Amazon acquires Indian mobile payment license
In another attempt to secure a firm grasp on the Indian market, Amazon has turned towards mobile wallets for its next venture. The e-commerce behemoth has obtained a license from the Indian Reserve Bank (RBI) for the operation of a prepaid payment instruments (PPI). Amazon Online Distribution Services Pvt. Ltd secured the secured the license towards the end of last month, according to the RBI website. Heading the payments division of Amazon India is former Citibank executive Sriram Jagannathan. The Vice President said about the recent license: “RBI is in the process of finalising the guidelines for PPIs. We look forward to seeing a continuation of low-limit wallet dispensation with […]
PayPal and Google get cozy with new digital wallet partnership
PayPal Holdings Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google deepened their relationship with a new agreement that enables payments through the tap of a phone from PayPal accounts at thousands of new retail locations. The partnership lets PayPal users link their accounts to Android Pay, Google’s digital wallet, on smartphones running most versions of the Android operating system. This makes PayPal a funding option when people use Android Pay in locations including Walgreens Boots Alliance drug stores and Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants. PayPal was added as a payment method for Google’s Play app and digital content store almost three years ago. PayPal CEO Dan Schulman has been busy cutting deals with banks, credit […]
Bitcoin payments cheaper & safer than credit cards: Cointed
Cointed is a rather young, but fast-growing Bitcoin exchange located in Kufstein, Austria. The company was founded in November 2015 by Christopher Rieder and Wolfgang Thaler and during the first year attracted more than 4,000 permanent customers. Cointed currently makes it possible to buy and sell a number of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ether, Monero, and Zcash and convert them to USD, EUR, and GBP. Expanding to Turkey Cointed is operating more than 17 Bitcoin ATM’s around Austria, France and Italy. BATMTwo and BATMThree machines are supplied by General Bytes, one of the leading Bitcoin and Blockchain technology providers. This year Cointed is planning to expand to Turkey. With the suspension […]
British fintech sector has shrugged off Brexit dip, says regulator
Britain’s financial technology sector has recovered from an initial dip after Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, a senior UK regulator said on Monday. Fintech companies have revolutionised the financial sector with the likes of mobile payments services and were quickly targeted by centres such as Berlin and Luxembourg after last June’s Brexit vote, playing on fears that UK businesses could be cut off from the EU single market when Britain leaves in 2019. “In the immediate aftermath of the EU referendum there was a concern that we would see the number of innovative firms wanting to operate in the UK fall,” Chris Woolard, director of strategy and competition […]
China’s rapid uptake of mobile payments forcing businesses to adapt
Looking to get rich quickly, two young men travelled across China last month with a plan to rob three convenience stores in the wealthy coastal city of Hangzhou. They bought knives, masks and an electric bike and in the early hours of March 27, set off on their heist, targeting busy downtown areas. But, unfortunately for the robbers, the cash registers were bare. Across the three stores they managed to pilfer less than 1900 yuan ($362), not even enough to pay for their train tickets home. As the frustrated pair now contemplate jail time their tale of woe has become a signpost for the rise of China’s cashless economy and […]
Whatsapp thinking of taking the digital payment service plunge in India
A new job posting on Whatsapp’s official website has made everyone wonder on company’s future intentions with respect to the Indian market. The job posting calls for candidates to apply for Digital Transaction Lead, India who possess in-depth knowledge of Unifies Payments Interface (UPI). This clearly indicates that WhatsApp may have intentions to join the payments service market in India – its top market as far as user base is concerned. Whatsapp, currently has no personnel in India, but if indeed it is going down the route of setting up base in India as a payments service provider as well, we could very well see a WhatsApp office opening in […]
eWAY, Australia’s largest payments platform, partners with zipPay
zipMoney Limited is pleased to announce an Australia-first strategic partnership with eWAY, part of US giant Global Payments. eWAY is Australia’s largest online payment gateway and processes more than 25 percent of all eRetail payments. The partnership will see the roll out of the zipPay and zipMoney ‘buy now, pay later’ digital wallets as core offerings for tens of thousands of online retailers in Australia and millions of Australian shoppers. “The two leading names in the Australian online payments and digital wallet space are joining forces to help merchants sell more and sell better,” said Mark Healy COO at eWAY. “eWAY helped pioneer online payments in Australia and remains at […]
Hong Kong news stands to accept cashless payments in bid to boost business
With their numbers dwindling, news vendors will now accept cashless payments from e-wallet firm TNG Wallet. Hong Kong’s half-century-old news stand industry has teamed up with a home-grown electronic wallet firm, hoping to rescue their dwindling business by tapping into the fast growing digital world. From Wednesday, people will be able to buy newspapers and magazines by simply scanning a QR code through TNG Wallet’s mobile application at about 30 stalls in Central and the Western district. The service will be further expanded to 100 operators across 18 districts by the end of April. The move is a step forward for the city’s 400 cash-only news stands, who are struggling […]
