All articles by Verdict Staff
Verdict Staff
Country Survey: The Middle East
A high level of expatriate workers, millions of unbanked inhabitants and an emerging card usage culture in the Middle East region would seemingly make it a natural habitat for prepaid solutions
Mobile banking mushrooms in the US
With input from a number of significant mobile banking technology players, EPI examines developments and future trends anticipated in the burgeoning US mobile banking market
VoiceCash gets European banking licence boost
Mobile money transfer specialist VoiceCash Group (VCG) has marked a significant milestone in its ambitious growth strategy with the award of a European banking license to its newly-formed subsidiary VoiceCash Bank.
News Digest
Black Friday bonanza for online retailers The day after the US Thanksgiving Day holiday has come to be called Black Friday, not because of any regular quirk of nature but, rather, the congestion that accompanies the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season.
Banks shun the unbanked millions
Banking the unbanked, a problem generally viewed as a one faced by developing countries, is also a huge challenge for the US, reveal two in-depth studies undertaken by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation At first glance the headline one in four households unbanked or underbanked would suggest it referred to a developing economy
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Somalia’s first debit card programme launched
Somalia, a country ravaged by civil war over the past 15 years, may not be an obvious market in which to launch a modern payment card programme, but one money transfer business, Dahabshiil, has taken the bold step of launching the first-ever debit card offering in the country The service, called Dahabshiil eCash, will enable customers to pay for goods and services at any shop, restaurant, hotel or petrol station that is an official Dahabshiil merchant and has a POS terminal on the premises
Gaining acceptance in emerging markets
When it comes to emerging markets, it is the issuance side of the card industry that has been garnering the most attention, but as Ruth Burton, head of acceptance in Visa CEMEA explains, merchant acquiring is now taking centre stage as players realise the importance of increasing acceptance With many Western European markets now approaching or already past the point of saturation in terms of cards issued, and a good level of payment infrastructure in place, attention is turning to the promising Central and Eastern European markets, the Middle East and Africa (CEMEA), where issuance efforts have rapidly gathered pace in the last couple of years.
Many hurdles face merchant acquirers
A convergence of pressures, such as attrition, the economic slump, PCI compliance and margin compression, is bearing down on merchant acquirers, but a recent survey in the US points to a glimmer of hope on the horizon in the shape of emerging revenue opportunities The US merchant acquisition industry is in for a wild ride in 2010, facing a host of challenges ranging from merchant attrition, narrowing margins and the continued effects of the economic downturn.
All change at the processors
The European processing landscape, longcharacterised by consolidation, is set tobe redrawn again following the news thatEquens has signed an agreement withFrances Crdit Agricoles payment processingsubsidiary Cedicam to explore the possibilityof the two entities merging.
Cartes looks towards a positive future
This years Cartes event, held in Paris on 17-19 November, showcased innovations in the cards and payments industry It was also notable for a buoyant air of optimism among delegates, with many convinced the industry has emerged relatively unscathed from recent economic turbulence