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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:
A Dash of resistance: Amazon's Dash buttons had their beginnings in using a household's WiFi connection to automatically order stuff like toilet paper or laundry detergent pods when the supply ran low. The Dash buttons have caught on, more than tripling in variety, but it's likely that not even Amazon could have guessed what would come next. TechCrunch reports technology developer Nathan Pryor has used one of Amazon's more advanced customizable IoT Dash buttons, and wrote code that triggers a $5 donation to the ACLU whenever the user is mad about something President Trump says, or does, or tweets. Pryor has also made the code available to others who wish to do the same.
US President Donald Trump speaks after signing one of five executive orders related to the oil pipeline industry in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. Trump took steps to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines while foreshadowing a "renegotiation" of terms and insisting that developers use U.S. steel. Photographer: Shawn Thew/Pool via Bloomberg
Shawn Thew/Bloomberg
Android uses payments to push watches: Android Wear 2.0 is expected to support Near Field Communication-equipped smartwatches, and new promotional materials suggest Android is using the technology to encourage adoption. Engadget reports Google has released screenshots on the Play Store that show how smartwatch payments will work. People can pay by holding an NFC equipped Android Wear watch near a contactless terminal until the transactions is approved. The watch's screen will then display the transaction on a list. The market will be small at first, since most Android smartwatches do not have NFC capability, though LG and Google are expected to release NFC watches shortly.
India's ATM glitch: Hitachi Payment Systems said it's responsible for an ATM breach that resulted in a large debit card recall, according to Finextra. Auditors from Sisa spotted a malware infiltration at Hitachi servers that was undetected for about two months in the middle of 2016. The malware compromised debit cards, and led to State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank and Axis Bank advising some customers to change PINs while millions of other debit cards were recalled. The breach also led to international payment disruption and reduced ATM withdrawal limits.
Intelligent trouble shooting: As payment companies turn to voice recognition technology such as Nuance and Siri in an attempt to personalize payments and make customer service more sophisticated, European payment app Revolut has introduced Rita, or Revolut's Intelligent Troubleshooting Assistant. The virtual assistant resides in the Revolut app's messaging support, answering questions such as "how can I unblock my PIN?" and "what are today's exchange rates?" The company has completed a successful pilot, resolving 20% of customer queries, earning a customer satisfaction score of 4.3 out of five. The voice app should improve over time as it "learns" about consumers and is able to answer more customer-specific queries.
Omnichannel hits a snag Business Insider • B.I. Intelligence As e-commerce continues to rise, mobile shopping, both in-app and in-browser, is rising too.
The storefront is still the front line for innovation The brick-and-mortar store is still where the majority of transactions happen for customers; even with extensive online options for research and purchasing, there is clear evidence that customers are still being driven to stores to make their actual purchases.
Amex Serve expands tax-refund service to TaxSlayer Certain cash-strapped consumers expecting a tax refund this year will be waiting longer than usual to get their funds because of a new IRS rule, prompting American Express Co. to expand the channels available to taxpayers looking to get their refund quickly through its Serve prepaid card.
Apple Pay live at 36% of U.S. merchants: Report Consumers can use Apple Pay at 36% of U.S. merchants now, up from 16% a year ago, according to a new report from Boston Retail Partners (BRP).
An appeals court's decision will make it harder for consumer-lending-focused fintechs to operate in Colorado. But the impact could eventually be felt more widely, according to both industry groups and consumer advocates.
As opportunities grow for private student lending, Sallie Mae has entered a multiyear "strategic partnership" with the world's largest private equity firm.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, building on an executive order by President Trump, wants to eliminate the legal framework of "disparate impact" from its implementation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.
Acquisition talks fell through in the final hours, according to reports. Also: Visa launched another stablecoin pilot on Visa Direct; the Bank of England seeks input on stablecoin restrictions; and more in this week's global payments roundup.
The Treasury secretary highlighted the impacts the bond market has on affordability and previewed regulatory tweaks the administration is eyeing to keep yields stable and credit flowing.
