Vanilla Payments Don’t Always Cut the Mustard

Five years ago, there was a clear trend among major brick-and-mortar retailers to bring in their own payments software. Except for very small retailers that used bank-owned stand-alone POS terminals, retailers wanted to own and operate their own systems – usually licensed products from a small number of specialist payments software vendors. This approach gave retailers flexibility, control and cost savings through centralization. Other than the bank-owned terminal approach, there were few viable alternatives.

Cómo los ponibles están cambiando los pagos en Colombia [How wearables are changing payments in Colombia]

Available in Spanish and English Thanks to the payment industry’s ongoing digital transformation and countless innovations adopted by banks, fintechs and retailers, it is now possible to make payments via bracelets, rings, watches, and even jackets—these are called Ponibles in Colombia. You know them as ‘Wearables.

What Australia’s $639m CNP Fraud Problem Means for Retailers

In my role at ACI Worldwide, my fellow fraud consultants and I constantly share information from all corners of the globe. One recent bit of intelligence that immediately caught my eye, and I shared with colleagues across the world, was the staggering cost of card-not-present (CNP) fraud here in Australia. CNP fraud accounts for 78% of all payments-related fraud in Australia. And to say it is a challenge for retailers—and the industry as a whole—is a vast understatement. With the astounding growth in eCommerce sales, this is not a problem in decline; it is rising aggressively and shows no signs of abating.

Pairing Payments Innovation with Security Needs in Southeast Asia

Many Asian governments – most notably those of Singapore and Hong Kong – have launched well-received initiatives to encourage collaboration rather than competition between the fintech start-up world and banks. This has enabled traditional banks to tap into the innovative solutions that fintechs offer, while the banks themselves bring to the table considerable experience with data, resilience, reliability and customer protection.

Getting a Gauge on Payment App Season

Dear Mark, this is a 100% true story (and a solid ‘Ranting’ to boot). As you know, I just returned from a lovely and relaxing vacation (or as our European colleagues call it, holiday). And as I got into my car this morning—for the first time in more than a week—I realized the gas tank was near-empty and that my low-tire indicator light was on… and I needed to get my daughter to camp en route to coming into the office.

API Stairway: The Five Steps to Open Payments

In my pre-EBAday rantings, I discussed Open APIs in the context of one of the greatest rock songs of all time (Stairway to Heaven, for the uninitiated). Waxing poetic about a topic is one thing, but marrying it to concrete steps is another. So, while our Stairway to Open API utopia was a nice background, it’s time to talk about the flights of stairs we’ll have to take to arrive at those pearly entry gates.

Five Ways That ISOs Can Turn eCommerce Challenge Into Opportunity

With the explosive growth of global eCommerce, the entire retail industry has become increasingly digitized, and in the U.S., eCommerce sales growth of more than 15 percent YoY continues to outpace stores. But at the same time, ISOs are feeling the squeeze as acquirers, logistics companies, card schemes, banks, and POS manufacturers (among others) have adapted their offerings with the goal of offering end-to-end payment applications and becoming a merchant’s sole provider. However, ISOs can turn challenge into opportunity – and revenue – and can thrive despite the disruption of the traditional payments ecosystem.

What’s Your Small Business Banking Bacon?

Every hip recipe has bacon in it these days. So why shouldn’t your digital banking experience be the same? After all, it’s a yummy addition that gives a standard dish that extra flair. Small business banking has been a prodigious untapped market for over a decade. Banks desperately strive to make revenue from this market, but in most cases, they have struggled to do so.

PSD2 Carries Over to the U.S. – Via the Phone in Your Hand

Let me ask you a favor. Could you put down your phone for just a minute? Unless, of course, you’re reading this on your mobile device. It can be an uphill battle asking someone to put down their phone these days. I have a tween, so I know the struggle! One of the reasons we’re so reticent to do so is the sheer power contained within these devices. At this point, it controls the music, the temperature, the locks and even the lighting in your home, and that’s not even touching on its entertainment value, or its capabilities as a payment device. The device, in its present form, has been around for ten years now, and in 2017, it’s safe to say there’s no going back.

Making Ubiquity A Reality: Real-Time Payments Pushes Ahead In The U.S.

As a member of the Faster Payments Task Force, an initiative of the Federal Reserve, I am pleased with the newly released report findings and the push to achieve the Federal Reserve’s Faster Payments call to action in just twenty-nine months from now; a payment system that is faster, ubiquitous, more inclusive, highly secure, and more efficient.

Assessing Same-day ACH In The New Era of Real-time Payments

The pace of payments has risen sharply in the U.S. since the introduction of same-day ACH in September 2016. Following the global movement towards immediate payments, the pace is set to pick up as real-time speed arrives through schemes such as The Clearing House (TCH) Real-time Payments System and Zelle networks.

What Do Consumers Expect From Your Bill Pay Solution?

Are you treating consumers how they want to be treated when it comes to billing and payment? To find out, I spoke with David Albertazzi from Aite Group about his new research 'How Americans Pay Their Bills'. Let’s see what David’s data says.