What's New in Payments

Norwegian banks to form joint venture in bid to combat threat of global tech giants

Norwegian banks to combine payment units Vipps, BankAxept, BankID — Reuters — “Norwegian banks agree to combine payment units Vipps, BankAxept and BankID Norge to improve product offering and prepare for competition against global tech firms… DNB CEO Rune Bjerke said: “We have two choices. Either let the existing payments infrastructure wither away, or join forces and push forward.”


US to open up banking market to non-banks?

US regulator says time to review mixing banking with other businesses — Reuters — “US regulations that bar companies such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc from providing banking services need to be reviewed as they reduce competition thereby concentrating more risk among a smaller number of banks, a US banking regulator said… Noreika on Wednesday said that allowing non-financial companies to run banks could strengthen the banking system by boosting competition and increasing diversity. The OCC is exploring providing a charter specifically for financial technology providers such as payment processor Square Inc.”



What's New in Payments

Nordea and Danske to join Norway’s Vipps mobile payment system

Nordea joins rival DNB’s Vipps payment app in Norway — Reuters — “Top Nordic bank Nordea will start offering rival DNB’s mobile payment app to customers in Norway, leading Danske Bank to shut its service in the country, the companies said on Wednesday… Copenhagen-based Danske Bank said it would no longer offer the Mobilepay service to Norwegian customers, and that it would instead seek a distribution deal with DNB.”


BMW ‘is reviewing the necessity of car keys’

BMW says car keys may be replaced by mobile phone apps — Reuters — “BMW is reviewing the necessity of car keys, Ian Robertson, the company’s board member responsible for sales told Reuters. The fact that customers now all carry a smartphone and the availability of a BMW app which allows customers to unlock their vehicle has made old fashioned keys less relevant.”


What's New in Payments

Federal Trade Commission to investigate Equifax data breach

FTC probes Equifax, top Democrat likens it to Enron — Reuters — “The US Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday it was investigating Equifax Inc’s massive data breach, and a top Democrat suggested the credit monitoring company’s corporate leaders might need to resign… Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer compared Equifax to Enron, the US energy company that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after revelations of a widespread accounting fraud.”


What's New in Payments

TransferWise links with Apple Pay globally

TransferWise links with Apple Pay globally — Reuters — “The London-based money transfer company said on Thursday that it was joining with Apple Inc’s payments service in the US and a handful of other countries, following a similar move in the UK in 2015. This means users on Apple devices will no longer have to insert their payments card or bank account details to send money via TransferWise, but will be able to transfer funds through their Apple Pay account, speeding up the process.”


What's New in Payments

China’s Baidu enters strategic partnership with Paypal to tap Chinese tourists

China’s Baidu enters strategic partnership with Paypal to tap Chinese tourists — Reuters — “Baidu’s payment platform, Baidu Wallet, will be accepted by roughly 17 million PayPal merchants globally, the Chinese firm said in a statement on Thursday. ‘Partnering with PayPal on technology and product innovation will provide Baidu users with the ultimate cross-border consumer experience,’ said Baidu senior vice president Guang Zhu.”



What's New in Payments

Stripe strikes global partnerships with China’s Alipay, WeChat Pay

Stripe strikes global partnerships with China’s Alipay, WeChat Pay — Reuters — “‘If you are an internet business this unlocks a new vast customer base,’ John Collison, Stripe’s president and co-founder, said in an interview. In turn, Chinese consumers will have expanded choice as to which international online merchants they can purchase products and services from, he added.”