US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposes new rule to oversee Big Tech digital wallet and payment app providers

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) logo

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is proposing to subject large non-bank companies that offer consumer finance services including digital wallets and payment apps – such as Apple and Google – to the same regulatory scrutiny and oversight as banks, credit unions and other financial institutions... More







What's New in Payments

Ant Financial to create $1bn fund for Asian payments and financial services startups

Ant Financial to raise a $1bn startup investment fund — Bloomberg — “Billionaire Jack Ma’s Ant Financial is planning to raise about US$1bn for a fund that will invest in startups from Southeast Asia to India and help strengthen its foothold in fast-growing mobile internet markets, a person familiar with the matter said. The internet finance company is looking to back more startups in those regions that focus on payments and online finance.”


NatWest launches digital bank

Bó — the digital bank to help people do money better — is now live in App Store and Google Play — NatWest — “As we’re part of NatWest, people can rely on to keep their money safe. But as a digital bank, built entirely on a separate cloud-based technology, Bó is also able to harness new technology and develop rapidly in line with our customers’ needs and expectations.”


What's New in Payments

Starling Bank lets customers use a single debit card to pay in multiple currencies

Starling Bank launches euro debit card so business and personal customers can spend in two currencies with one card — Starling Bank — “To start using the new Euro Card feature, Starling account holders, both business and personal, must open a euro account… Once it’s open, they can transfer money from their business account to their euro account with a single tap in the app… Their existing debit card can [then] be switched on (in-app) to operate in either pounds or euros, depending on the currency of the transaction.”





What's New in Payments

Nets rolls out preventative fraud service to protect online consumers across the Nordics

Nets rolls out preventative fraud service to protect online consumers across the Nordics — Nets — “The service is designed to mitigate two high growth instances of online fraud: ‘too good to be true’ clickbait offers and unsolicited direct debits, and works by continuously analysing data collected from card disputes to proactively identify and block transaction requests between consumers and fraudulent merchants.”


Carrefour Banque offers instant activation of new C-zam account with Gemalto Digital PIN

Carrefour Banque offers instant activation of new C-zam account with Gemalto Digital PIN — Gemalto — PARTNER NEWS — “‘C-zam offers Carrefour customers the opportunity to buy in store a bank account and a banking card that can be activated on line,’ said Frédéric Mazurier, CEO of Market Pay. ‘With the support of Gemalto, we are innovating to evolve the French banking market by offering a new service in terms of accessibility, availability and usability.'”



Disconnected experiences put customer loyalty at risk

Disconnected experiences put customer loyalty at risk — MuleSoft — “Nearly half of UK consumers (48 per cent) would be happy for banks to share their banking transaction history with a trusted third-party if it gave them a more personalised banking experience… Nearly a third (30 per cent) of UK respondents would consider using Amazon, Google, Facebook or Apple for banking services if it was offered, rather than using their standard bank.”



One in four banks find it difficult to verify the identity of online banking customers

One in four banks find it difficult to verify the identity of online banking customers — Kaspersky Lab — “According to the research, in 2016, 30% of banks have had security incidents affecting banking services delivered via the internet — with phishing against customers, and using customer credentials for fraudulent activities, as the top contributing factor leading to the attacks.”


Lloyds to trial biometrics for online banking

Microsoft Hello

Customers of Lloyds Banking Group across the UK will soon be able to log into their online banking accounts using fingerprint or facial recognition through Microsoft’s Windows Hello biometric authentication technology. The banking group is to trial the solution with Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers with Windows 10 devices in the second half of this year. More