8.12.19 Your morning briefing

The information you need to start your day, from PaymentsSource and around the Web:

Hitting the road

Amazon is expanding its Scout robot delivery program from a pilot near its headquarters in Snohomish County, Wash., to the Los Angeles area.

The program is still relatively limited. The e-commerce company will use robots on weekdays during daylight and robots will be accompanied by a human employee, reports Engadget. Orders will go to either human couriers or robots depending on what is the best fit for that delivery.

Amazon introduced Scout earlier in 2019, as part of an attempt to compete with Walmart, which is experimenting with automated delivery.

Other companies, such as Postmates, are also introducing robot deliveries.

Amazon Scout delivery

Less FX

HSBC has added more currencies to its commercial card unit in an attempt to diversify services for travel, entertainment and supply chain payments.

The bank will process Czech, Danish, Polish, Nowegian, Swedish and Swiss currency in addition to pounds, euros and U.S. dollars.

Adding currencies will allow businesses with operations in these countries to use a local currency for travel and supplier payments, which avoids a foreign exchange markup. The bank also expects it can lure business away from local card providers.

More time

It's become apparent that a huge number of banks aren't going to meet the PSD2 strong authentication deadline, leading regulators to make concessions.

The Central Bank of Ireland is engaging with industry leaders to develop a roadmap for SCA migration beyond the Sept. 14 deadline, following the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority, which has extended the deadline 18 months.

The Bank of Ireland's move more closely mirrors that of the European Banking Authority, which is extending the deadline provided the bank has a detailed plan and timeline to adopt strong authentication.

Let's make a deal

Fresh off of Ripple's $30 million investment in Moneygram, the blockchain company is working on "multiple" investments and acquisitions.

Ripple wants to build on the $500 million in investments it has made over the past 18 months, CEO Brad Garlinghouse said in an interview with Yahoo Finance in the U.K. Ripple has found success over the past few years by using its blockchain to streamline remittances and other cross-border payments.

It also courts controversy, with Garlinghouse defending Ripple's relationship to the XRP token by asserting the two are distinct and XRP should not be regulated as a security by the SEC.

From the Web

Mexican banks report failures in processing card payments
Reuters | Sun August 11, 2019 - Several of Mexico’s largest banks reported that they were experiencing problems processing debit and credit card payments while some shops in the capital informed customers that they would only accept cash payments.

Guillaume Pousaz: The Jet-Setting Founder Of $2 Billion Payment Startup Checkout.com
Forbes | Fri August 9, 2019 - While Brexit continues to send shivers down the spines of business leaders, nomadic entrepreneur Guillaume Pousaz, 37, is bucking the trend by thinking about relocating to London. The move makes sense, given that London is already home to the headquarters of his global payments company, Checkout.com, which is in hyper growth mode after investors agreed to pump $230 million into his business.

FDNY EMS Notifies More Than 10,000 Patients of Possible Data Breach
NBC | Fri August 9, 2019 - More than 10,000 patients whom the FDNY EMS had previously treated and or transported were notified that their personal information may have been compromised after an employee’s personal external hard drive was lost last March, according to officials.

More from PaymentsSource

Apple Card fortifies the digital model, and that's trouble for banks
Apple's massive user base, fully digital enrollment system, merchant reach and partnership with Goldman Sachs threaten retail banks on multiple fronts.

A fintech startup faces big decisions as competitors invade its niche
Nearly a decade ago Marqeta grabbed attention as one of the first companies to deliver white-label card issuing and processing services through an open API platform, bypassing legacy banking technology.

Square's device agnostic wireless hardware reaches Canada
Square has launched Square Terminal in Canada in an effort to lure merchants that use myriad iPads, tablets and smartphones to receive payments in stores and remotely.

ATM operators' focus on 'day to day' puts Windows 10 migration in jeopardy
The final “end of support” deadline for Windows 7 continues to loom over the ATM industry. After January 14, 2020, Microsoft will no longer provide product support for the Windows 7 platform. That means no software updates, no security patches, no fixes or technical support for any issues.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
MORE FROM AMERICAN BANKER