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 20^th anniversary in the Netherlands—welcoming regional ACIers and customers alike (and enjoying a most densely delicious and decorative cake).

A Rocky Mountain High on Payments Innovation

We were so high last week; in fact, we were a figurative mile high… in sunny Denver for our annual ACI Exchange user conference. And among the myriad highs during the week was our own ‘Un-conference,’ which generated major buzz that sparked an enormous appetite for some tasty innovation. Some of the ideas generated included the following:

Telcos Must Walk Before They Run When It Comes to Mobile Payments Innovation

The mobile payments market is growing fast, fueled by technological innovation and consumer demand. With each consumer predicted to own, on average, nine connected devices by 2021, there is no doubt that we can expect to see an exponential rise in the number of devices and applications used to make mobile payments over the coming years.

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. With many areas of the business competing for resources, should retailers be cutting costs when it comes to payment acceptance, or focusing on delighting the customer through innovative payment experiences?

What Rihanna Can Teach Us About a Decade of UK Faster Payments

The end of this month marks 10 years since Rihanna’s single, Take a Bow, reached number 1 in the UK singles charts.

Although I know a little about Barbados, I am only an amateur student of the popular Bajan singer’s lyrics. But I cannot help feeling her song reads like a commentary of the cataclysmic world of banking in 2008; “That was quite a show, but now it’s time to go,” and “You look so dumb trying to apologize… I know you’re only sorry you got caught,” or “it’s over now, go on take a bow.”

Setting the Table for Success in the New World of Merchant Payments

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, creating a payments journey for your customers was as simple as calling your bank, choosing from one of two (maybe three) terminal types that would enable your business to accept mag stripe cards. And then perhaps deciding whether to offer your customers American Express acceptance.

How things have changed!

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

The process of secretly reading data off credit and debit cards (aka skimming) could be netting criminals as much as $3 billion a year in the US, according to Bankinfosecurity.com.

As we look forward to Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S., travelers are getting ready for road trips to their favorite destinations. Whether it’s a beach party in Miami, snorkeling in Catalina Island, or even a staycation, payments – and more specifically, payment fraud – is a huge consideration for travelers, especially during the holiday weekend. I sat down with one of our payments fraud experts, Seth Ruden, to talk about what travelers must look out for regarding payment fraud and how they can keep their money safe. Here’s what he told me.

Gen Z: A Day In The (Payments) Life

There has been an immense focus placed on the ‘Millennial’ generation, and for good reason, as they have become a driving force in the future of payments. This generation looks to technology to solve their payments needs—and it’s all about the factors of convenience, speed and flexibility. And as a college student, my typical daily ‘payments routines’ reflect these factors. With that, I wanted to share a snapshot, which I think demonstrates how my own demographic is influencing the payments industry.