PayPal and Braintree named the $100,000 USD grand-prize winner of its 2015 BattleHack Series. The 24-hour BattleHack World Finals took place at PayPal Headquarters in Silicon Valley and hosted 14 teams of developers from across the globe, all winners of their regional BattleHack competitions.
NY-based iPayment added four new members to its Board, including David R. Hughes, Marshall J. Lux, Michael P. Monaco and Brian V. Mooney
Consumers’ fevered interest in the digital currency Bitcoin has abated considerably since spring 2014, but since then a number of countries around the world have announced new regulatory positions or indicated that regulation is imminent that directly affects the ability for consumers, businesses, or financial entities to handle and process digital currency transactions.
Trustev has selected Datameer, the leader in Hadoop-based big data analytics, to help deliver insights from Trustev’s identity engine. Trustev uses real-time, online identity verification to prevent fraud in e-commerce transactions by focusing on validating the individual making the transaction, not just the payment method they’re using. The platform delivers individual, real-time decisions using multiple dynamic data sources — behavioral, transactional and social — instead of restrictive rules-based decisioning and profiling. In the 12 months since being founded, Trustev has been named Europe’s Top Technology Startup by the EU Commission and one of Forbes Magazine’s Hottest Global Startups.
Capital One Financial Corporation and clearXchange announced that Capital One, N. A. has joined the clearXchange network as an owner, becoming the fourth owner alongside Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo and fifth bank customer of the clearXchange network. clearXchange is the first network in the U.S. created by and for financial institutions that lets customers send person-to-person payments easily and securely with only an email address or phone number. As a member of the network, Capital One will expand its capabilities to provide customers the ability to pay anyone with a U.S. bank account without requiring sensitive account information.
The leading trade associations representing the merchant and financial services industries announced a new cybersecurity partnership. The partnership will focus on exploring paths to increased information sharing, better card security technology, and maintaining the trust of customers. Discussion regarding the partnership was initiated by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and the Financial Services Roundtable (FSR), joined by the American Bankers Association (ABA), the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), The Clearing House (TCH), the Consumer Bankers Association (CBA), the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the National Associations of Convenience Stores (NACS), the National Grocers Association (NGA), the National Restaurant Association (NRA), and the National Retail Federation (NRF).
clearXchange P2P payments network in the U.S. created by and for financial institutions announced its latest member, FirstBank. FirstBank customers will now be able to send payments from their existing FirstBank account safely and conveniently using only the recipient’s mobile number or e-mail address and without providing sensitive account information. With FirstBank, clearXchange continues its network expansion and drive to ubiquity, delivering value to customers of banks of any sizes. Nationwide, clearXchange banks represent more than 50 percent of the consumer online banking market. The clearXchange solution allows P2P payments directly from consumers’ existing deposit accounts through their bank’s convenient, secure online and mobile sites. There is no need to open a new account or conduct financial transactions away from their bank’s trusted site. When getting paid, funds are directly deposited into the consumer’s bank account. And customers get all the services and protections that they get today from their banks.
clearXchange, a joint venture among Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, named Michael Kennedy CEO. Kennedy co-founded and served as chairman of clearXchange while working as executive vice president and head of Innovation and Payments Strategy for Wells Fargo Bank. As CEO, Kennedy will devote 100 percent of his time to leading clearXchange. He will be based in San Francisco. As executive vice president and head of Wells Fargo’s Innovation and Payments Strategy, Kennedy drove mobile and emerging payments, strategy across all payment products, and technology research and development. Prior to this role, Kennedy led strategy and implementation for Wells Fargo’s Wealth Management group, which he joined in 2004. He earned his Bachelor of Science with distinction and Masters of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and his MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
Boingo Wireless Wi-Fi software and services announced Google Offers is expanding its sponsorship of Boingo Wi-Fi from six New York subway stations and more than 200 Manhattan hotzones, to 24 additional locations across the country. Google Offers will sponsor free and discounted Wi-Fi offerings at eight malls and 16 airports in major cities nationwide, including Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and Seattle. Google Offers is also extending a discounted Boingo Wi-Fi access offer to travelers at 16 airports nationwide.
Wells Fargo & Company announced the launch of Send & Receive Money, a new service allowing customers’ payments to other Wells Fargo and Bank of America customers through online and mobile banking using an email address or mobile phone number. Wells Fargo customers no longer need to know their recipient’s account number at Wells Fargo or Bank of America. Customers can use their recipient’s mobile phone number or email address to initiate a person-to-person payment via clearXchange, which was formed to facilitate the movement of funds between bank customers to better meet their needs.
Cliff Skelton has joined Fiserv as Executive VP and Chief Information Officer to oversee global information technology infrastructure and operations, enterprise architecture, technology governance, and programs aimed at increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the company’s technology platforms. He was most recently global chief technology and operations officer at Ally Financial Corporation after serving in senior leadership roles at Bank of America to lead the integration of strategic acquisitions including Fleet Boston Financial, MBNA Corporation and U.S. Trust. He holds a master’s in public administration from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Southern California.
A new system which allows motorists to pay for parking without cash is to be implemented in towns across Northern Ireland. Rather, it requires short phone call at the start and end of a parking session. Payment is taken on either a credit card or debit card at the end of the month. It avoids the problem of motorists not having change or having to guess how long they will be parked for.