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Welcome to the PaymentsSource Morning Briefing, delivered daily. The information you need to start your day, including top headlines from PaymentsSource and around the Web:
Google I/O predictions: Google's annual developer's conference begins today, and its announcements could change how commerce is handled on its devices. Engadget's predictions focus on the technologies that are overdue for an update: Instant Apps, which could allow users to launch an app-like interface for purchases without downloading a full app; Android Wear 2.0, its updated smartwatch platform with NFC support; and Chrome, its browser and operating system that is rumored to be getting a new payments API. Ars Technica throws in a prediction of a standalone VR headset, advancing a technology that has already attracted interest from banks like RBC.
Cutting them off: A new app is designed to curb drunkenness by banning alcohol purchases when a person's inebriation reaches a certain level, reports Wareable. Called Drnkpay, the app links credit and debit cards to a breathalyzer. It can trigger a 12-hour block on certain types of spending that could be dangerous if drunk, such as e-commerce purchases or more booze. After that 12 hour period, each time a user wants to make a payment from the "banned" list, he or she has to use the breathalyser. Once the user is back under the legal alcohol limit, the card is unlocked. A startup called iBe TSE developed the app, citing a poll of 1,000 U.K. consumers who admitted to drunken impulse purchases of flying lessons, lifetime membership in a rowing club, 30 pairs of flip flops, a live chicken and $300 worth of vintage Star Wars toys. iBe plans to launch the app in the next 12 months.
Pairing low credit with low fees: LendUp, which launched to tackle the problems in payday lending, is now offering a credit card with similar goals. The credit card is meant for consumers with little or no credit and has a focus on financial education, TechCrunch reports. “We’re becoming a multi-product company for the new emerging middle class,” LendUp co-founder and CEO Sasha Orloff told TechCrunch, and its products are meant to remove a lot of the frustration consumers face when they have poor or no credit. It provides an instant decision, no security deposit, and fees of no more than $5 a month. Its APR will not exceed 29.99%; both the APR and the monthly fee vary depending on the applicant's creditworthiness, the article notes. The company also designed its mobile app to encourage users to pay off their balances and reduce overall spending. The card is issued by Beneficial State Bank.
Banks battle fintechs over screen scraping: Shortly after technology companies lobbied European regulators to remove a ban on screen scraping from the pending Payment Services Directive 2, the banks have lobbied back. The European Banking Federation says screen scraping, or the lifting of details from a website to provide services such as personal financial management (PFM), are a security and data risk. The PSD2 is designed to increase competition by easing access to consumer data, but there's disagreement over how much access. The technology companies contend the screen scraping ban would give the banks too much control over what data is shared, placing startups at a disadvantage. The banks contend screen scraping is old technology and APIs would provide the same result, only safer and with more control for clients over data sharing.
From the Web (powered by Wiser)
Lawmakers believe MoneyGram acquisition is a threat
Business Insider • Ayoub Aouad
Ant Financial, the parent company of top Chinese mobile wallet Alipay, has received renewed criticism from several US lawmakers in its ongoing attempt to...
A famous venture capitalist predicts big banks will fall first to artificial intelligence
Quartz • Dave Gershgorn
Wall Street will be one of the first and largest industries to be automated by artificial intelligence, predicts Kai-Fu Lee, China’s most famous venture capitalist…
Apple Pay goes live in Italy with support for Boon, Carrefour and UniCredit
AppleInsider • Mikey Campbell
As rumored, Apple Pay went live for Italian customers on Wednesday local time with initial support from Carrefour, UniCredit and prepaid card marketed by Boon, bringing the service to its 16th market.
More from PaymentsSource
How RBC used blockchain to make loyalty less abstract
Royal Bank of Canada is applying blockchain technology to its loyalty program, in an effort to make its rewards more tangible and accessible.
Conversational commerce can unlock e-commerce shopping
For retailers to unlock the potential of brand-to-consumer interactions today, they must go significantly beyond siloed personalization applications and widgets.
MoneyGram shareholders vote to approve acquisition by China's Ant Financial
MoneyGram’s stockholders have voted to approve a deal to be purchased by China’s Ant Financial for $1.2 billion.
Samsung Pay takes on Apple and Google in the U.K.
Samsung Electronics Co. has made its Android and Apple Pay competitor available in the U.K. Tuesday, as it attempts to play catch-up in one of the major markets for contactless payments.
