Bank technology

Recognizing that money issues stir up emotions, and wanting to draw people into its branches, Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) partnered with a software company to read people's feelings about money via a webcam on its new site: EmotionScan.

Google is sidestepping the telcos that seek to dominate the mobile wallet.

Cardtronics Inc. (CATM) has signed a long-term agreement with Houston-based Landmark Industries, naming Cardtronics the exclusive provider of ATM services for Timewise Food Stores, a Texas convenience store chain.

A record fine against Infosys Ltd. targets outsourcing companies and their alleged abuse of existing immigration laws to feed the insatiable desire for highly skilled engineers in the U.S.

A credit union client of technology and payments firm Jack Henry has integrated its software in accordance with new industry standards.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

A nascent network technology user group made up largely of bankers is insisting that vendors provide flexible, software-controlled networks.

Most surveys of bankers about cloud computing indicate that their biggest worry is security. But research released earlier this month by NTT Com Security found the key factor financial executives consider when evaluating a new delivery mechanism for an application, by a wide margin, was cost: 80% cited it. NTT interviewed 700 "IT decision makers" at companies with more than 500 employees in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Nordics.

Moven, a financial services startup, now lets users activate and deactivate debit cards from their smartphones.

Higher expenses made Green Dot's third-quarter profits fall 36% from a year earlier. The prepaid card issuer also said Thursday that it is adding six more products to its WalMart MoneyCard line.

Watches. Eyeglasses. Wristbands. Wearable computing is fast shaping into a potential tool bankers may someday use to speak to customers.

A bill designed to make operating prize-linked savings accounts easier for federally-insured financial institutions was introduced by members of Congress on Tuesday.

American Banker's monthly pulse reading of mobile banking activity shows no sign of slowdown in usage.

Mashreq Bank plans to open a branch in January without any staff, reports Arabian Business.

A St. Louis accelerator that counts Square-co-founder Jim McKelvey among its founders, is doling out cash to several fintech startups. SixThirty — named after both the height and width of the city’s Gateway Arch (630 feet) -- is being backed by the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Midwest investment firm Cultivation Capital. The fintech accelerator launched in early August.

A subsidiary of Banco Santander and headquartered in Dallas, Santander Consumer USA said it's using ViaWest's colocation service for its secure, cloud-computing operations that will eventually store Santander data.

Post recession, companies are designing software meant to rejuvenate saving account activities.

In an earnings call, FIS CEO Gary Norcross articulated a trend we’ve been following for several months: banks are charging for certain mobile banking services and getting away with it.

Since building loyal customers requires making changes across all areas of the organization, 'loyalty' or customer experience management programs should be geared towards change management, not market research.

Medieval heroes and oinking pigs are by no means typical features of banking apps. But financial institutions are beginning to add these and other characters as as gamification techniques take hold in the industry. The goal: make their apps more engaging and encourage consumers to pay greater attention to their money. Banks are also aiming to draw attention to new products to foster healthier living habits. Following is a peek at where banks are going with gamification.