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Paul Penrose

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

Citi's bank-branded mobile handset

From the public filings of the US Federal Communications Commission - a mobile phone manufactured by Mobicom but branded by Citibank. The phone has no numeric keypad but instead uses basic navigation buttons to interact with onscreen menus. Features include an MP3 player, speakerphone, PIN entry and NFC technology for making credit card payments....

/payments /retail Futuristic Banking

Paul Penrose

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

Retailers count the cost of interchange

The European Retail Round Table has warmly welcomed the announcement of the European Commission that it is opening competition proceedings against Visa in relation to its multilateral interchange fees (MIF) for cross-border point of sale transactions. The lobby group, which represents 15 of Europe's largest retailers, is urging the Commission to t...

/payments EBAday

Paul Penrose

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

First contact for contactless payments

Sandwich chain EAT has become the first UK retailer to go live with an integrated contactless point of sale terminal. The upgraded Chip and PIN terminal has been installed at EAT’s Moorgate branch and enables the retailer to select the method of payment that customers want to use – either cash, Chip and PIN or contactless. Over the coming weeks, ...

/retail Trends in Financial Services

Paul Penrose

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

Dimon fills his boots with Visa and Bear double-whammy

It's a safe bet that Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan's chief executive won't be losing too much sleep after legal snags and investor opposition forced the firm to quintruple it's offer for Bear Stearns from the bargain-basement price of $2 per share to a slightly more palatable $10 per share. Yes, it is a bit of a climb-down, but for his $1.2 billion outla...

/retail /wholesale Finextra50 fintech index

Paul Penrose

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

Misys gets reverse Midas touch

Misys boss Mike Lawrie and largest shareholder ValueAct Capital seemed to be onto a winner when they announced a deal earlier this week to spin off the company’s ailing healthcare business and merge it with rival Allscripts. News of the deal – accompanied by an upbeat interim statement from the banking division – lifted Misys’ share price by 20% f...

/retail /wholesale Finextra50 fintech index

Paul Penrose

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

Rhapsody in red ink

The lyrical e-mail that's currently doing the rounds of investment bank inboxes: Subject: CDO fantasy - to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody Is this the real price? Is this just fantasy? Financial landslide No escape from reality Open your eyes And look at your buys and see. I’m now a poor boy High-yielding casualty etc, etc. FT Alphaville has the...

/wholesale Whatever...

Paul Penrose

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

In banking it pays to be disloyal

We know it costs more money to recruit a new customer than to cross-sell to an existing customer. We know also that a satisfied customer is a happy customer and good for some free word-of-mouth marketing to new prospects. So why is it that financial services companies continue to cheat and penalise their most loyal customers at any and every availa...

/retail Trends in Financial Services

Paul Penrose

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

Chew on this cubicle-dwellers

Is it an adventure theme park….a children’s nursery….a health spa? No, it's Google’s new European engineering HQ in Zurich. The 'office' space features meeting 'pods' in the style of Swiss chalets and igloos, fireman poles to allow easy access between floors and a slide to ensure that people can get to the cafeteria as quickly as possible Other ar...

/retail /wholesale Video extravaganza

Paul Penrose

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

Do you remember the first time? A Sibos virgin tells all

When was your first Sibos? It’s one those perennial questions for veterans of the international fintech circuit. Swift’s first international banking and operations seminar took place in 1978, attracting 300 participants to Brussels. When the doors open for Sibos 2008 in Vienna, some 70000 visitors are expected to attend. As it happens, my first Si...

/payments /wholesale Finextra@Sibos

Paul Penrose

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

NatWest rides the offshore backlash

Picture the scene. Three UK banking personnel discuss where to locate their new call centre during a brainstorming exercise at a resort in Spain. While two of the bank staff bounce around ideas for various exotic overseas locations, the third chips in with the novel suggestion of locating the call centre in the UK. This is greeted by hoots of deri...

/retail Video extravaganza

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