What's New in Payments

Over half of US consumers are now using a P2P payments service

US consumers and debit: Shift to online may inhibit use — Mercator Advisory Group — “57% of all respondents and 78% of young adults aged 18 to 34 use person-to-person payment services such as PayPal, Venmo, Google Wallet, Facebook Messenger, and others accessible online and in-app by mobile devices and nearly half of them use a P2P service at least once a month.”


What's New in Payments

US consumers sent $75bn in Zelle P2P payments in 2017

Zelle moves record $75bn in 2017 — Zelle — “In 2017, the US$75bn moved on Zelle, was an increase of 36% year-over-year (YoY) from 2016’s totals of $55bn… The Zelle network processed more than 247m payments in 2017, an increase of more than 45% YoY on the 170m transactions processed in 2016… More than 60 financial institutions are now part of the Zelle network.”


What's New in Payments

Bank of America reports 84% rise in P2P payment transactions

Zelle takes cashless payments to new heights — Bank of America — “Bank of America saw total Zelle transactions for 2017 hit nearly 68 million, an 84% growth rate from the previous year. In Q4 alone, Bank of America processed over 23 million transactions, totaling nearly US$7bn, up 91% from the prior year… Currently, Bank of America has nearly three million active Zelle users, and continues to add thousands of new users every day.”


What's New in Payments

UnionPay details its mobile payment app for China’s banks

Unified app of China’s banking industry, ‘Mobile QuickPass’ officially launches today — China UnionPay — “The ‘Mobile QuickPass’ app is a unified mobile payment portal jointly developed and maintained by commercial banks and UnionPay, under the guidance of the People’s Bank of China. Customers are able to link their bank cards to the app, manage different bank accounts, and enjoy the mobile payment services and benefits offered by each bank. The services offered by this app also include UnionPay QR code payment, signing up for various mobile payment solutions, comprehensive credit card services, P2P real-time transfer and payment services in various scenarios.”


What's New in Payments

Apple explains how Apple Pay Cash will function as an electronic purse on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch

Apple Pay Cash and person to person payments now available — Apple — “Apple customers who don’t already have Apple Pay set up on their supported device can still receive money from friends and family without needing to install a new app or add a card to Wallet. When new users receive money for the first time, it’s simply added to their new Apple Pay Cash card once they accept the terms.”



What's New in Payments

Apple Pay Cash goes live in latest iOS and watchOS public beta releases

Apple Pay Cash now available in beta on iOS 11.2 and watchOS 4.2 — 9to5Mac — “The new feature lets you send and receive payments using Apple Pay over iMessage as well as pay in stores with a new Apple Pay Cash virtual debit card… Apple Pay Cash will be available for all customers in the United States when iOS 11.2 and watchOS 4.2 are officially released, and developer and public beta testers can start using the feature today.”


What's New in Payments

Facebook expands Messenger P2P payments to the UK

Facebook Messenger payments comes to UK — BBC News — “Facebook has chosen the UK as the first country outside the US to get its Messenger payments service… David Marcus, who runs Messenger, says it is obvious from our messages that we need this. ‘More and more people are having conversations on Messenger about paying one another,’ he explains. ‘As a result it’s a very natural place for you to have the most frictionless and secure way of paying each other.'”


What's New in Payments

Central bank begins digital currency pilot in Uruguay

Uruguay to launch digital currency, ‘not Bitcoin’ it stresses — Bitcoin.com — “Uruguay’s Central Bank (BCU) formally presented rollout of its pioneering digitization of the Uruguayan peso on 3 November 2017… The plan ‘consists of a test with 10,000 mobile phone users of Antel,’ the release notes, ‘which will last for six months’ and be international… Registered users will be able to interact with merchants as well as peer-to-peer in money exchanges.”



What's New in Payments

Australian banks form digital payments joint venture

NAB, Westpac and CBA team up with new payments app, Beem — The Sydney Morning Herald — “Three of the country’s banking giants are joining forces to allow instant payments between people or to small businesses via a smartphone, with plans to ultimately roll out a cross-industry ‘digital wallet’… The app will be the first service offered by a new digital payments joint venture that has been formed between CBA, NAB and Westpac… ANZ is not part of the joint venture but it has been involved in some of the discussions with rivals, and it may sign up in the future.”


What's New in Payments

Zelle reports 65,000 new customers a day for its bank-led P2P payments service

Zelle returns to Money 20/20 with a surge in network payments — Zelle — “In Q3 2017 (July – Sept) Zelle payments surged, with an average of 65,000 consumers enrolling daily, resulting in the network processing more than 60m real-time person-to-person (P2P) payments, valued at US$17.5bn… This success comes as the number of financial institutions in the Zelle Network grows to more than 50.”


What's New in Payments

Facebook Messenger adds PayPal P2P payments

Send money to friends and family in Messenger with PayPal — PayPal — “We’re excited today to announce an expansion of our relationship with Facebook with the addition of PayPal as a funding source for peer-to-peer (P2P) payments, right in Messenger… We are also introducing our first-ever PayPal customer service bot for Messenger, so PayPal customers can seamlessly receive payment and account support directly in the app.”


What's New in Payments

PayPal to turn Venmo P2P payments app into ‘ubiquitous digital wallet’

Venmo now accepted at millions of retailers — PayPal — “Starting this week, Venmo customers can use their Venmo account to shop and make purchases on their mobile phone at more than two million US retailers, almost everywhere PayPal is accepted… Our vision for Venmo is to not only be the go-to app for payments between friends, but also a ubiquitous digital wallet that helps consumers spend wherever and however they want to pay, regardless of device.”


What's New in Payments

Bank of America reports $4bn in P2P payments

A big bank Is catching up to PayPal and Square — Barron’s — “Bank of America released its third quarter earnings on Friday morning and executives spoke confidently about Zelle, the payments platform used by several big banks. The total number of peer-to-peer payments made over the Zelle network by Bank of America customers jumped 68% on a year-over-year basis to 13.6m, and the total payment volume jumped 40% to US$4bn, the bank said. Earlier this year, Bank of America integrated Zelle into its mobile app.”


What's New in Payments

Japanese banks to pilot blockchain-based mobile payments service

Fujitsu to conduct blockchain field trial of money transfer service with three major Japanese banks — Fujitsu — “Fujitsu will develop a cloud-based blockchain platform for money transfers between individuals that can be jointly used by these three major banks, as well as a smartphone application that allows users to easily handle the different steps for sending money and for making deposits and withdrawals.”


What's New in Payments

Apple Pay Cash to go live in iOS update ‘this fall’

iOS 11 is available tomorrow — Apple — “Coming this fall with an update to iOS 11 and watchOS 4, Apple Pay users will be able to send and receive money from friends and family quickly, easily and securely. Pay and get paid right in Messages, or tell Siri to pay someone, using the credit and debit cards they have in Wallet. When users get paid, they receive the money in their new Apple Pay Cash card in Apple Wallet and can use the money instantly.”


What's New in Payments

Venmo moves into merchant payment processing

Venmo will allow users to pay at merchants like Williams-Sonoma — Recode — “Venmo oversaw US$8bn in transactions in Q2 of 2017, double what it did the year before, but has yet to find a way to monetize since the regular service is free. Merchant processing fees from partnerships like Williams-Sonoma would be the first step in making money from transactions… Earlier this year, Venmo started testing a physical debit card in which Venmo customers could use their balance toward purchases at all retailers.”


What's New in Payments

US banks’ P2P payments service reports 100m transactions

Zelle money movement momentum continues — Zelle — “More than 50,000 consumers are enrolling daily, contributing to more than 100m real-time person-to-person (P2P) payments, totaling US$33.6bn, in the first half of 2017… Next week millions more will have the opportunity to send and receive money with Zelle through a new mobile app.”


What's New in Payments

Ride-hailing app Grab launches e-payment and fund transfer system

Ride-hailing app Grab launches e-payment and fund transfer system — The Straits Times — “Users will be able to transfer GrabPay credits between themselves via its in-app mobile wallet… Grab also aims to work with more than 1,000 merchants in the retail, entertainment and food and beverage industries to accept mobile payments through GrabPay in the fourth quarter of 2017.”