Ripple

Apple and Ripple may have a potential idea to remove friction from mobile payments, but the implementation could make for a rough ride.

Fintech companies such as WorldFirst, TransferWise, OFX, and WorldRemit give people more cost-effective means to make cross-border transfers, writes Jon Dela Cruz, a researcher for iCompareFX.com.

Becoming a member of Hyperledger fits Ripple’s ideal of allowing different blockchains or distributed ledgers to communicate with each other.

Ripple, the U.S. digital payments company, is working with 61 Japanese banks on an application that will enable customers to settle cash transfers instantly around the clock, the latest effort to apply blockchain technology in finance.

Ripple, the San Francisco-based venture looking to rewire financial firms with Bitcoin’s underlying technology, said Latin America’s biggest bank by market value is among five new customers joining its international money-transfer network.

Western Union’s long-rumored relationship with Ripple is turning out to be real.

Plans by IDT and MercuryFX to test XRP for cross-border payments are another vote of confidence for Ripple’s products.

The San Francisco startup behind the cryptocurrency XRP claims it can send money around the world faster, cheaper and with greater transparency.

Despite the mad rush among investors to buy up bitcoin, XRP and other prominent cryptocurrencies, these digital coins have largely failed to operate as instruments for payment. MoneyGram's deal with Ripple might change that, or it might be the first nail in the crypto coffin.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau featured in three of our most read articles of last year, while two others were about the disruptor Ripple. Other highlights included our annual Women in Banking package, the aftermath of the Equifax data breach and news of Amazon's possible banking plans.