Big 4 Delinquency
The average U.S. 30+ day delinquency rate among the nation’s four largest issuers declined 25 basis points (bps) to 2.07% during 2014. The top 100 U.S. banks also posted a 25 bps decline last year to 2.16%.
V+M GTX Q1/15
Gross transactions (GTX) of purchases + cash for Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards in the U.S. grew by 7.8% year-on-year (Y/Y) in the fourth quarter. Gross transactions volume will likely hit 18.38 billion in the first quarter, according to forecaster RAM Research.
Visa CEMEA Q4/14
Visa’s (VS) Central Europe – Middle East – Africa (CEMEA) region Gross Dollar Volume (GDV) rose year-on-year (Y/Y) 16.8%, on a local currency basis, in the fourth quarter (Q4/14). Growth in the region has been growing steadily and will likely remain so through 2015.
Google + Softcard
Google has acquired technology and intellectual property from Softcard to integrate into Google Wallet. The deal means the end of the Softcard, a joint venture of AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless.
Velcro Payment Gateway
Velcro Pay has introduced the Velcro Pay Payment Gateway to offer small businesses a less expensive option than some of the online integrators like Authorize.net, Stripe, Braintree and PayPal.
NM Mobile Wallet
The first mobile wallet designed exclusively for a retail card partner is here. Marcus and Capital One have introduced the new Neiman Marcus (NM) Mobile Wallet, now available within the NM App for all Apple iPhone users.
MasterCard HCE
In less than a year since announcing support for Host Card Emulation (HCE) and cloud-based software for both secure contactless and remote payment transactions, MasterCard announces projects are currently underway in more than 15 countries. These projects provide consumers with more options for payment experiences across their Android devices.
Steven Rathgaber
CardWeb.com’s CardExecs database of payments industry movers and shakers today features Steven Rathgaber, Chief Executive Officer of Cardtronics.
Diamond Biometrics
Nigeria’s Diamond Bank has become the first African bank to launch a fingerprint recognition feature on its mobile app. The service, an iOS Touch ID, is a major leap for the African bank.
Small Merchants EMV
American Express has launched its Small Merchant EMV Assistance Program for small merchants in the USA. AmEx says it found 67% of small merchants surveyed say protection against and prevention of payment-card fraud is a top priority.
MERKUR & NCR
MERKUR, an Austrian supermarket chain that is part of the German REWE Group, will equip its high-volume stores with innovative NCR self-checkout solutions.
Havas + Plastic Mobile
Havas has acquired Canada’s Plastic Mobile, a mobile agency that builds applications and other strategic solutions for m-commerce, encompassing retail, loyalty, payments, coupons, and in-store initiatives. The new entity will be a full-service mobile agency with practice areas in strategy, user experience, design, and engineering.