Banking the Unbanked Using Prepaid Platforms and Mobile Telephones in the U.S.
December 03, 2009

The rapid growth of mobile phone usage and the continuous rise in wireless coverage fuel the expectations that access to financial services through mobile phones could transform the way financial services are provided. The emergence of new and more efficient business models can potentially resolve...

How the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009 Would Change the Law and Regulation...
December 03, 2009

As part of its overhaul of financial services regulation the Obama Administration has proposed stronger protection of consumers of financial products and services.[1] The Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009 (CFPA Act), which the Administration submitted to the U.S. Congress on June 30, 2009,...

Square Aims at Mobilizing Payments
December 03, 2009

Once again the silicon valley is abuzz with talk about the new project from one of its heroes, but will Square, meet expectations? Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no...

Should We Ban Credit Cards? The Radical Policies Advocated by Some Behavioral Economics Scholars
December 03, 2009

In the previous two entries in this series I introduced you to the field of behavioral economics and then described some of the empirical work and insights from this new field. Unfortunately for those in the payments business, behavioral economics is also used to advocate...

5 Questions on Holiday Spending: eBillme’s Samer Forzley
December 02, 2009

For this year’s Briefing Room on Holiday Shopping, PYMNTS.com asked eBillme’s Vice President of Marketing, Samer Forzley, to offer his holiday shopping predections and to share what’s next for eBillme. The video of this interview is below. Get the Full Story Complete the form to...

Demystifying PCI Technologies
December 02, 2009

June 30, 2007 was a big day for data security. That was the deadline for organizations that store, process, or transmit credit card payments to be in compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). As the deadline approached, the media reported...

Podcast: SpendingPulse 2009 Holiday Preseason Update
December 01, 2009

MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, a macro- economic report tracking national retail and service sales, provided summary results for the first half of the month, through November 14, 2009. Retail sales were generally stable leading up to the holiday season, although some apparel sectors were showing mild...

SpendingPulse 2009 Holiday Wrap-Up Report
November 30, 2009

MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, a macro-economic report tracking national retail and service sales, today provided summary results for the holiday shopping season. The data showed year-over-year growth in the period between Black Friday through December 24 in all sectors measured. In addition, six out of ten...

Online Retailers to Emphasize Free Shipping, Social Media this Holiday Season
November 28, 2009

The economy is not only impacting shoppers, it’s affecting online retailers, too. According to results of Shop.org’s eHoliday Study, conducted by BIGresearch, shoppers will see changes in retail marketing and promotions this holiday season in response to economic uncertainty. Get the Full Story Complete the...