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Facebook's restaurant order: As Facebook embeds itself deeper into loyalty marketing, it's also positioning itself in "order ahead," another popular e-commerce feature. Facebook has added a new option called "Order Food," which places pickup and delivery orders from restaurants that use Delivery.com or Slice, according to TechCrunch. The feature is indicated by a multi-colored hamburger icon on desktops and a blue and white hamburger icon on mobile apps, and the entire process takes place on Facebook when using the Order Food feature. The service is an expansion of an earlier collaboration between Facebook and the two ordering apps that allowed users to place orders at participating restaurants via a "start order" button on the restaurants' Facebook pages.
A man stands and checks his Apple Inc. iPhone 6s whilst framed against an illuminated wall bearing Facebook Inc.s 'Thumbs Up' symbol in this arranged photograph in London, U.K., on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015. Facebook Inc.s WhatsApp messaging service, with more than 100 million local users, is the most-used app in Brazil, according to an Ibope poll published on Dec. 15. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
A rival for Messenger?Facebook Messenger is rapidly becoming more transactional, and messaging app Telegram is upping its game. Telegram has launched Payments for Bots, which lets users compensate bots for services rendered, Engadget reports. Stripe is powering payments in the U.S., RazorPay will back the service in parts of Africa and Yandex Money will supply processing in Russia. Payments for Bots works with Apple Pay, and Telegram will allow developers to build products for the payment portal without prior approval. Telegram is adding another new feature, Instant View, which makes it easier for users to share articles; and Telescope, which allows users to record and share videos over public URLs.
Amazon Go's European vacation: Amazon may still be smoothing out the wrinkles of its cashier-free retail store design in the U.S., but it has a global vision for Amazon Go. The e-commerce giant has filed trademark applications for phrases related to Amazon Go in the U.K. and the European Union, according to The Verge. The applications cover four slogans used to market Amazon Go, such as "No Lines, No Checkout. (No, Seriously)" and the more European-sounding "No Queue, No Checkout. (No, Seriously)," the article states. The Amazon Go concept store is still in the testing phase in the U.S., where the company is figuring out how its technology for identifying shoppers and products can better cope with crowds.
WannaCry gets elusive: IT security experts are having a hard time figuring out the WannaCry ransomware attack, which impacts banks, government agencies and large companies, according to Reuters. Researchers can't find early traces of the WannaCry strain, which remains an active threat in parts of Asia. Security experts have discovered the reasons for the attack's success. Two thirds of the victims were running old versions of Windows 7, and were not installing security upgrades, according to Reuters. The wire service also reports that less than half of global PC users are still using this older version of Windows. There's also signs that a new enhanced strain of the ransomware could be released soon.
Mobile Payment Platform Verse Pockets $20.5M in Series B Funding Crowdfund Insider • Erin Hobey Mobile payment platform Verse closed a $20.5 million Series B round of funding led by Spark Capital, according to multiple news sources. eVentures and Greycroft Partners also participated in the round whose funds will be added to the $8.3M in Series A...
What Do Millennials Spend All Their Money On? Mother Jones • Kevin Drum A few days ago, Australian real-estate mogul Tim Gurner had some harsh words for millennials who are unhappy that they can't afford to buy a house: “When I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn’t buying smashed avocado for $19...
IBM wants to enable near-term benefits for blockchain IBM's new Blockchain Founder Accelerator could better position the distributed ledger technology as a platform for mainstream payments, but the technology giant wants to start with baby steps.
U.K. regulators look at banks' role in money-transfer fraud The U.K.’s Payment Systems Regulator is escalating its inquiry into the role banks play in preventing money-transfer scams where consumers are tricked into sending funds to fraudsters.
United Bank for Africa takes Mastercard debit push to Cameroon Nigeria-based United Bank for Africa (UBA) has introduced a Mastercard debit card available via instant-issue at its branches in Cameroon in a new phase of its push to expand debit usage throughout Africa.
Bank advocates and lawmakers have endorsed removing management considerations from the key supervisory ranking, arguing that it is too prone to subjectivity. But some policy experts say doing so could leave certain risks unchecked.
As it rolls out dozens of new products to up its game in stablecoins and artificial intelligence, the payment company is also working with sellers wishing to expand activities involving non-U.S. corridors.
Jim Richards, who served as the bank's head of anti-money-laundering compliance, says the Federal Reserve is wrongfully denying him compensation that was designed to keep him employed at Wells Fargo.
New Jersey-based ConnectOne Bancorp received FDIC approval for its merger with First of Long Island Corp; lending-services fintech Oportun makes changes to its board of directors; Associated Banc-Corp's Steven Zandpour will succeed David Stein as head of consumer and business banking; and more in this week's banking news roundup.
