The information you need to start your day, from PaymentsSource and around the Web:
Gold rush
Through a collaboration with MMTC-PAMP, consumers can buy and sell gold via their smartphones, reports
Heat for N26
German regulator BaFin has spotted several regulatory problems at Berlin-based challenger bank N26, including staffing, engineering and outsourcing.
The startup, a favorite among
N26's regulatory troubles follow similar issues at
Bakkt hires PayPal and Google vet
Bitcoin exchange Bakkt has hired Mike Blandina to be chief product officer. Blandina was formerly head of payments and credit engineering at PayPal and was a director who helped lead the engineering behind Google Wallet.
At Bakkt, his responsibilities will include developing payment use cases for cryptocurrency, reports
Amazon's bots
Amazon has a history of acquiring technology companies to bolster its logistics, such as buying smart doorbell company
In a new deal, the e-commerce company has acquired Canvas Technology, a Boulder, Colo.-based robotics company. Amazon hopes to use the technology to streamline operations in warehouses and other fulfillment centers, reports
Amazon rival
From the Web
CoinDesk | Thu April 11, 2019 - New York-based payments startup Flexa just raised that amount in a private token sale involving Pantera Capital, 1kx, Nima Capital, Access Ventures and others. The startup’s token, Flexacoin, is an ethereum-based ERC-20 token that will eventually be used by developers and businesses to stake value on Flexa’s network for merchant payment processing.
ZDNet | Fri April 12, 2019 - The world's top 10 mobile payments adopters are in eight Asian markets including Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines, according to PwC's Global Consumer Insights Survey 2019. Vietnam is the fastest-growing global market in mobile payments. Across the globe, China leads the pack with 86 percent of its population tapping mobile payments.
The Straits Times | Fri April 12, 2019 - Hackers used South-east Asian banks to receive funds from 83 percent of all studied fraudulent transactions in 2018 and 2019, according to global payments network Swift. The remaining 17 percent were spread across Europe, North America and the Middle East, Swift said in a recent report.
More from PaymentsSource
Pinterest, the social media app known for its image-based pin boards, is preparing to go public. Pinterest is being led by co-founder, president and CEO Ben Silbermann, who created the company by the name of Cold Brew Labs, Inc. in October 2008 and then later changed the name to Pinterest according to its SEC S-1 registration filing.
Alipay Financial Services’ Hong Kong unit is collaborating with McDonald’s, enabling consumers to order and pay for items at the fast-food chain within the AlipayHK wallet.
Social media commerce platform provider Jumper.ai is helping Amazon merchants complete online transactions without the buyer being redirected to the Amazon online marketplace.
With the end-of-life date for ATMs running Windows 7 quickly approaching, financial institutions (FIs) are being forced to amend migration strategies and budgets to accommodate Windows 10.
