The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. was up 0.5% in February to 99.8 after a 0.1% increase in January and a 0.1% drop in December. The LEI increased sharply in February, compared to recent monthly figures, suggesting weather-related stifling is over and consumer spending in 2H/14 will be strong. This is…
An automated teller machine (ATM) with no card reader. Pre-staged withdrawals on smartphones. Cardless transactions. And everything managed via the cloud. A new era of banking, inspired by the Millennial generation, is dawning at Diebold Federal Credit Union (DFCU), where an innovative ATM from Diebold, Incorporated and a mobile wallet solution are allowing members to complete self-service transactions and make retail purchases without using physical debit or credit cards. DFCU is piloting the world’s first ATM without a card reader or PIN pad that relies solely on mobile authentication. When a consumer scans a unique QR code at the ATM using a smartphone, the ATM authenticates the user via cloud-hosted services to enable secure, cardless transactions.
Online identity proofing service miiCard today announced a cooperation with eMerchantPay, a trusted international payment processor, to offer its merchants a secure, compliant payment processing platform in combination with the miiCard service that eliminates payment fraud and enables higher value transactions. miiCard’s patented identity verification solution, enables merchants around the world to conduct high value transactions purely online while eliminating identity-related chargebacks and Card Not Present fraud. As a consumer-driven identity service, miiCard provides a seamless, real-time verification experience before the payment process that establishes the customer’s identity to the same level as an in-person photo ID check.
HyperWallet global payments provider announced Karrot launched branded prepaid card services for a unified payment solution for its loyalty and reward payment solutions. Karrot provides online loyalty and reward program solutions for a wide variety of companies. With a deep understanding about the impact of motivation, Karrot builds loyalty programs that promote the desired behavior and foster strong, long term relationships. hyperWALLET’s branded prepaid card program will provide Karrot with a streamlined payment solution in USA and Canada that allows earned loyalty funds to be made available to recipients instantly in local currency onto prepaid cards that can be used at ATMs, point of sale, or online.
Comtrex Systems EPOS partnered Eagle Eye digital consumer engagement solutions. Eagle Eye AIR allows merchants to easily connect with potential and existing customers to deliver relevant offers, rewards and services that can be redeemed securely through any POS. Following a successful engagement supporting the Tesco Clubcard Boost programme with high street brands such as Zizzi, Prezzo and Ask, the EPOS provider expanded the Eagle Eye AIR platform into all existing points of sale. Based on the results of current merchants using this programme, switching from paper to digital vouchers will see a quick ROI including a reduction in operational costs, the elimination of fraud and an improved customer experience. The platform enables real time validation providing merchants with improved insights into consumer activity which can be used in future digital marketing campaigns to personalise offers.
CardinalCommerce remote commerce received new intellectual property protection with regard to technology that expands its Universal Merchant Platform invention, related to its tokenization technology, in the form of patent US 8,645,266 B2. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) awarded Cardinal the patent on February 4, 2014. Cardinal’s Universal Merchant Platform technology includes a system for securely processing Consumer Authentication for applications including eCommerce. The company’s patents on the invention date back to 2002. The new patent provides further and strengthened protection for Cardinal’s tokenization technology within the Cardinal Centinel® platform.
GoNow Technologies has been granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for two-way, secure, wireless communication between a smartphone or other computing device and a reprogrammable card with data storage in a fully encrypted, secure element on the GoNow Card. The value of a reprogrammable card, paired with an eWallet on a smartphone, has now been recognized as the key way to enable 100% acceptance of phone based eWallets. When paired with any eWallet application on a smartphone, a single reprogrammable GoNow Card can store more than 50 credit, debit, ATM, loyalty or gift cards. The user simply selects the payment or other card on the phone eWallet, or from a set already on the card, and the magstripe on the card is instantly programmed with the key data for the card selected. The GoNow Card can then be used at any traditional magstripe, Dip, ATM or other reader, with no changes necessary to current retailer terminals or back office systems.
ReD global fraud prevention and Alpha Payments Cloud payments solution partnered to support acquirers and merchants as they drive secure cross-border ecommerce growth. The partnership will make ReD’s highly regarded, real-time fraud prevention service, ReD Shield®, available to Alpha Payments Cloud clients across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America, via the APC Product Hub.
The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan (FCAA), Financial and Consumer Service Commission of New Brunswick (FCNB), the Manitoba Securities Commission (MSC) and the Nova Scotia Securities Commission (NSSC) published for comment the Integrated Crowdfunding Prospectus Exemption (the Crowdfunding Exemption) and the Start-Up Crowdfunding Prospectus and Registration Exemption (the Start-Up Exemption). The proposed exemptions would, subject to certain conditions, allow both reporting and non-reporting issuers to raise money by distributing securities through internet portals. The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) is also publishing the Crowdfunding Exemption for comment by way of a local notice and the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) is also concurrently publishing a local notice soliciting comments on the Start-Up Exemption.
Payza online payment platforms for e-commerce, corporate disbursements and remittances formed a strategic relationship to provide credit and debit payment service to merchants based on fully-featured Payza as a Platform enterprise solution. The service offers highly competitive pricing, a wide range of supported payment methods, built-in security and fraud protection, strong merchant support, and a host of tools, features, and reporting options. The platform’s business payment module will enable businesses to accept major credit cards, with payments settled directly into their bank account. The recurring billing feature also has a variety of intervals and billing terms, and is created at a product level which allows for additional products to be added to the basic subscription. Unlike other payment processors and merchant accounts that charge monthly, gateway and other service fees on top of transaction fees, the Payza Merchant Gateway only charges for the processed transactions.
MasterPass digital payment solution from MasterCard is now available in Italy. Following its success in the US, Australia, Canada and the UK, MasterPass is now debuting in Italy thanks to MasterCard’s agreements with the country’s major banks and an increasing number of participating retailers. Over 3,500 of Italy’s leading brands and companies have recognised the new business opportunities e-commerce has to offer. With digital shopping becoming an increasingly multi-channel process in Italy, MasterPass is making online purchasing even faster, simpler and more secure. Having stored their name, card and shipping details when they sign up for the service, consumers no longer need to enter them at the checkout: they simply click or tap on the “Buy with MasterPass” button and enter their password to complete the payment. This kind of simplicity is fundamental to the growth of e-commerce, now a well-established phenomenon with 3.7 million Italians making at least 10 online purchases a year and a rise in online shopping using mobile devices.