyond the Receipt: New Tools Combined with Old Offer Consumer Behavioral Insights
While receipts offer tantalizing indirect evidence of past activities, they tell us only a very modest amount about the habits, personalities or needs of the purchaser. For merchants, it’s where consumers are going next—and why they’re going there—that really matters.
Blog: The Top Four Mobile Musts in 2014
From smartwatches to voice-recognition capabilities, 2014 promises to be mobile’s best year yet. And these and other mobile trends will influence payments and financial services innovation.
Instinet algo will ‘Make’ large orders viable
Broker Instinet has released Make, a new algorithm which it says will help traders to shift large orders more cautiously without disturbing the market.
Visa: U.S. EMV Migration Gains Broader Awareness, Momentum (Feb. 5, 2014)
Momentum has accelerated in recent weeks for the U.S. shift to EMV, driven by growing public awareness of the need to enhance card security, Stephanie Ericksen, Visa’s head of authentication product, told attendees today at the kickoff keynote address at the Smart Card Alliance’s 7th annual Payments Summit in Salt Lake City.
Cannabis Sales Set To Go Mobile (Feb. 5, 2014)
SinglePoint Inc. has developed Mobile Cannabis Currency, a mobile payment system branded for the cannabis and medical marijuana industry, enabling merchants to accept credit card payments using their mobile phones.
People on the Move: Marla Blow, Fenway Summer LLC
Marla Blow has left the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to serve as CEO of Fenway Summer’s credit card venture.
People on the Move: Ingrida Kovalioviene, Contis Group
Contis Group, a U.K.-based provider of online banking and prepaid card technologies and services, has appointed Ingrida Kovalioviene country director, Baltics, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.
People on the Move: Chris Spinella, Joe Kaplan and Paul Rosenfeld, Electronic Transactions Association
The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) recently named new committee appointees.
People on the Move: Michael F. Jackson and Peter Reynolds, Fundtech
Fundtech, a Jersey City, N.J.-based provider of global transaction banking solutions, has hired Michael F. Jackson and Peter Reynolds.
People on the Move: GlobalPlatform, Board of Directors
GlobalPlatform, a nonprofit organization that standardizes managing applications on secure chip technology, has announced its board of directors for fiscal year 2014.
People on the Move: Matt Frye, Ingo Money
Ingo Money, an Atlanta-based technology and solutions provider, has hired Matt Frye as senior vice president and head of network sales.
People on the Move: Rebecca Polley, Traxpay
Traxpay, a Mountain View, Calif.-based financial transactions platform provider, has appointed Rebecca Polley chief financial officer.
FTC Calls for Legislative Help to Protect Data in Senate Subcommittee Hearing (Feb. 4, 2014)
Although the consensus in yesterday’s Senate subcommittee hearing on “Safeguarding Consumers’ Financial Data” seemed to be around the shared responsibility of all stakeholders, including government, to protect financial data, the FTC specifically called for legislative action.
NBPCA Issues Updated Guidance for AML Compliance (Feb. 4, 2014)
The Network Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA) has released an updated version of its Recommended Practices for Anti-Money Laundering Compliance.
European Parliament Backs EC Proposal to Extend SEPA Deadline to Aug. 1 (Feb. 4, 2014)
The European Parliament this morning approved the European Commission’s proposal to extend the deadline for payments to comply with SEPA regulations to Aug. 1, 2014.
Australian Investment Firm Bets Big on Mint Wireless (Feb. 4, 2014)
Australia is lighting up as the next hotbed of m-POS activity as Mint Wireless makes key moves to target a fast-growing base of small businesses going mobile and Square Inc. reportedly is considering expansion Down Under.
Bloomberg adds Onetick CEP engine to Professional service
Bloomberg’s execution management system has begun using a complex event processing engine from tick data and analytics specialist OneMarketData to support its intra-day trading analytics.
InComm Data: Digital Gift Cards Strong in Holiday ’13 (Feb. 3, 2014)
Digital gift cards were a hot item during the 2013 holiday season and got even more popular than plastic as Christmas neared, according to data from prepaid services provider InComm.
RBC Launches Facebook-based P2P Service for iPhone (Feb. 3, 2014)
Could Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) make a breakthrough with P2P by making it a cinch to send funds to Facebook friends?
Dunkin’ Bolsters Closed-Loop Card, Mobile App with New Rewards Program (Feb. 3, 2014)
Dunkin’ Donuts has launched a new nationwide loyalty program enabling customers to earn points toward free beverages.
Latest Monitise Acquisition Accelerates Mobile Money Capabilities (Feb. 3, 2014)
Monitise plc has acquired Pozitron Yazilim A.S., an Istanbul-based, privately owned mobile technology company.
FIX adopts Market Model Typology as post-trade reporting standard
The Market Model Typology post-trade reporting standard has been adopted as a standard by the FIX Trading Community and is now available for adoption by all market participants, bringing the possibility of a European consolidated post-trade tape a step closer.
Social media matters says Thomson Reuters data chief
Helping traders to understand input from social media can be a key differentiating factor, according to Albert Lojko, head of content strategy, data management and delivery at Thomson Reuters.
Amazon Eyes P2P Payments and Physical Commerce (Jan. 30, 2014)
E-commerce behemoth Amazon isn’t satisfied with success in the digital world.
U.S. Bank Testing Voice-Based Biometrics for Mobile Financial Services (Jan. 30, 2014)
U.S. Bank is testing a voice-based biometrics mobile banking feature that could foreshadow the future of mobile payments if consumers warm up to it, Dominic Venturo, chief innovation officer at U.S. Bank, told attendees today at the Card Innovation Summit in Tempe, Ariz.
Service Gives Bitcoins for Starbucks Card Balances, New Virtual Currency Hits Market (Jan. 30, 2014)
Starbucks gift card holders now can redeem the unused balances on their cards for Bitcoin.
Senate Committee Sets Hearing on Consumer Data Security (Jan. 30, 2014)
The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing next week on safeguarding consumers’ financial information in the wake of recent data breaches at several major U.S. retailers.
