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Dunkin boosts startup's 'order ahead': Using a mobile app to order ahead is already a big part of Starbucks' digital strategy, and rival Dunkin Donuts is pursuing the feature. TechCrunch reports Dunkin Donuts is supporting Waze's Order Ahead app. Waze requires users to have the updated version of the Dunkin iPhone or Android app. Waze, which is expected to add other quick serve restaurants, has also partnered with Dunkin Donuts on marketing campaigns in the past. Dunkin also has its own mobile ordering and payment system, which was developed by some of the same programmers who worked in the Starbucks app. Order ahead apps have also become a major part of PayPal's merchant acquiring strategy, and is considered an important option for ISOs.
A car drives past a Dunkin' Donuts Inc. location in Ramsey, New Jersey, U.S., on Thursday, May 5, 2016. Dunkin' Brands Group Inc., a leading franchiser in the quick service restaurants (QSR) sector, operates in almost 60 countries around the world with more than 11,300 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants and 7,500 Baskin-Robbins locations. Photographer: Ron Antonelli/Bloomberg
Ron Antonelli/Bloomberg
mPOS Rescue: As the mobile payments technology industry becomes more crowded, advertising campaigns are also proliferating. Harbortouch has just entered a deal with Jon Taffer, the executive producer and host of Spike TV's "Bar Rescue," in which Taffer will endorse Habortouch's touchscreen point of sale system. Like many acquirers approaching a commoditized market for payments hardware, Harbortouch, which specializes in bar and restaurant payments systems, has been expanding its services, recently adding merchant credit to compete with Square and PayPal. The celebrity marketing campaign adds to its attempt at differentiation and brand recognition. Celebrity endorsements are common in the prepaid card industry, even though the practice is often panned. The practice is not as common in the point of sale hardware and software business. "We wanted to see if we could go a step further and do something entirely unique by helping our customers generate more revenue," said Jared Isaacman, Harbortouch CEO, in a release.
Digital Kenya: Kenya has long been an early adopter of financial inclusion technology, dating to the early days of MPesa to Visa's more recent activity to build digital payments in the African country. The country is now taking a whirl at 'faster payments' as KCB, the largest bank in East and Central Africa, partners with WorldRemit to build an instant transfer service. The service is designed to connect people inside Kenya with the three million Kenyans who live abroad. The partnership will include near real time transfers between KCB bank accounts, which is part of a broader attempt to fully digitize the Kenyan economy, according to Annastacia Kimtai, KCB's retail director, in a press release. In the first half of 2016, WorldRemit passed the milestone of one million transfer to Kenya, and consumers now send more than 65,000 transfers each month to Kenya, according to KCB.
Dissecting Disney's Magic: Disney's MagicBand, a bracelet given to guests at Disney World hotels and theme parks for payments, room access and other functions, is a lot more than a simple NFC device. It actually has two radios, according to Gizmodo, which tore apart a writer's MagicBand to see how it works. It has a short-range RFID radio and a long-range radio that's somewhere between a Bluetooth Low Energy device and a WiFi device. The short-range radio is used for the more obvious functions, like making payments and unlocking hotel doors. The long-range radio performs the more invisible tasks like tracking park patrons as they board rides such as Splash Mountain so that they get the right photo at the end, according to Gizmodo.
Apple Pay launches in Taiwan with support for 7 banks AppleInsider • Mikey Campbell Apple introduced Apple Pay to Taiwan on Wednesday local time with support for seven banks in the region, bringing the touchless payments system to to its 15th market.
New Quantum Gadget Could Make Contactless Payment More Secure Electronic Component News • Jmooney A prototype gadget that sends secret keys to encrypt information passed from a mobile device to a payment terminal, could help to answer public concerns around the security of contactless and wireless transactions.
More from PaymentsSource
How restaurants are getting more innovative with mobile, loyalty U.S. restaurants' EMV migration has lagged behind other retail categories for several reasons, including the hassles of replacing centralized payment systems with pay-at-the-table routines that chip cards often require. But another reason: Restaurateurs have other priorities.
Is AmazonFresh Pickup as fresh an idea as it seems? With AmazonFresh Pickup, a brick-and-mortar extension of its grocery delivery services, Amazon is edging further into the crowded grocery market with a model that downplays the process of wandering the aisles of a physical store. But unlike some of Amazon's other retail efforts, this one is not as big a departure as it first seems.
Viewpost, Visa partner to deliver B-to-B virtual cards Business-to-business payments network provider Viewpost will encourage more small and mid-size clients to convert to electronic payments through Visa virtual commercial cards.
House Republicans overcame internal divisions to narrowly pass President Trump's tax and spending package Thursday afternoon. The measure would cut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding level, among other provisions.
Atlanta-based CoastalSouth's initial public offering prices at $21.50 a share; Valley National Bancorp announces Lyndsey Sloan will succeed Gary Michael as general counsel; Webster Financial Corporation taps a new chief risk officer and appoints a new board member; and more in this week's banking news roundup.
Capital One closed the deal to buy the credit card provider in May and as part of the review process, decided to exit its home equity lending business.
