All articles by Verdict Staff
Verdict Staff
RegaloCard ramps up remittance
Gift cards issued by Latin American merchants are being used by start-up RegaloCard to challenge established methods for remittances from the US and Canada. The virtual gift cards travel at the speed of an SMS message and there is no charge to either senders or recipients of the cards, says Robin Arnfield.
Country Survey: Mexico
After suffering major losses on their credit card loan-books in 2008-2009, Mexicos banks are expanding their cards operations again. But a return to the credit card issuing and lending boom seen before the financial crisis is unlikely, analysts tell Robin Arnfield.
Payment landscape changing Down Under
Contactless is a technology that can thrive if played and utilised in the correct manner. Yet unfortunately too many markets appear to be too heavily focused on the issuing side of the game and preoccupied on the form in which the technology comes, which suffocates and prevents the technology from flourishing into the game-changing tool it has been touted as becoming.However, Australia appears to be a market that has the balance just right and MasterCards recent announcement of its five-year roadmap shows how important the technology is to the future of the payment landscape Down Under.
Monitise Asia-Pac teams up with JETCO
Mobile money solutions provider Monitise Asia Pacific has partnered with payments business and ATM network Joint Electronic Teller Services Limited (JETCO) to launch m-commerce services in Hong Kong and Macau.Through the deal, Monetise and JETCO are set to provide a Mobile Prepaid Top-Up service for mobile operators in Hong Kong.
Strategic alliances drive remittances
Due to the ubiquity of mobile phones in the Americas, the mobile channel offers a way to offer convenient, low-cost remittances, particularly since recipients are generally unbanked. Robin Arnfield investigates the alliances that are being formed for mobile remittances
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Connecting people
After years of conceding the P2P payments market to non-bank entrants like PayPal, financial institutions, card associations and the vendors who serve them are joining the fray. As banks and other financial institutions enter the market, the pace suddenly has grown frantic, writes Charles Davis.
Businesses take the initiative
Electronic bill payment and presentment continues to gain momentum with billers, but consumer adoption rates still are much slower than anticipated. A new study by Blueflame Consulting has found the long-awaited tipping point could be as many as five years away. Charles Davis reports.
WN goes all out for cash-recycling
Wincor Nixdorf is betting the ranch on intelligent, recyclable cash cassettes in its bid to win market share from ATM rivals Diebold and NCR. But some industry insiders are questioning the wisdom of this move before industry standards have emerged. Robin Arnfield reports.
Sony breach highlights lack of password protection
A massive security breach in Sonys video game network may lead to the possible interception of credit card data belonging to 77m of its users, bringing to light vulnerabilities in password protection.In a blog post by Sony it announces that between 17 April and 19 April 2011 certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorised intrusion into the network.
Processing power shift
Legislative changes in Russia have led to uncertainty around the future for card processors in the country. With rumours that MasterCard is building a processing plant in the country, Louise Naughton discovers how these changes are likely to affect the countrys payments sector.