Year-end wrap up for holiday season 2022, as we approach year-end, has been bittersweet in our industry and world. Cryptocurrency exchange FTX bankruptcy has broadly impacted companies, sovereign wealth funds, and other traditional financial institutions. It highlighted the importance of balancing regulation with wild innovation. And it also raised the question to a bigger audience…

Boost non-interest revenue with a bank-fintech partnership There’s been so much hype recently about how banks need to be more like fintechs. Financial analysts are warning banks to innovate quickly or risk being left behind. But we’re talking about banks here, not Burger King. Speed of service may be the end game in the fast…

Instant Payments Adoption: Shifting to the “New Normal” The worldwide value of instant payments is said to reach $70.4 billion over the next five years, growing close to $200 billion by 2024. The rising demand for instant payments doesn’t just have to do with B2b transactions, the gig economy or cross-border payments. It is also…

The fundamental promise of omnichannel commerce is to meet customers wherever they are, whether they’re transacting via mobile app, internet, cellular network or physical store. But how can merchants and service providers recognize valued customers in the digital world? It makes sense that omnichannel commerce deserves an equally multilayered approach to authentication and verification in…

Ringing in the New Year with MPC’s Board of Advisors The approaching new year will bring opportunities, challenges and new technologies to the digital commerce sphere. MPC sat down with several members of our advisory board to get their take on 2023. Following are excerpts from our backstage interviews with Travis Dulaney, Greg Wilfahrt, and…

May your Business be Busy and your Sales be Bright Happy Holidays from all of us at MagTek ‘Tis the season retailers look forward to all year – Holiday Shopping Season! From Black Friday to Cyber Monday to New Year’s Day sales, customers clamber for good deals, and good cheer. And to ensure a Happy…

Aspen Kirk’s House of Dreams This holiday season, we celebrate the true stars of Obsidian Banking’s journey with “House of Dreams” by Aspen Kirk, the artist who designed Obsidian Banking’s logo. This season, we celebrate the talented, courageous, and resilient Black community, past, present, and future. You are always with us. Thank you, MPC, for…

Push Provisioning – What is your digital strategy? Cardholder payment technology is changing rapidly, and digital wallets have evolved alongside physical cards to expand consumer payment choices. Some financial institutions have invested heavily in the development of technologies to build their own solutions to provision physical cards to a digital wallet while others are looking…

They are always with us By Damon Kirk When I stepped out this morning I saw leaves dancing, spirals of color dancing in the wind. It was a fall morning like this, in October 1916, when Anthony Crawford stepped onto his land, some he had inherited, some he had purchased, with plans to build a…

NAC 2022: The ATM reinvented The National ATM Council met in Hollywood, Fla., at the Hard Rock Hotel, and it was a jam- packed conference with educational information, great speakers, presentations and exhibitors. Being in the credit card business and also in the ATM business since 2001, I have a distinct take on ATMs. My…

Singapore FinTech Festival kicks off in November Singapore FinTech Festival, the largest FinTech Festival in the world and a knowledge platform for the global FinTech community, kicked off its largest in-person show post Covid in Singapore in Nov. 2-4, 2022. Organized by the monetary authority of Singapore in partnership with the Association of Banks in…

Women in FinTech and PayTech: Let’s Rise Up and Do Better Together! Last month I attended the Rise Up program as part of the Do Better Together initiative at Money20/20. To say that the programming, speakers, and relationships I formed in the industry were life-changing seems like an understatement of the experience. For those who…

Backstage with Wendy Holliday, CEO, PayTech Women Q>What inspired Wnet’s rebranding and how does the new name and brand reflect your vision and mission? In 2005, the founders of Women’s Network in Electronic Transactions (Wnet) created a unique space for hundreds of women in the payments industry to connect, network and share objective advice. Wnet…

Thwart ATOs with high-tech, high-color security As recent high-profile security breaches have shown, account takeover (ATO) attacks are a growing problem for businesses of all types and sizes. And despite recent advancements in pass wordless and multifactor authentication, which have improved security, we still have a deficit of viable authentication methods and hackers are still…

Durbin 2.0: A Clear and Present Danger, By Allen Kopelman It’s called Durbin 2.0 for a reason: the policymaker who never took the time to understand how credit card processing works is back, with more prescriptive legislation designed to fix things that aren’t broken. We went live on LinkedIn to discuss the proposed bill and…

Money20/20, the largest FinTech Event, kicks off the week Money20/20, the largest FinTech event in the world, is kicking off its largest post-Covid show in Las Vegas, NV, Oct. 23-26. And here I am, with around 11,500 colleagues from more than 3,000 banks, FinTechs, technology firms, service providers and policymakers from around the world, for 3½-days…

After two years of virtual conferencing, MPC: The Digital Commerce Event took place in person at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North, Aug. 22 to 24, 2022, attracting several hundred banking, financial services, tech and merchant services professionals. Palpable energy flowed through the exhibit hall, breakout sessions and main stage at MPC’s 12th annual conference. Peter…

Commercial virtual card use has boomed in recent years, from supplier payments and software subscription to insurance and travel expenses. The worldwide value of these transactions are expected to hit $7 trillion in 5 years, a gain of $5 trillion from 2021, according to Visa. However, this phenomenal growth expands beyond commercial use cases. Virtual…

Why would financial institutions, with rich reserves of consumer data, artificial intelligence and advanced sense-making technology, paint marginalized communities with a broad brush? Aggregating all types of underfinanced individuals into one amorphous “underserved” demographic seems odd, especially in financial services, an industry that champions personalization at scale. Examples of personalization on a massive scale might…

MPC launched its first post-pandemic, in-person show in Atlanta, GA, Aug 22- 24, 2022, attracting business leaders and executives from across the payments and digital commerce ecosystem. Throughout the three-day conference, banks, fintechs, technology companies and service providers shared perspectives on trending topics, including the following: Build, Connect, Innovate: Peter Gordon, Head of Enterprise Money…

ISO, the organization in Switzerland that makes up the codes for individual business types that are used around the world, and by the card brands, to identify specific business types, has issued a new code for Firearms/Guns. When the news first broke, I was a bit shocked that there wasn’t immediate blowback, but then I…

What impacts did COVID have on the banking industry? Covid has accelerated the digitalization of retail bank branches whether we like it or not. It has altered the ecosystem as a lot of banking activities are now being pursued through online or mobile banking and due to covid, the rise of digitalization is required to…

Technology has several goals for retail banks, including the migration of transactions and sales to digital channels, 24/7 customer access for every interaction, a personalized approach to sales, and a unified, omnichannel user experience—meaning that customers have a seamless experience whether they are online, on an app, or in the branch. Micro Branch is a…

  Aug. 22-24, 2022 | Westin Atlanta Perimeter North   Join us, with our Atlanta Chapter and in partnership with the MPC Digital Commerce Event, for special education and networking events at MPC22! Log in to receive a FREE registration with promo code: WNET22100.   Engage with Wnet at MPC22: August 22 | 3:50-4:25 pm: The Power of Minority Transactions Panel moderated…

Q&A with Nick Hughes, Head of Growth, GoCart Nick Hughes is GoCart’s head of growth, and has an extensive background in payments, e-commerce, and SMB software. He is passionate about client and consumer experience. Q: So Nick, tell us about some of the big changes that restaurants have seen over the past couple years. A:…

Consumers’ love affair with dining out was strained during the global pandemic, but the relationship didn’t end altogether. Instead of going out to eat, consumers took their food to go or had it delivered. Restaurants had to adapt quickly to new expectations. Those that didn’t got left behind. Our research shows just how much consumer…

It’s rare to see a shopping cart filled with groceries, clothing or home goods left behind in a brick-and- mortar store, but online, it happens all the time. Amid the surge in e-commerce, cart abandonment rates remain high across the restaurant, retail and services industries – an estimated $4 trillion worth of goods were abandoned online…

We learned a long time ago that consumer preferences differed by demographics and geography. But consumer behavior in online shopping changed dramatically in the last few years, due in large part to COVID-19. As retailers reflect on the impact of quarantines and lengthy shutdowns, they’re also anticipating how consumers will act in the future. Will…

US Bank recently published “4 ways to make practical use of real-time payments,” highlighting how faster payments are enriching the lives of consumers and service providers.  In addition to showing the power of collaborative technologies at work, these examples illustrate how far we’ve progressed in payments and financial services, due in no small part to…

Almost all of the mass payouts organizations believe that their AP accounts payable systems’ inability to handle scale is inhibiting their growth. These types of companies are not the only ones feeling the pains of slow innovation in the accounts payable technology space. When bills are not paid on time or mass payouts require manual…

FTX is a rising star in cryptocurrency world that was founded in 2018 and soon became one of the world’s most popular cryptocurrency exchange platforms. As of last July, the company has about $10 billion daily trading volumes serving over a million users and is  valued at $18 billion. Wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO at FTX,…

Out of all the current trends happening in the banking and payments industries at the moment, there’s probably nothing more controversial than buy now pay later. Is at a crossroads? It depends on who you ask. In September, BNPL was on a high coming off the summer months. Almost a year later, it seems the…

While consumers and small business owners are feeling inflation’s pinch, there are fewer Chapter 11 filings this year compared to last year, according to new research by Epiq Bankruptcy and ABI Research. Analysts noted commercial filings decreased 7 percent and small business filings by 8 percent in June 2022. In addition, total bankruptcy filings decreased…

With digital transformation impacting every aspect of retail and hospitality, payments analysts are questioning if traditional countertop terminals have a future. Look at how rapidly QR codes have scaled. Here at Nationwide Payment Systems, we started using QR codes 10 years ago when no one even knew what a QR code was and now everyone…

While consumers and small business owners are feeling inflation’s pinch, there are fewer Chapter 11 filings this year compared to last year, according to new research by Epiq Bankruptcy and ABI Research. Analysts noted commercial filings decreased 7 percent and small business filings by 8 percent in June 2022. In addition, total bankruptcy filings decreased…

Embedded real-time payments allow companies, regardless of industry, to offer real-time payment services directly to their clients. By ‘embedding’ payments, companies leverage real-time payment technology to effectively eliminate the extra process layers – and time — necessary to complete transactions in ‘traditional’ ways. There’s a lot to be excited about this year when it comes…

5G ultra-wideband technology began rolling out in April 2019 and continues to make its way around the globe, creating an infrastructure designed to support agile video streaming and multi-device connectivity. The Green Sheet recently interviewed Mario Galatovic, vice president of products and alliances at Utimaco about the changes we can expect with 5G technology.   5G can…

On May 24, 2022, FinTech Nexus, formerly Lendit, drew more than 4000 attendees to New York’s Jacob Javits Center for two intense days of engagement and networking. Following are conference highlights: Fintech women: Over 100 fintech female executives shared insights on career enhancing strategies and ways to achieve influence in a male-dominated field. The session…

I am excited to announce a new Wnet program that will prepare you to lead with ease, perform at your peak, influence those around you and positively affect your organization. As co-chair with Tom Wimsett, Chairman & Managing Partner, Merchant’s PACT, we have developed the PayTech Women Executive Academy with expert executive coaches and trained facilitators to propel you to succeed,…

May 2022 went out with a bang and a new fintech holiday: Finclusion Day! What better way to gauge our collective progress than with our very own holiday? Going forward, fintechs around the world will promote advances in financial inclusion every May 31. And considering our industry’s vast reserves of creativity, I can’t wait to…

The rise of embedded finance tools in the consumer sector in recent years has made payments and money management significantly more convenient, flexible and intuitive for users, while drastically increasing revenue and growth opportunities for providers. With the power–and profitability–of embedded finance well-proven in the consumer sector, the model has begun making its way into…

Since the beginning of the Pandemic, it has become eminently more noticeable that retail and dining customers are using contactless payments far more frequently.  What started out as germophobic anti-virus protection on payment terminals has developed into a very convenient payment habit for many consumers. Contactless payments, like most payment innovations, has taken a long…

In celebration of Small Business Week and National Small Business Week, MPC sat down with Web Griebel, Senior Director of Online Payment Product at Heartland to discuss how business owners can leverage advanced, automated technologies to delight customers and improve cashflow. Following are interview highlights.   How would you describe payment links and what problems…

Breakthrough technologies are exactly that: disruptive inventions that break through invisible barriers and change the game forever, whether it’s aviation, computing or payments. On Oct. 14, 1947, Capt. Charles E. Yeager broke the sound barrier in a Bell X-1, the first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound. The proof of concept gave U.S.…

Hong Kong’s future as a business hub for fintech startups was the topic of a Greater Bay Area Initiatives webinar, held April 26, 2022, with venture capitalists and unicorn founders. Organized by Silicon Dragon and sponsored by Invest Hong Kong, the webinar attracted startups and entrepreneurs who are interested in expanding Asia-Pacific footprints. Three sessions…

Obsidian Banking’s cofounders Damon Kirk, CEO and Steven Farrar, CFO, are creating a financial services platform designed to advance financial literacy and wealth among Black communities across America. Meet the cofounders at MPC22 and learn more about their #MillionDoorsChallenge and transformative journey to a new era of inclusive banking. Obsidian Banking, a fintech startup, designed…

In the past, merchants only needed to accept a transaction. Today, merchants need and want customized software that will help their business run better and more efficiently. Partner with Harbortouch and offer proprietary software for almost all business types. Take advantage of our new MICROS & Hotel Sales Programs! Through these MICROS 101 and Hotel…

MEDIA ADVISORY BURLINGTON, MA, APRIL 29, 2022 – Executives from Aliaswire, a provider of bill payment and credit solutions for businesses and banks, will be featured presenters at the 2022 Nacha Smarter Faster Payments TM Conference next week in Nashville, Tennessee. The event takes place May 1-4 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.…

The Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), comprising 98 members from 39 countries who collectively manage $66 trillion in assets, pledged to fight climate change by supporting net-zero emissions. At their inaugural meeting during the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, members agreed to work together to prioritize areas of impact in greenhouse emissions and set near-term targets…

Most consumers use banks for traditional services like savings, checking accounts, and loans. Most banks offer similar services, with hardly any differentiation.  This has resulted in a huge untapped opportunity for banks to offer more personalized services to customers. These services address their needs and aspirations, especially focusing on helping their customer with their overall…

In last month’s issue, I wrote an article explaining the history of RfPs (request for payment), benefits of RfPs, and the path to ubiquity for this payment type. For this month, I wanted to focus on benefits and challenges to adopting RfPs, with the goal of generating dialogue about how we can implement this payment…

It’s the third spring since the pandemic broke out in 2020 and tax season once again. What impact will evolving regulations have on the cryptocurrency assets in numerous investment portfolios? These regulation updates and tax implications have been top of mind, as investors consider what to include and how to include these items on their…

Co-brand credit cards and PLCCs encourage increased consumer spending while providing benefits and rewards to most valued customers. Co-brand and private-label credit cards provide value to all parties involved. Issuers, card networks, and merchants all benefit from working together to issue credit cards. As merchants are becoming savvier and demanding more value from their co-brand…

The Request for Payment (RfP) is a payment processing system that has been agreed by financial institutions globally to be the future of digital payments. RfPs enable businesses and consumers to get paid into their bank accounts from customers’ accounts in real-time within seconds. Vendors no longer need to wait two to three days for…

What is refund fraud, and why is it a growing threat to companies that ship goods or accept returns? You may know e-commerce refund fraud by a few names. But whether you call it refund fraud, shipping fraud, or cargo loss, it’s a big problem for any company that ships goods or accepts returns. Essentially,…

In a recent survey conducted by 451 Research of more than 260 payments and fraud managers across North America, Europe, LATAM and Asia, 64% strongly agreed that e-commerce fraud is becoming an increasing problem in their industries. Our research depicts a challenging state of affairs, with three primary forces that continue make effective fraud management…

With a global pandemic in the rearview mirror, different opinions are circulating on Asia’s economic outlook and global trends, particularly in Hong Kong, a leading APAC market. The Hong Kong Association of New York, together with New York’s Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office and HSBC shared perspectives on Hong Kong’s near-term economic future at…

Okcoin, a cryptocurrency platform, is actively recruiting women through its partnership with podcast host Natalie Brunell and its grant programs, Bitcoin for Fairness and Ladies in Bitcoin. On March 7, 2022, the company disclosed the first grant recipients.   The Green Sheet recently interviewed Hong Fang, CEO at Okcoin about these initiatives.  Following are interview…

Marc Real Garcia, CEO at Barcelona-based Minnim Design, in partnership with Groenlandia, has created Nuuk, a cold chain solution designed to securely transport biological samples. Describing the solution as the first end-to-end solution to guarantee safe and secure transport, Garcia said the solution is fully trackable and uploads data to the cloud in real time.…

Innovative and Efficient Solutions Help Restaurants with Line Busting, Self-Ordering, Curbside, and Online Ordering   LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – March 2, 2022 – As restaurants continue to look for innovative solutions to support their business, Epson today announced plans to showcase leading and essential technology solutions at MURTEC 2022, the multi-unit restaurant technology conference. At work in millions of…

The payments ecosystem is vastly more complex and capable of meeting merchants’ and consumers’ specific payment requirements in nearly any use case. Despite the level of innovation in the marketplace, no one payment method fully satisfies consumer needs for ubiquity, convenience, security, and speed across every payments use case. Payments industry participants often discuss paths…

The threat of ransomware attacks has become so significant that the National Cybersecurity Alliance and the PCI Security Standards Council issued a joint warning bulletin earlier this month. In 2021, ransomware was responsible for attacks at 37% of businesses globally, with an estimated cost of $20 billion. In a blog post on the subject, Lance…

As the President and CEO of CyberMoney® Rob Hanlon is leading his organization as they deploy a revolutionary and disruptive payment platform to fulfill market demands created by fundamental changes in consumer behavior and business needs. An executive leader who combines deep technical expertise, broad business experience and trust-based relationships to drive transformation resulting in…

As we emerge from the too-lengthy COVID business fog, it is interesting to see how businesses have adapted to adversity, in their business practices and even in the way that they transact. Businesses of all sizes have discovered that personnel can work remotely— efficiently and with a high level of productivity. As a result, many…

More than 66,000 viewers from 82 countries and regions attended the 15th HK Asia Financial Forum, which was held online by Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTD) and HK government Jan. 11 to 12, 2022. 73 percent of attendees were CEOs and senior decisionmakers. Peter Lam GBS, chairman of Hong Kong Trade Development Council and…

I am excited to join the MPC community and share my thoughts on industry trends and innovations. Over the past few years, my writing focused on B2B payments and the gaps in payments processes. In my experience, the key to transforming B2B commerce comes from understanding the manual processes that inhibit growth, drive cost within…

I recently had a chat with Rob Hanlon, CEO at CyberMoney about the changes we’ve seen in the past several decades with consumers, merchants and third-party service providers. Hanlon noted we’ve come a long way from the big brand era. Back in the day, it was common for people to think the big brands didn’t…

Roy Ng is CEO at Bond, a financial technology company that enables organizations from any industry to create personalized financial experiences for their customers and communities. Using Bond’s software and API platform, developers can embed next-generation financial products into amazing customer experiences. Bond was founded in 2019 by industry veterans from Twilio, SoFi, SAP, Goldman Sachs,…

During the pandemic, mobile app usage increased by 39 percent in the United States and as much as 72% in Europe, according to a recent study by Finextra. Users around the world became accustomed to fintech and ecommerce and researchers expect momentum to continue into 2022, largely driven by financial technology advancements. Recognizing that digital…

SaaS provider Walletmor will plant a wallet in your hand The future becomes reality with the first globally accepted, biologically safe payment implant. Installed under the skin, the device is a convenient alternative to your bulky wallet full of credit cards. The ISO-certified, bio-compatible solution, Walletmor, is available to U.S. residents for $229 USD, company…

Transactional selling, which tends to focus on short-term gains, was effective in moving merchants from paper to electronic commerce and mag-stripe cards to EMV. Today we need a more consultative approach. Our COVID-fueled analog-to-digital movement presents multiple options for expanding customer reach and is more complex than earlier merchant migrations. In this complex landscape, without…

Digital Transformation, Real Time Payments, Ether DeFi, Embedded Finance, Banking As A Service are all the latest buzz words in Payments and FinTech. While those words actually describe the market segment or grouping of service providers in the ecosystem of finance, how do you know what type of payment service you really need? Who cares…

A Visa bulletin concerning cashless ATMs, published Dec. 2, 2021, is causing a stir in the ATM and cannabis industries. At issue is a prevalent scheme involving POS devices posing as ATM terminals and routing sale transactions through debit card networks to make sales look like ATM cash withdrawals. This practice violates Core Rules and…

Fast-growing New England convenience brand rolls out Loyalty, Order & Delivery and Mobile App  Newton, MA—December 6, 2021—Paytronix Systems, Inc., the most advanced digital guest experience platform, today announced that Yatco Energy, a fast-growing New England based chain of convenience stores, has launched Yatco Rewards on the Paytronix platform. Paytronix will provide the Yatco Rewards with loyalty, a branded mobile app, and, for three of the Yatco stores, order and delivery. “Yatco Rewards will help create brand loyalty…

29th November, 2021, London. PPS, an Edenred company, today announces its partnership with UK-based ekko, an iconic climate-friendly debit card, app, and ecosystem that empowers consumers to make a difference in the fight against climate change.   Ekko is enabling its customers to deliver a positive impact on the planet while engaging in routine actions like shopping, banking, and paying…

This year’s Wnet Leadership Summit, [held Nov. 3-4, 2021, and] presented by FIS, was twice as special as we celebrated our 15-year anniversary and, at long last, gathered in-person to invest in ourselves, our career development, our teams and our financial future. I was honored to present the 2022 Wnet Board and President’s Advisory Council and be…

In an Oct. 27, 2021, media briefing, The National Retail Federation forecast strong holiday sales for online and brick-and-mortar retailers exceeding last year’s holiday spend by as much as 8.5 to 10.5 percent and revenues of $843.4 to $859 billion, according to NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. “We all know it’s been another historic…

MPC is delighted to share perspectives from payments industry leader Michael Ault, as he reflects on 2021 and looks ahead to a bright new year. Following are his predictions for the payments industry and how the pandemic has reshaped the digital commerce ecosystem.   5 Predictions for Payments Landscape in 2022 and our reflections on…

HK Financial Services, the Treasury Bureau and Invest HK hosted Hong Kong FinTech Week 2021, the first hybrid event, held November 1-5 at both HKCEC and online. As one of Asia’s most influential FinTech conferences, the event drew nearly 17,000 participants onsite and online, including executives, investors, regulators, entrepreneurs from more than 60 economies, 400…

  70% of all financial services firms are using machine learning to predict cash flow events, fine-tune credit scores and detect fraud 54% of Financial Services organisations with over 5,000 employees have adopted AI It is forecast that AI Market to Hit USD 360.36 Billion by 2028   London, UK – 17 November 2021:  The Payments…

Piccadilly Rewards brings fresh-made favorites to your phone with Paytronix    Newton, MA – November 17, 2021 – Paytronix Systems, Inc., the most advanced digital guest experience platform, today announced that Piccadilly Restaurants has launched a powerful new rewards program and mobile app leveraging the Paytronix platform. With Piccadilly Rewards customers can browse the menu and order favorite southern, homestyle cooking right…

“There’s no doubt that the convenience of digital interactions with businesses has completely influenced consumer preferences in recent years. However, the loss of humanization in digital business-to-customer interactions poses a huge challenge as businesses start planning for 2022. This is especially true as more technologically evolved business models come to the forefront, such as fully…

Boston, November 17, 2021 – U.S. consumers pay a lot of bills—approximately 15.5 billion bills in the last year, shelling out roughly US$4.6 trillion. And 62% of the 15.5 billion bills paid in the last year were paid digitally. As more and more of daily life has become digital, consumer expectation for a one-click, frictionless bill…

Only 17 percent of U.S. consumers reported using an aggregator to order from their favorite table-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant    Newton, MA – November 15, 2021 – Paytronix Systems, Inc., the most advanced digital guest experience platform, today published the inaugural edition of The Digital Divide, Aggregators: The Cost Of Convenience, which finds that 58% of US consumers skip aggregators when ordering from their favorite…

Wednesday, October 28, 2015 Fraudulent sites are leaving many customers weary of shopping online. Follow this guide for 11 simple ways to help your checkout page convert more shoppers into buyers. 1. Trust Badges Trust badges are icons or logos that help increase the credibility of your brand—a critical piece to them being comfortable giving…

3DS has become the cornerstone of CNP risk mitigation for issuers and merchants around the globe. Boston, October 21, 2021 — Card-not-present transaction volume has increased 25% to 30% from 2019 to 2020 as a result of the pandemic. Even prior to the pandemic, fraudsters focused heavily on CNP transactions as an easy avenue for fraud attacks.…

Days away from The MPC Digital Commerce Event, MPC executive director Marla Ellerman reflected on her decade-long journey that began with a small workshop in New York City and grew into a global conference with over 1,000 attendees. While this year’s eleventh annual conference will deliver a broader agenda than ever before, it will also…

The Green Sheet has been following AI’s steady evolution from digital assistants that performed basic tasks to self-directed artificial intelligence that can make split-second decisions to thwart fraud, generate instant proposals and more. Technology leaders chart AI’s remarkable journey to self-awareness in “AI’s evolution: from predictive to prescriptive,” in Issue 21:09:01 of The Green Sheet.…

Arkose Labs, a platinum sponsor of the MPC Digital Commerce Event, has launched Credential Stuffing Week, an event aimed at educating public and private sectors about credential stuffing, also known as account takeover (ATO) and password-spraying fraud. Throughout the week, Arkose Labs will share insights and information about these threats using hashtags #StopCredStuffing and #CredStuffingAwarenessWeek,…

Easy-to-Remember, Descriptive Domains Are Key to Successful  Digital Branding and SEO Strategies   BELLEVUE, WA – October 20, 2021 – Successful minority-owned businesses know a brand is more than a logo, and a strong digital presence is key to business growth. TrueName by Donuts Inc., a global leader in descriptive domains, is proud to announce…

Stores of the future will be more about experience than product, according to Euromonitor. The global market research firm hosted a virtual event with retail industry leaders on Oct. 14, 2021, to explore the future of the store in a digital world. During the two-hour event, keynote speaker and moderator Michelle Evans, senior head of…

-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- October 20 2021   Bitcoin is undeniably a mainstream asset class and most investors should consider including crypto assets as part of a diversified portfolio, asserts the boss of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory, asset management and fintech organisations. The bullish observation from Nigel Green, CEO and founder of…

New Standards-Based Pilot Program Focused on Securing the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Supply Chain with Advanced Authentication Technologies Including a Tokenized Mobile Equipment Identifier COMSovereign Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: COMS) (“COMSovereign” or the “Company”), a U.S.-based developer of 4G LTE Advanced and 5G Communication Systems and Solutions and Total Network Solutions (“TNS”), a developer of the…

11.10.21, London PPS, an Edenred company, today announces its partnership with UK-based Sprive, the first of its kind mortgage overpayment app designed to help homeowners become mortgage-free faster and save interest. On average Sprive’s existing customers are on track to pay off their mortgages eight years earlier and save £32,000 in interest. PPS provides Sprive with its payments technology…

The award-winning global payments processor sets up a regional hub to promote its innovative offering throughout MENA, led by ex-Majid Al Futtaim payments expert, Arnav Rath, as Head of Region   DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – 30 September 2021: Global Processing Services (GPS), the Paytech Pioneer™ behind some of the world’s biggest fintech challengers, today announces…

Merchants Benefit from Ultra-Modern Design and Ease of Integration with the Latest POS Applications that Help Elevate Brand Experiences HOLLAND, MI, October 5, 2021 – MicroTouch™, a global leader in the touch solutions market, today announced an expansion of its all-in-one touch computer family, including a 15.6” and 21.5” supporting the latest as well as…

The recent pandemic has seen people around the world more widely embrace the innovative financial technology (‘FinTech’) that has been developed by start-ups and challenger banks, particularly when it comes to using mobile apps to manage finances and pay for goods. This has particularly been the case in the developing world and outside of what…

Our collective journey from paper-based transactions to digital, omnichannel commerce has been marked by technology milestones as we remove friction, improve security and enhance the customer experience.  And more importantly, our journey has been marked by human breakthroughs as we’ve learned to harness the power of trust, collaboration and co-creation. Anita Ghosh, chief executive officer…

The Global Trends Track launched successfully on Thursday, August 19, 2021, the third and final day of the 11th annual MPC conference. Leaders from the USA, Canada, Asia and Europe had intense and informative discussions on ESG, global payments developments, digital wallets and attractive overseas opportunities as summarized in the following synopsis by Tracy Lai, curator…

Arkose Labs, an online fraud prevention technology provider, is offering customers a commercial guarantee against stuffing attacks. Unveiled Aug. 10, 2021, the Credential Stuffing Warranty covers up to $1 million of customer response expenses to pernicious attacks that use automation to test massive amounts of usernames and passwords, the company stated. Patrice Boffa, vice president…

Providing virtual terminal payment functionality enhances experiences for customers – and call center employees.   Providing fast, convenient customer service is fundamental to successful call center management. However, consumers continually seem to raise the bar as their behaviors evolve. At one time, convenience meant enabling customers to call rather than drive to a physical location…

B2C payments are always on my mind and I don’t believe that’s an accident or some sign that I might be a workaholic. The fact is, I enjoy my time as an independent consumer equally as much as working in the payments industry; the exception being PTO when my consumer persona completely runs amok. But…

How WFH convinced me we’re finally taking the ‘ugh’ out of digital implementation (hint: it’s all about the clients) Connectivity … it seems easy. In our personal lives, having a smart phone means we’re connected with any number of businesses and banks. You can use your phone for literally anything. Buy groceries, pizza orders, transportation,…

Arkose Labs, a global technology leader, takes a novel approach to fraud prevention by bankrupting the business model of fraud. The company uses advanced technologies to remediate attacks in real time, posing a series of step-up challenges designed to wear down fraudsters without adding any friction to the customer experience. Headquartered in San Francisco, with…

MPC21 is pleased to announce a completely new track this year, curated by Tracy Lai, FinTech Consultant and Partner at Lystar Group. The Global Trends Track will launch Thursday, August 19, 2021, the third day of MPC’s eleventh annual conference. Designed to explore global trends and developments in digital commerce, the Global Trends Track will feature experts who…

I recently interviewed security leaders for a lead story, “Cracking Fraud’s Code” in Issue 21:07:02 of The Green Sheet. The story explores how AI has become the weapon of choice in cyberwarfare. In Letter from the Editor, Laura McHale Holland, editor in chief at The Green Sheet, stated that fraudsters are devising new ways to…

With the eventual rise in restaurant hiring accelerating at a steady rate, so too is the need for faster payments which support a traditionally gig- and cash-intensive workforce in pace with modern expectation and preference. But although the re-establishment of the service industry (and subsequent rise in demand for faster payments) workforce was expected, experts…

Global expansion is the ultimate objective for most fintechs. And if you really want to do it effectively, it’s best to consider your global expansion strategy in your early days. Based on our observations from consulting with FinTechs around the world over the past few years, there are a few highlights from the ones who…

Heartland was founded in 1997, and has since been building its business solutions portfolio, service centers and sales team to support a long and growing list of clients. In 2016, Heartland was acquired by Global Payments, and Global Payments merged with TSYS in late 2019, making the group one of the biggest business solutions companies…

One of the fundamentals of commercial real estate success is investing in the right properties. As it turns out, that principle also applies to digitally transform commercial real estate lending. Fintech Janover Ventures has built an online network including some of the most valuable, highly trafficked commercial real estate multifamily and small business finance websites.…

ESG, which stands for Environmental, Social and Governance, became popular during the pandemic, as industry leaders recognized the need for better management of natural resources, energy and waste. Throughout the crisis, business owners formally assessed initiatives related to environmental sustainability, social responsibilities and ethical treatment of animals. Investors used these criteria to evaluate assets and…

How the payments industry can better serve its clients U.S. Bank, a diamond sponsor of the MPC21, is the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. The Minneapolis-based bank blends its relationship teams, branches and ATM network with digital tools that allow customers to bank when, where and how they prefer. U.S. Bank is committed…

The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK sored in 2020, with one in ten cars sold being plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). With the cut-off date for the sale of new EVs less than a decade away, consumers are starting to wake up to the necessity of going electric. Therefore, now…

I truly love my work. Depending who’s asking, that might be a blessing or a curse. But for me, it’s a blessing and I know I share this sentiment with many colleagues at U.S. Bank and among the payments industry. What we do is really cool and exciting and I’ll tell anyone who’ll listen all…

According to multiple sources, in the United States, 50 percent of the adult population is expected to have received at least 1 dose of a vaccine by the end of this month. At the current pace, 70 percent of vaccinated citizens will help achieve herd immunity. With Spring around the corner, I’d like to highlight…

Consumers in the modern day are overwhelmed with choices—not just as to what product or service they will select or who they will buy it from—but how they will go about paying for it. New payment methods are being introduced faster than we can keep up with them. What are the essential components of the “perfect”…

There are so many touchpoints in your white paper, How FinTech is Addressing the Financial Needs of the Underserved, that illustrate the many different ways in which payments industry stakeholders help underserved individuals and communities. These initiatives have drawn broad support and are expected to continue post-COVID.   Q1>How do these ETA member initiatives reflect…

We all know that 2020 was an unusual and challenging year for everyone and as much as we would have all wished that things could have gone back to normal the second the clock struck midnight on the 31 December, that has unfortunately not been the case. Most industries and businesses continue to face a…

Professionals around the world convened March 5 to 12, 2021, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., to discuss prospects for innovation in the post-pandemic landscape. Separate student-led conference tracks included the MIT FinTech Conference, MIT Asia Business Conference and MIT-China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum. More than 100 executives from leading companies, top professors…

Greetings, Everyone! I’m excited to share my recent interview with Michelle Tran and Sasha Pilch, co-founders of NYC Fintech Women shortly after their epic IWD Women in Leadership event with Nasdaq and UN Women. When and where was NYC Fintech Women founded? NYC FinTech Women was founded in September 2017 in New York City. Our…

Fintechs around the world celebrated International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. Following are several highlights: Paysafe kicked off International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021, with a virtual roundtable addressing gender equality in the workplace. Panelists cited a recent survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that found women lost approximately 156,000 jobs…

Many software companies and online marketplaces have taken on the role of Payment Facilitators. Payment Facilitation, or PayFac, challenges the balance of power in the merchant services space. Becoming a PayFac is a process that can be demanding at times. To help better understand Payment Facilitation, 9 fintech experts share their thoughts about the most…

As a quick recap, in my last article I talked about the brilliance of using software to turn mobile devices like smartphones and tablets into payment terminals. There’s a myriad of benefits that positively impact everyone in the payments ecosystem, from card schemes to banks, PSPs, merchants and the consumer. One of the most critical…

The use of the mobile phone to access the internet has grown tremendously in China over the last decade. The penetration rate of mobile internet users in China was at an all-time high in 2020, making the apps marketplace one of the most competitive in the world. Data presented by TradingPlatforms.com breaks down the leading…

More than 10,000 professionals from around the world attended HK Asia Financial Forum, held online for the first time on January 18 and 19, 2021. Presentations by government officials, regulators and executives from top investment banks explored the conference theme of reshaping the global economic landscape. The agenda’s broad mix of topics included perspectives on…

Since its inception, the payments journey has been marked by technology migrations flowing back and forth across geographic regions. As early deployers of EMV cards, Europeans modeled the way for adoption of highly secure chip-and-PIN and contactless digital payments well before the United States began migrating from mag stripe to EMV and contactless payment schemes.…

Digital commerce will increase, and so will fraud In 2020 we saw many firsts, which affected every person on the planet. ‘Lockdown’ became part of our everyday language and as we acclimatised to being home and not having access to brick-and-mortar stores, we looked for alternative channels to source the things we need. Almost as…

Fintechs and financial service organizations petitioned the Federal Reserve in hopes of participating in its FedNow pilot, which went live Jan. 25, 2021. Designed to make payments faster, safer and more convenient, the initiative and its pilot program will support development, testing and adoption of the FedNow Service, FedNow program managers stated. Esther George, president…

As CEOs from numerous industries respond to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Capitol Hill, payments and security leaders noted that security breaches are not limited to the digital world. In a Jan. 11, 2020, interview with The Green Sheet, Jodie Kelley, CEO of the Electronic Transactions Association, reflected on the current state of affairs at…

MPC: The Digital Commerce Event opened its annual call for speakers on Jan. 4, 2021, in preparation for its 11th annual symposium. MPC conference committee members will review prospective presenters’ applications postmarked on or before Jan. 22. The exclusive event will be held in August 2021, according to Marla Ellerman, executive director at MPC. In…

In the 12th edition of the EFMA-Infosys Innovation in Retail Banking Report published recently, more than 750 banking executives from around the world shared their view of the digital trends shaping the industry and their own experience with transformation and innovation.  This year’s study has especial significance, coming as it does in the midst of…

Mike Shafro, CEO of xpate, the payments platform that prioritises simplicity, speed and user experience, offers insight into the evolution of cross-border payments and how businesses can navigate and alleviate the stresses and strains associated with this necessary evil. This year has been unlike any other on record. We can no longer travel to our…

How Digital Revolving Credit Translates into Lucrative Recurring Purchases By Tim Harris, Chief Executive Officer, FuturePay Holdings Inc. Digital credit offers an extraordinary opportunity for e-commerce merchants to tap into a generation of consumers who prefer online shopping to traditional retail. Within this emerging marketplace, consumers have the choice of installment or revolving credit solutions,…

Joint Solution Facilitates Efficient and Safe Tableside and Online Ordering, Delivery and Pickup Experiences LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Dec. 8, 2020 – Epson America, Inc., a leading supplier of value-added Point of Sale (POS) systems, today announced that Rezku, provider of a full-featured POS and online ordering platform for restaurants, bars, and enterprise chains, has…

Behind every transaction there are multiple players working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure payments are being made quickly, correctly, and securely. However, with this there remains the possibility of error and/or additional time added to the transaction, leaving the customer with a poor experience and make them potentially less likely to return. Additionally, multiple…

Joint Solution Delivers the Flexibility and Convenience Hospitality and Retail Businesses Need Today for More Efficient and Safe Shopping, Dining, Online Ordering and Pickup Experiences   LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Nov. 18, 2020 – Epson America, Inc., a leading supplier of value-added Point of Sale (POS) systems, today announced that Touch Dynamic, a leading manufacturer…

The OneSpan Global Financial Regulations Report, published Nov. 17, 2020, corelates regulatory trends with the coronavirus pandemic. OneSpan’s first regulatory study explores the impact of digital identity, regulatory and legislative initiatives on fraud prevention, data protection, payments, Open Banking, e-signatures and other commercial banking practices. OneSpan executives Michael Magrath, director, global regulations and standards, and Gabrielle…

18 November 2020 (New York): Guinness World Records (GWR) hosts its annual celebration of record-breaking, GWR Day, on 18 November 2020, buoyed by the response from people around the world looking to unite in a positive, shared experience following a difficult year for many. To spotlight as many record-breaking achievements as possible, GWR’s digital event – 24 Hours…

Hong Kong FinTech Week 2020 drew thousands of participants from around the world, including 500 exhibitors, 350 speakers, 230 journalists and 29 delegates from more than 130 economies. Known as one of Asia’s most influential FinTech conferences, the show was held Nov. 2 to 4, 2020. The far-reaching agenda provided a holistic overview of Hong…