Bancorp Finetics
The Bancorp Finetics Studio video series, which features one-on-one conversations with more than 30 of the financial services industry’s most influential and innovative executives, has released its first installment.
Other Breaking News
In today’s CardFlash News Que: TSYS (exec); MASTERCARD (kiwi); OPUS (MEPSA): and WESTERN UNION (Greece).
Heartland Acquires Leaf mPOS
Heartland payment processor and a leading provider of merchant business solutions acquired Leaf mobile POS for undisclosed terms. Through the acquisition, Heartland demonstrates its ongoing commitment to providing the support and resources needed to execute on the companies’ shared vision of delivering an open and flexible POS platform that makes it easier to run and grow a small business. Leaf will continue to be payments agnostic, working with the majority of domestic payments processors, and continue to build distribution relationships with industry-leading sales organization and partners. Leaf will operate as a separate business unit of Heartland, continuing its mission to help small businesses manage operations through an open and flexible technology platform that can best fit their needs.
UK Payments Council Announces Board Appointments
The Payments Council (15 July 2014) announces the appointment of three new independent directors to its Board. Sarah Chambers, Christine Farnish CBE and Robert Lerwill bring a wide range of experience in consumer policy, financial services and regulation to the Board. They join Clare Spottiswoode CBE as one of the Board’s four independent directors. Sarah is an expert in regulation, competition and consumer policy. Christine has wide experience of financial services, public policy and regulation. Robert Lerwill is a chartered accountant. The Payments Council Board is made up of 15 voting directors, a voting independent chairman and an observer from the Bank of England. In addition to the independents, 11 directors are appointed by the industry to represent a cross section of the Payments Council membership.
Square Appoints Lead Engineer
Square has hired Alyssa Henry to lead engineering for the company to head up engineering operations for Square’s infrastructure and payments platform. Most recently the Vice President of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Storage Services, Alyssa led services including Amazon S3 and Amazon EBS through hypergrowth, and scaled the teams, software, and businesses. Alyssa was Amazon’s director of software development for ordering, with responsibility for Amazon’s ordering workflow software and databases. Before Amazon, Alyssa spent 12 years at Microsoft working on databases, data access technologies, and internal customer relationship management software in a variety of engineering, program management, and product unit management roles. Alyssa started her career as a developer in the financial services industry.
Extreme Weather Bosts Online Holiday Shopping
For the first time in Canadian eCommerce history, the online share of retail sales totaled 7.8% for the month of December according to MasterCard SpendingPulse, a macro-economic report that leverages purchase information across all forms of payment – credit cards, cash and cheque – to offer detailed insight into consumer spending trends. The eCommerce channel showed a 22.2% month-over-month increase in December, representing the 54th consecutive month of positive year-over-year growth for the channel. Total Canadian retail growth was steady but slow, posting a year-over-year growth of 2.3% and demonstrating the strength of eCommerce retail growth. The price index also declined significantly due to deep promotions during the holidays.
VISA – New Logo and Tagline
Visa Inc. launched “Everywhere you want to be,” a multi-stakeholder communications platform that reflects our ambition to deliver universal access to Visa’s secure, reliable and convenient digital payments. For decades, Visa, the global digital payments network, has been driven by a set of ideals anchored in our vision of being the “best way to pay and be paid.” This has expanded in recent years to include “for everyone, everywhere.” By evolving our famous tagline – “It’s everywhere you want to be” – the company is recommitting to these ideals and vision for consumers, merchants, governments, financial institutions and employees with a unified message tailored to each audience.
Visa Launches Heritage-Based Corporate Platform
Visa launched “Everywhere you want to be” multi-stakeholder communications platform designed to deliver universal access to Visa’s secure digital payments. In the 21st century, “everywhere” transcends card usage at physical locations. It’s about realizing potential and achieving dreams. “Everywhere” now is relevant for a farmer in Rwanda paying school fees on his mobile phone, a jewelry designer in California selling to a global online customer base or a government official in Brazil rebuilding a village using a Visa prepaid card. With a new tagline, as well as a refreshed brand logo, Visa is introducing a new visual identity for one of the most recognized and powerful brands in the world. Visa’s first new spot under the “Everywhere you want to be” tagline is entitled “Flying,” and features U.S. Olympic women’s ski jumping hopeful and Team Visa athlete, Sarah Hendrickson.
TSYS Show Research Results Consumer Payment Preferences
TSYS made available its 2013 Consumer Payment Choice Study, which consists of an online survey and in-person focus groups ” both of which were conducted to gauge current and potential future consumer payment preferences. The nationwide primary consumer research study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative data to highlight how consumers are making payments today and how that may change in the future. The results are meant to provide helpful information for use in developing and confirming payment strategies and initiatives. More than 1,000 consumers who have and use both a debit card and a credit card were surveyed on payment choice, indicating payment preferences vary by type of merchant and location, with credit being the preferred payment type for online purchases. meanwhile, rewards and discounts are the most effective way to influence consumers to use a payment type more often, whom actively use their mobile devices for overall financial activity.
MasterPass by MasterCard Debuts
MasterPass is a digital service that allows consumers to use any payment card or enabled device to discover enhanced and secure shopping experiences with just a click, tap or touch – online, in-store or anywhere. It moves payments forward by allowing the consumer to safely store all their payment, store card, loyalty, shipping and billing address details in one place and gives consumers the ability to make a payment from wherever they are with whatever device they have. With a single click of the MasterPass button on a retailer site, the consumer can access their wallet of choice and authenticate with a password to checkout. In addition to MasterCard cards, consumers can use other branded credit, debit, prepaid and private label cards. MasterCard Advisor’s SpendingPulse data shows total UK year-on-year eCommerce sales grew by more than 12% in May 2013, compared to just 3% growth in overall UK retail sales for the same month last year.
Visa and NetHope Announce Five Grants Supporting Innovations
Visa and NetHope, a consortium of more than 40 humanitarian organizations, announced the five recipients of the Visa Innovation Grants Program. The grants will help leading development organizations modernize the distribution of payments related to microfinance, agriculture, health, and emergency relief. Every year, billions of dollars in cash payments are distributed to people in need through emergency relief efforts, benefit stipends, conditional cash transfers, microfinance programs, and other development initiatives. Digitizing these payments, through mobile phones or other electronic methods, not only improves security and speeds distribution, it also can promote financial inclusion by providing recipients access to broader financial services, including savings and electronic payments tools. Through the Visa Innovation Grants Program, Visa is awarding $500,000 in grants to increase the long-term impact of development programs through the innovation and adoption of electronic payments.
Visa and NetHope Partner, Modernize Humanitarian Aid Delivery
Visa and NetHope, a consortium of 37 humanitarian organizations, announced the Visa Innovation Grants program to help modernize humanitarian aid payments. Through this, Visa is making available $500,000 in grants to humanitarian and development nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to increase the speed, security and long-term impact of aid through the innovation and adoption of electronic payments. An Expert Advisory Committee of distinguished leaders with public and private sector experience will assist in the review of applications, which includes Nabeeha Mujeeb Kazi, Managing Director, Humanitas Global Development; Nick Maunder, Humanitarian and Development Consultant; Eric Nee, Managing Editor, Stanford Social Innovation Review; and Sarah Rotman, Financial Sector Specialist, CGAP