Latest Blockchain News: Finextra Research

Southern Africa plans Sepa-style payments harmonisation

A project run by central banks of the 15-member Southern African Development Community aims to complete a pilot project harmonising the payment infrastructures of the four Rand Monetary Area countries within two years.

26 October 2010

News/Blockchain

Barclaycard explores contactless future

Barclaycard is set to ramp up its investment in contactless technology with the introduction of new form factors, including NFC stickers for mobile handsets and pre-paid wristbands for festival goers.

30 September 2010

News/Blockchain

Facebook to sell virtual currency gift cards at US retail stores

Social media giant facebook is to offer gift cards loaded with Credits at retail stores across the US, beginning with the Target supermarket chain.

01 September 2010

News/Blockchain

Facebook moves virtual currency offline

Social network facebook is taking its virtual currency to the streets of South East Asia through a partnership with Internet payment group MOL Global.

09 July 2010

News/Blockchain

Offerpal Media launches virtual currency and gift card exchange

Virtual currency outfit Offerpal Media, has launched a Web site that lets customers earn credit for use in online games when they shop at certain retailers, complete surveys or convert gift cards.

05 May 2010

News/Blockchain

Cash no longer king as Brits turn to debit cards

Cash has seen its position as king of payments challenged in the UK over the last 10 years by alternatives such as debit and contactless cards and the Internet, says the Payments Council, which predicts the trend will continue, leaving notes and coins all but redundant by 2050.

14 April 2010

News/Blockchain

Visa launches virtual debit card programme in Japan

Visa has partnered Japan Net Bank (JNB) on the country's first virtual debit card programme for online merchant payments.

26 February 2010

News/Blockchain

Forex social media start-up creates own currency

Currensee, the start-up social network for personal and professional forex traders, is to start issuing its own virtual currency which can be exchanged for goods and services over the site.

19 November 2009

News/Blockchain

China emerges as a growth market for non-cash payments

China is fast catching up with the US and Europe as a growth market for non-cash transactions, according to the latest edition of the annual World Payments Report from The Royal Bank of Scotland, Capgemini and Efma.

09 September 2009

News/Blockchain

Virtual world banker steals customers' interstellar kredits to pay off real debt

The CEO of a bank in virtual world Eve Online has stolen in-game currency worth thousands of real dollars from his customers and traded it in for proper cash on the black market.

03 July 2009

News/Blockchain

China bans use of virtual cash for trade in the wider economy

China has banned the use of virtual currency in the trade of real goods and services in a bid to limit its possible impact on the financial system.

30 June 2009

News/Blockchain

Facebook begins testing virtual payments system

Social networking site Facebook has begun testing its much-anticipated virtual currency payments system with third party application GroupCard.

01 June 2009

News/Blockchain

RZB CEO Walter Rothensteiner to deliver keynote at EBAday 2009

The Euro Banking Association and Finextra are calling for community input on the agenda for EBAday 2009 in Vienna, Europe's premiere payments exhibition and conference.

17 April 2009

News/Blockchain

Lloyds TSB creates innovation stockmarket

Lloyds TSB has introduced an internal artificial currency and stockmarket in ideas in a bid to foster an innovation culture at the UK bank.

12 December 2008

News/Blockchain

Second Life introduces euro currency exchange for virtual residents

E-payments specialist GlobalCollect and DX Exchange have teamed to enable residents of virtual world Second Life to exchange euros for in-game Linden dollars online.

17 November 2008

News/Blockchain

Alternative payment methods stealing market share from bank cards online - study

Consumers shopping online are increasingly turning away from traditional financial institution-controlled credit and debit cards to embrace cash-based alternative payment options, according to an analysis by US-based Javelin Strategy & Research.

11 November 2008

News/Blockchain

EC sets out e-money legal framework

The European Commission (EC) has set out proposals for a legal framework governing the issuance of electronic money which it hopes will accelerate take-up of the technology.

13 October 2008

News/Blockchain

E-Gold brings in KPMG to beef up AML programme

Digital cash transfer outfit E-Gold has retained KPMG to help improve its anti-money laundering (AML) programme following a criminal case that saw directors plead guilty to charges relating to money laundering and the operation of an illegal funds transfer business.

03 October 2008

News/Blockchain

MasterCard issues 20 millionth PayPass device; foresees shift away from cash

MasterCard has marked the issuance of its 20 millionth PayPass device with a consumer survey that indicates a growing acceptance of contactless payments as a replacement for hard cash.

10 December 2007

News/Blockchain

Ukash goes mobile

Digital cash outfit Ukash is partnering with Vodafone to offer its debit and credit card alternative via mobile phones.

06 December 2007