Payments

Alt Lending Week Ending 19th February 2021

Published

2 months ago

February 19, 2021

What Starling, Allica Bank and Modularbank think about neobanking business models in 2021

What the UK leaders of digital banking think. Luminaries from three of the Uk’s digital banks discuss what’s on their minds for this year. The gist seems to be that the big banks are shedding customers in their boatloads thanks primarily to physical bank closure programs and the digital boys and girls are picking up the slack. Fair enough I suppose but with the FCA worrying about how the bricks and mortar based traditional bank disappearance program is leaving some customers cold and disadvantaged perhaps means that some innovative thinking might be worthwhile. As I look at the property portfolio the majors have here in the Uk and elsewhere I do think it makes them look at bit more solid than their digital counterparts. As far as business acquisition ideas are concerned it seems that small business is on their minds. The problem here and in every other type of banking is how do you make any money at it. I know I bang on about this week in and week out but with interest rates at more or less zero there just isn’t an easy answer. ROE is a key ratio in any business but particularly banking but it is difficult to see with the current ROA and restricted leverage how the P word can be achieved and that is pretty basic to being in business.

The impact of UK Chancellor Sunak’s Stamp duty dispensation is still making the headlines?

As I have mentioned before this tax on moving has at least united everyone to agree that it should be removed but it is far from certain that it is going to be. This was a principal factor in the mini boom in residential property prices over the past year which pushed prices up as people rushed to complete before the dispensation ended. The longer term impact however is unknown. What is clear however is that the market looks stressed, Some 450 thousand residential renters are now in arrears and thousands of High Street sites remain empty. The impact on security coverage cannot be ignored forever. Most of the big lenders have toughened up their criteria making moving even more difficult and the commercial lenders don’t seem to be saying very much. I think there are a lot of very worried people out there in the real world. Property prices are not irrelevant and a liquid but stable market is essential to a well functioning economy. This year we have seen property price rises when they really shouldn’t have. Is this an economic optical illusion? Watch this space.

Payday lenders under fire for silence on compensation

Back to the end of the lending market that nobody likes. The high risk, high interest rate sector of the personal lending market has seen a number of casualties and it looks like it might see a few more. There is a really terrible dilemma here. The clients of these companies are the people that nobody else wants and come under fire from all sides, clients, auditors, regulators you name it. Part of the problem seems to be deluge of claims for compensation for being sold unaffordable credit. It appears that some of these companies have not disclosed potential liabilities despite sign off from their auditors. One thing about this article caught my eye it appears that there are a lot of key workers who are their clients and a lot are low paid NHS workers. It is easy to see how this could turn into a very emotive issue indeed. Yet this sector does provide a regulated service to a small but socially important groups of already fairly deprived people. If these guys won’t lend to you then the only person who will might be less than worried about regulation. It’s a big problem for regulators all parties should put some more intellectual thinking into how to do it properly but humanely and still keep it operating.

Howard Tolman is a well-known banker, technologist and entrepreneur in London,

We have a self imposed constraint of 3 news stories per week because we serve busy senior Fintech leaders who just want succinct and important information.

For context on Alt Lending please read the Interview with Howard Tolman about the future of Alt Lending and read articles tagged Alt Lending in our archives.

Daily Fintech’s original insight is made available to you for US$143 a year (which equates to $2.75 per week). $2.75 buys you a coffee (maybe), or the cost of a week’s subscription to the global Fintech blog – caffeine for the mind that could be worth $ millions.

Source: https://dailyfintech.com/2021/02/19/alt-lending-week-ending-19th-february-2021/

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Fintech

Software-based facial recognition in payments industry to dominate by 2025

Published

4 days ago

April 13, 2021

Republished by Plato

A new report from Juniper Research predicts that software-based facial recognition to secure payments will be almost ubiquitous by 2025, thanks in part to Apple’s FaceID implementation.

According to the firm, there will be more than 1.4 billion users of facial recognition software used for payments alone in 2025, up from 671 million in 2020.

Apple’s FaceID is driving growth in the wider facial recognition market, even though masks and other facial coverings have become more common since COVID-19.

Beyond facial recognition technologies, fingerprint sensors and voice recognition are also picking up significant momentum.

“Hardware-based facial recognition is growing, but the ability to carry out facial recognition via software is limiting its adoption rate,” explains Juniper Research and author of the research report, Susan Morrow, says.

“As the need for a secure mobile authentication environment grows, smartphone vendors will need to increasingly turn to more robust hardware-based systems to keep pace with fraudsters’ evolving tactics.”

According to the Mobile Payment Authentication: Biometrics, Regulation & Market Forecasts 2021-2025 report, fingerprint sensors will be on 93% of smartphones with biometric hardware by 2025, while hardware-based facial recognition will only be on 17% of phones.

Voice recognition for payments is gaining popularity: In 2020 voice recognition had 111 million users – this is expected to rise dramatically to more than 704 million users by 2025.

Juniper Research states that voice recognition is primarily used in banking, and there are few other ways in which it can expand. The reason for this lack of growth could be due to robustness concerns.

“Juniper Research recommends that vendors adopt a multi-method biometric strategy, which encompasses facial recognition, fingerprints, voice and behavioural indicators to ensure a secure payment environment.”

To read more, please click on the link below…

Source: Software-based facial recognition in payments industry to dominate by 2025

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Source: https://australianfintech.com.au/software-based-facial-recognition-in-payments-industry-to-dominate-by-2025/

Fintech

Innovative middleware platform Doshii signs up three new POS partners

Published

5 days ago

April 13, 2021

Republished by Plato

Australian middleware cloud platform and hospitality app marketplace provider Doshii has signed on three new Point of Sale (POS) partners, giving more venues the opportunity to cut through the app chaos and streamline their operating systems.

The three new partners – Abacus, Splitability, and MSL (SwiftPOS and Infogenesis) – will provide their venues with direct access to Doshii’s growing range of ordering, delivery, reservation, loyalty program, payment, rostering and other business apps.

Doshii CEO Justin O’Donnell said the partnerships will make it easier for venues to manage and maximise the performance of their online channels.

“These new partnerships will enable hospitality businesses to use Doshii to connect and sync with a multitude of information software platforms and apps needed to run a hospitality business, all through their partnered POS systems,” Justin said.

“Doshii effectively creates an integrated ‘one-stop-shop’ for all the home delivery and in-venue ordering, business management, data, and customer loyalty program apps with venues’ POS system.

“It assists with reducing labour costs involved with rekeying orders, and helps minimise mistakes that lead to product wastage and unhappy customers.

“Ultimately, it improves revenue, reduces operational costs and increases efficiency.”

Justin said the new partnerships would reduce development, maintenance and support expenses for the partners by leveraging Doshii as an integration provider along with 24/7 monitoring and proactive support.

“Giving our partners’ venues access to the Doshii ecosystem ultimately enhances the increasingly tech-savvy consumer experience – and happy customers lead to a more successful hospitality business,” he said.

“Doshii also has a full menu management system to allow venue operators to manage their menus from a central platform. All styles of hospitality operator will benefit from less time managing menus across multiple apps.

“We have experienced unprecedented uptake following last year’s COVID-19 restrictions, largely due to Doshii’s ability to help venues seamlessly ‘tech up’ and allow businesses to focus on what they’re actually good at – be it making and serving burgers or mixing cocktails – without distraction or delay.”

Doshii’s partnership with MSL’s POS venues will enable those venues to connect directly to the likes of Deliveroo, Mr Yum, OrderUp and Mobi2Go, along with their existing partner me&u, and reservations apps including OpenTable and Resy.

Justin said as venue operators emerged from COVID-enforced lockdowns, they were increasingly looking for ways to increase their revenue streams.

“These new partnerships will help venues achieve this, while also allowing them to digitally manage their menus via Doshii.”

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Source: https://australianfintech.com.au/innovative-middleware-platform-doshii-signs-up-three-new-pos-partners/

Fintech

Splitit partners with UnionPay, the world’s largest card network of 9 billion cardholders

Published

5 days ago

April 13, 2021

Republished by Plato

Splitit, a global payment technology company, announces a new global partnership with UnionPay International, part of China UnionPay, the provider of bank card services and a major card scheme in mainland China.

UnionPay International will be integrating Splitit to make it available to its network. This will give UnionPay cardholders and those accepting UnionPay the opportunity to utilize Splitit’s installment payments product.

The UnionPay global acceptance network has expanded to 180 countries and regions, covering over 55 million merchants. Outside the Chinese Mainland, UnionPay is accepted at over 32 million merchants. To date, over 9 billion UnionPay cards (debit and credit) are issued in 68 countries and regions, among which over 150 million are issued outside mainland China. All UnionPay credit cardholders will be able to use Splitit’s interest- and fee-free installment payment option at any merchant offering Splitit from June FY21.

“The cooperation with Splitit is a remarkable milestone for UnionPay to further deepen its cooperation with partners in the South Pacific region,” said Jiangtao Jian, General Manager, UnionPay International South Pacific branch. “We’re excited to bring this partnership with Splitit to UPI customers globally so they can benefit from increased flexibility in how they pay.”

“Partnering with UnionPay opens up our solution to UnionPay credit card holders, building on our existing card partner networks. It combines our unique installment solution and global reach, with UnionPay’s powerful card holder base to allow countless more shoppers to better use their existing credit,” commented Brad Paterson, CEO of Splitit.

“The partnership is another significant milestone in Splitit’s Asia Pacific expansion strategy to boost consumer adoption and merchant acceptance. This increased relevance to more cardholders and merchants will, in turn, accelerate our merchant sales volume,” he concluded.

The economic materiality of the agreement with UnionPay International is unknown due to the contingent nature of results that may be generated. At this point in time, Splitit considers the UnionPay partnership is unlikely to yield a short-term economic benefit for Splitit, however, Splitit considers that the UnionPay partnership supports Splitit’s strategic growth plans.

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Source: https://australianfintech.com.au/splitit-partners-with-unionpay-the-worlds-largest-card-network-of-9-billion-cardholders/

Fintech

Flybuys and Klarna take the points game to the next level

Published

5 days ago

April 12, 2021

Republished by Plato

Australia’s most popular rewards program, Flybuys, and global shopping app, Klarna, today announced a new upcoming partnership set to launch in May – allowing members of both to earn more reward points and elevate their shopping game.

The Flybuys-Klarna partnership will offer members of both even greater flexibility and accelerate their ability to collect rewards.

Flybuys members can now use the Klarna app online and in-store across thousands of brands and start collecting Klarna rewards club vibes that can be converted to Flybuys points. For each $1 repaid on purchases, Klarna rewards club and Flybuys members can collect 1 vibe that can be converted to 3 Flybuys points, once enough vibes are collected.

To celebrate the partnership and receive 1,500 Flybuys bonus points, Flybuys members need to download the Klarna phone app, join the Klarna rewards club, make their first payment, then link their Flybuys account through the Klarna app.

John Merakovsky, Chief Executive Officer, Flybuys, said, “This partnership with Klarna opens up new opportunities for our members to collect points, and even more ways to be savvy with their shopping and be rewarded for it. We’re incredibly proud to welcome Klarna into the fold as our first buy now, pay later partner.”

The Klarna shopping app, which launched in Australia in January 2020, enables customers to shop and pay in 4 instalments at any participating retailer, both in store and online. Users can browse top brands, create curated wish lists, receive price drop notifications, and have access to shopping inspiration, exclusive deals and discounts from global and local Australian retailers, all from one app.

Fran Ereira, General Manager for ANZ, Klarna, said, “This is a revolutionary partnership bringing together the world’s fastest growing shopping app with Australia’s most popular loyalty program. Our partnership has been proudly designed for modern consumers. Shoppers want more flexibility in payment options so they can get what they want now, but they also want to be rewarded for taking this option. Klarna’s partnership with Flybuys rewards both our customers by tripling their points collection and rewards potential.”

Over the past year there have been significant changes in how Australians shop. Klarna has been able to respond to changing consumer behaviour over the past 12 months and offer consumers a full shopping experience from wish lists, price drop notifications and the recently launched Klarna rewards club.

Meanwhile Flybuys has continued to diversify and expand on how members can collect points on things they’re already buying, at places they’re already shopping at. Flybuys members can collect points to treat themselves with products from the Rewards Store, great travel deals, or savings towards their shopping.

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Source: https://australianfintech.com.au/flybuys-and-klarna-take-the-points-game-to-the-next-level/