7.19.19 Your morning briefing

The information you need to start your day, from PaymentsSource and around the Web:

Toy story

Toys "R" Us parent company Tru Kids Brands is collaborating with retail software company b8ta on experiential retail as the toy seller tries to recover from its bankruptcy filing in 2017.

B8ta, which has also worked with other retailers such as Macy's that were closing stores, will give toy brands the chance to deploy interactive displays and manage in-store experiences, such as directions to in-store point of sale or online payments, reports TechCrunch. There will also be interactive displays for shoppers.

The first two stores will open in Houston and New Jersey, and will be 6,500 square feet, with future stores having 10,000 square-foot floor plans. Most traditional Toys "R" Us stores were about 30,000 square feet.

ToysRUsBL
Signage is displayed on the exterior of a Toys 'R' Us retail store in the Queens borough of New York, U.S., on Friday, May 11, 2018. As playtime ends for Toys 'R' Us, customers are being invited to attend the bankrupt company's final sales and snap nostalgic selfies with a Geoffrey the Giraffe banner and the #alwaysatrukid hashtag. Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg
Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg

Searching Libra

Politicians quickly jumped in to call for regulations on Facebook's Libra, or even an outright ban, though public interest has not tipped the scales, at least in terms of web searches outside of China.

Libra is the third most searched topic in China, reports Coindesk, which based its reporting on search figures from Weibo and Google. It's an odd result given cryptocurrency, Facebook and Google are all heavily restricted or totally illegal in China, meaning people are finding a workaround just to search for Libra.

China is also the top nation for Libra web searches, ahead of Luxembourg and Singapore. The U.S. is 14th among nations in Libra web searches.

App green light

An app only financial institution called 86 400 has received a regulatory license in Australia, clearing its way for a launch in the upcoming weeks.

The startup is positioning itself as an alternative to Australia's "Big Four" banks by offering apps that power payments and savings accounts with an expansion into broader products later.

At launch it will support the major mobile and wearable wallets, Visa debit cards, and an overlay service to Australia's New Payment Platform, which powers mobile P2P transfers, reports Finextra.

Biometric cards

Fingerprint cards and Giesecke + Devrient are building biometric contactless payment cards, with an initial deployment at Credit Agricole in France.

The cards use Fingerprints' T-shape module, which is designed to be integrated into smart cards using standard processes.

The collaboration comes as banks incrementally deploy contactless cards, and biometric authentication expands to include use cases such as transit.

From the Web

Mastercard R&D boss says Facebook digital currency has ‘good intentions’
Yahoo Finance | Thu July 18, 2019 - Speaking at an event for its concept payment technology, Ken Moore, the head of the Mastercard Labs research and development arm of the firm, said the new currency could help make the technology more accessible.

Wirecard to handle card payments for ALDI supermarket chains
Reuters | Fri July 19, 2019 - Wirecard, the German payments company, said it had signed an agreement with supermarket chains ALDI Nord and ALDI Sued to process card payments at all their stores in the country.

Credit cards on the decline in Singapore amid e-payment rise, tighter regulations
The Straits Times | Thu July 18, 2019 - Credit cards are on the decline, a trend analysts attribute to tighter regulations to curb excessive debt and the growing use of e-payments. But the income banks earn from credit cards continues to rise, a positive picture seen at all the three major local banks.

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