The Telco Transformation Tight Rope: Balancing Risk and Reward

In a previous blog post, we looked at the towering mobile payments opportunity for those MNOs and MVNOs that can build customer trust and convenience through innovation to become a digital marketplace. But, it is safe to say that while the digital marketplace model could be a real opportunity for telcos, taking this route is not without some risk.

Consumer Payments: Will ‘Request for Payment’ Be the Next ‘Big Thing’?

This week, NatWest announced that it has teamed up with British mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse to trial a new online shopping system that lets customers pay directly through their bank account, without using a debit or credit card.

Money20/20 Europe: A Payments Extravaganza and a (figurative) Carnival of Sorts (to borrow from R.E.M.)

According to the Googles, “payments” translates as “betalingen” in Dutch. And if I’m using the word correctly, betalingen is on full display! Last week, Amsterdam brought many highs (and not of the stereotypical Amsterdam variety), very few lows (Antonio Banderas as a no-show, unexplained flight delays both departing and returning), a couple of surprises (Stu co-winning the Payments Race, celebrating Mark’s fake birthday) and some great memories. In addition to our presence at the ever-lively Money20/20 Europe, we hosted a corporate event commemorating our 20th anniversary in the Netherlands—welcoming regional ACIers and customers alike (and enjoying a most densely delicious and decorative cake).

The Merchant Balancing Act: Operational Costs vs Customer Experience

There is no excuse any more for a poor payments experience, but retailers are tasked with a delicate balancing act – not only balancing payments fraud and friction, as we explored in a recent blog post – but also cost and customer experience.

The Age of Consent – Who Owns “Big Data”?

The EU General Data Protection Regulation will enter in force at the end of this week, and there can be very few businesses today that are not scrabbling to meet compliance objectives. GDPR sets out rights of citizens and consumers as owners of their own personal data, meaning that data can only be processed by a company if the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for specific purposes, or if that data is essential to fulfil the service contracted by the data subject. So far, so good. Arguably many companies will alter existing customer agreements in search of compliance.

Slam the Brakes on Gas Pump Fraud and Rental Car Scams This Memorial Day Weekend

Slam the brakes on gas pump fraud with insights from ACI payments fraud expert Seth Ruden.

Cash… Almost As Good As Money! (The Story of Two Americans in London)

Mark, although we were both recently in London, shockingly, our paths didn’t cross—the city was bustling as the Commonwealth leaders had all descended upon the British capital, which was also readying for its annual Marathon. You were there for work (cooped up in conference rooms) while I was there for fun (and the surprisingly fantastic weather made my trip that much more enjoyable). So enjoyable in fact that I’d rate my trip a 9.7 out of 10, a rarity these days. The reason for the 0.

Despite the Hype, Machine Learning, Models, Behavioral Profiling and the Customer Experience are Still Fundamental

Think about the last time you got a fraud decline. Where were you? In the grocery store? Buying airline tickets? On holiday? Shopping in the same place you’ve been a dozen times, but across the border? How frustrating was that, what did it do to your perspective, your mood, your confidence in your financial institution? This can be embarrassing and inconvenient, stressful and alarming for the consumer. There are few things that can be more disruptive in our day-to-day lives then the lack of access to your funds, or the care taken by your financial institution after a fraud occurs. According to ACI’s Global Consumer Fraud Survey, 20% of people may decide this is too much and move along to another financial institution.

APIs and Cash Management (Harnessing the Hammer, Part 2)

In my last blog post, we talked about the hammer and the nail

The Business Case for Real-Time Payments in the U.S.

Real-time payments has been a hot topic for so long now that rather than asking ourselves ‘what’s the business case,’ we should really be asking how we can jump-start our real-time payments implementations.

Cross-Border eCommerce Expansion: A Fraud Perspective

For merchants that are expanding their online presence overseas, enabling the right locally-preferred alternative payment methods and connecting to local acquirers can be a critical determinant of success. But without considering fraud management strategy in tandem with payments strategy, the road to cross-border success could be a bumpy (not to mention costly) one.

The 12 biggest security threats to payments

Consumers ask a lot of you in terms of convenience, speed and, above all, security. This puts the pressure on you to offer a pain-free consumer experience that is also highly secure. And when you accept payments, you need to secure all parts of your organization. Here’s an actual example: one major breach occurred when an air conditioning vendor was hacked, allowing hackers to access the corporate network and finally the point of sale network. This highlights the importance of understanding the threat landscape we face today.