Worldwide


Green Dot’s GoBank Goes to Market with Optional Fee Intact (June 25, 2013)

June 25, 2013 Green Dot Corp. is taking the “name your price” feature to financial services as it rolls out its GoBank mobile banking solution nationwide today. Since its January unveiling, GoBank has been in beta testing with a group of invited consumers. Now anyone can sign up for the service at GoBank.com or by […]

Barclays Readies ‘Buyit’ QR Code-Based M-Payment Service (June 25, 2013)

June 25, 2013 Barclays is taking contactless payment in a new direction with a service enabling users to make payments directly from their bank accounts by tapping their phones on QR codes on billboards, magazine ads and other printed items, potentially including routine bill payments. Harnessing the Barclays Pingit mobile payments app, the new Buyit […]

Cordray, NLRB Appointments in Supreme Court’s Hands (June 24, 2013)

The U.S. Supreme Court this morning decided to hear the case of National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning. Hanging in the balance is the legal validity not only of appointments made by President Barack Obama to fill NLRB vacancies, but the appointment of Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). A ruling […]

MasterCard Survey: European Consumers Say No to Cash for Holiday Spend (June 24, 2013)

  Click here for larger PDF version.   June 24, 2013 More Europeans are pulling out cards instead of cash while on holiday, according to new research from MasterCard. The online survey  of 3,310 consumers in eight countries—Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, U.K., France, Poland and Ukraine—found that consumers prefer having their debit or credit cards on hand […]

ISO 20022 – A Hero for Our Times

ISO 20022 has been hailed as the lingua franca in payments and securities for some years now. It offers great potential for re-engineering the payments industry, and for process improvement, but for a standard that promises so much it is still relatively unknown.

Unlocking the mobile wallet

Speakers at the Digital Services Conference hosted by Informa in London on Tuesday expressed frustration at the lack of progress made by mobile wallets in the UK and called for more innovative solutions to bypass the impasse.

2013 Paybefore Awards Europe: Most Innovative Prepaid Solution (June 2013)

Most innovative network branded, closed-loop or RAN prepaid or emerging payments program. Best in Category: Bratislava City Card First-to-market integrated prepaid solution loaded with municipal and commercial advantages for residents that includes open- and closed-loop applications. First Data   Slovakia’s capital of Bratislava pulled off a great technological leap forward with the introduction of a […]

2013 Paybefore Awards Europe: Outstanding Mobile Wallet or App (June 2013)

The in-market mobile wallet or mobile application that (1) provides end users with value-added features and/or enhances payment capabilities, user decision-making or loyalty, and (2) provides retailers with a strong value proposition. Best in Category: O2 Wallet Open to customers of any bank or MNO who want to shop, send money, compare prices and receive […]

2013 Paybefore Awards Europe: Best Consumer Value in Prepaid/Emerging Payments (June 2013)

The prepaid or emerging payments program or product that delivers the best consumer value proposition for the combination of features, functionality, service and price. Best-in-Category: paysafecard paysafecard, an e-voucher with 16-digit PIN, is sold in 450,000 retail locations, bringing e-commerce to cash customers in 29 European countries at no cost to the customer.  paysafecard group […]

Taiwan Continues to Develop M-Payments with Far EasTone Pilot (June 18, 2013)

June 18, 2013 Far EasTone Telecommunications Co., one of Taiwan’s largest telcos, is launching a mobile payments pilot in cooperation with Far Eastern International Bank and MasterCard. The program, scheduled to begin during the second half of 2013, will use near field communication (NFC) technology and be limited to mobile payments under NT$3,000 (US$100.37), according […]

Amazon.com Inc. Is Extending Its Gift Cards to Facebook (June 18, 2013)

Amazon.com Inc. is extending its gift cards to Facebook. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant today unveiled Amazon Birthday Gift, enabling users to surprise their friends on Facebook by purchasing a digital gift card that shows up on the recipient’s Facebook Timeline on his birthday. The social media multiplier effect: Any other friend can add funds to […]

Brokers need to focus on risk management says Tabb Group

Brokers will need to spend more on risk management over the remainder of 2013 if they are to survive incoming financial regulation and new technologies will be required to make that possible, according to new research by Tabb Group.

Innotribe names New York contenders for Sibos showdown

Innotribe, the Swift-backed initiative to enable collaborative innovation in financial services, has announced the names of the five contenders from the US leg of its annual Startup Challenge to compete at Sibos 2013 in Dubai in September.

U.K. Payments Council Maps Plan to Create 10-Year Industry ‘Roadmap’ (June 17, 2013)

June 17, 2013 The U.K. Payments Council hopes to map the future of its nation’s payment infrastructure by creating a roadmap for the next decade, drawing broad input from government, business, charity and consumer groups, the London-based organization announced today. In “Payments Roadmap—An Initial Report,” the council outlined an approach to nurturing development of the […]

The financial services production line: improving the customer journey

Customers expect their interactions to be as short, and as easy as possible, with a satisfactory outcome. This ideal customer experience can be achieved through a combination of the right strategy, the right resources, the right workforce skills and supporting tools and technology . But so many firms still fail to get it right

Lacking a legacy

Much has been said about the ‘bank 3.0’ landscape. We all now know that the Generation Y consumer, or the ‘digital native’ customer, demands a new type of banking. From online, anytime banking, to mobile payments, the face of banking is changing accordingly

Payments validation in the cloud through new UK service

A new cloud-based payments validation, enrichment and account conversion service has been launched by UK start-up Apply Financial. Called Validate, the service enables banks, non-banking financial institutions, corporates and individuals transferring money internationally to check and validate that international payment details are correct.

Meeting the Needs of the Social Customer

While a child as young as nine years old can use Facebook and Twitter (despite rules saying users should be over 13), multi-million dollar financial service companies often fall behind in their adoption of social media.