Fintech

Verizon Wireless is working with two mobile payment companies to allow its customers to charge digital content purchases to phone bills.

North Alabama Bank will use ACH Federal’s automated clearinghouse processing services to support its business customers, ACH Federal announced Jan. 26.

With buying power increasing for many cultural groups in the United States, card companies expectedly would be looking for ways to get their products into the hands of those consumers, many of whom are of Hispanic, African or Asian descent.

Starbucks Corp. customers loaded a record $700 million into Starbucks prepaid card accounts during its most recent quarter, up 39% from the same period a year earlier, Troy Alstead, the company’s chief financial officer, told analysts Jan. 26 during a conference call to discuss earnings.

Barclaycard and wireless-network operator Everything Everywhere Ltd. this summer plan to launch the United Kingdom’s first contactless mobile-payment system, the companies announced Jan. 27.

For the second consecutive year, North American online merchants improved their fraud-management performance, demonstrating they can counter crooks’ efforts when using appropriate fraud-prevention systems, new research suggests.

American Express Co. is awaiting a patent for its Diverse Marketplace Intelligence analytical system that it designed to help identify and target cultural groups for marketing opportunities.

NuVision Networks Corp. has upgraded its campus card program suite to enable students and faculty to order from participating local shops online using their card’s closed-loop prepaid account, the company announced Jan. 25.

Mobile banking in rural India received a huge push this month with the country’s two biggest banks signing agreements with the two largest mobile-network operators in India for the launch of mobile platforms designed to bring banking services to more consumers.

A panel within the Reserve Bank of India formed in April has released recommendations for fighting ATM, POS and online fraud.