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Welcome to the new PaymentsSource Morning Briefing, delivered daily. The information you need to start your day, including top headlines from PaymentsSource and around the Web:
More breach problems for Yahoo: On the heels of two major data breaches that compromised account information, Yahoo is facing pressure from the government in the form of an SEC investigation into the timing of the breach disclosure. The Wall Street Journal reports some Yahoo employees were aware of an initial breach as long ago as 2014, yet it did not disclose the breach until 2016. The SEC is investigating that gap to see if the breach could or should have been reported sooner. The breaches have already caused trouble for Yahoo's hopes to sell to Verizon, which is in the process of acquiring Yahoo for $4.8 billion. Verizon is seeking to cut as much as $1 billion off of the deal, according to TechCrunch, and that was before today's Journal report.
EU sounds an alarm on blockchain safety: Financial institutions see a bright future in blockchain technology, which can improve efficiency for international payments, stock trades and other transactions. There are some security risks, however, according to the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (Enisa). According to Finextra, Enisa reports the technology's privacy and audit trail can improve security, though the distributed ledger is open to other risks such as certain types of transaction hijacking and risks tied to the smart contracts that automatically trigger transactions. Enisa recommends companies monitor internal activity, automate regulatory compliance, disclose information only to relevant counterparts and authorities and to update the ledger in line with industry level governance standards.
A French bank's new sandbox: France has been getting more aggressive in pursuing and creating space for fintech developers, a trend that has led Societe Generale to launch an internal platform called Startup Radar for staffers to work on, locate and share information about new financial technology, according to FintechLab. The bank has invested in TagPay, which offers mobile services in Africa, and is hoping to build a database of financial technology to spot and guide innovation earlier.
Amazon's virtual reality: Amazon has been flexing its retail technology muscle recently, opening a checkout-free store, verbal ordering and even adding to its brick and mortar bookstore network. The company is now apparently moving toward virtual shopping. Amazon has reportedly listed a curious job in the company's product search and advertising technology division, Variety reports. The job posting includes building Amazon's VR shopping experience, suggesting the e-commerce marketplace may embed shopping into VR. Amazon's also expanding its dash buttons, embedding them in websites and adding a button that orders a mystery box of candy.
From the Web (powered by Wiser)
How banking apps and digital cash solutions are all the rage in India
The Economic Times of India • Pratik Bhakta
The goal of banks and mobile wallet solution providers now is to broaden the acceptance of digital payment offerings.
Why This Analyst Sees 30% Upside in PayPal
24/7 Wall St. • 247chrislange
Is PayPal a growth stock or a value stock? The answer may depend on whom you ask. And maybe that answer is both.
China’s fintech industry shows where the rest of the world is heading
Tech in Asia • Steven Millward
Worth US$2.2 trillion, China's fintech sector is already the planet's biggest - and it holds a lot of lessons for startups around the world.
More from PaymentsSource
Alternative payments are a 'victim' of Brexit
As Brexit starts to pick up steam in the coming year, the the impact on banks and the payment processing industry remain to be seen and will likely be far reaching.
Apriva touts milestone in ‘unattended’ EMV push
Unattended payment terminals have been among the last to see action in the U.S. migration to EMV, partly because their average low ticket values aren’t a big magnet for card fraud and operators are reluctant to plow money into new hardware in a low-margin business.
FICO, Ethoca collaborate on e-commerce crime fight
Toronto-based Ethoca and FICO have formed a partnership to enhance card issuers’ access to Ethoca’s tools providing immediate notification of card-not-present fraud in e-commerce transactions.
Dwolla funding round boosts faster payment development
Payments technology provider Dwolla has raised $6.85 million in a funding round as it seeks to continue development of its Automated Clearing House application interface and increase its sales operation.
