CHAPS Co. (CHAPS), the UK’s same day high-value electronic payment system, has announced the addition of BNP Paribas as a Direct Participant onto its system.

As a Direct Participant, BNP Paribas can now directly send and receive irrevocable, guaranteed sterling payments with same day finality, rather than through a third-party. Its customers will also benefit from enhanced payment security and mitigation of settlement risk.

 Huddle, the leader in secure collaboration tools for enterprise and government, today announced general availability of its desktop app, Huddle Desktop.

Lloyds Bank has today launched My Life Insurance; its first online protection service which offers customers life cover up to the value of £500,000. Customers can meet their protection needs by going through just six simple steps, with the innovation removing the time consuming barriers that can discourage customers from accessing quality products they so vitally need.

A simple, online service

Misys, the leading financial software company, has received the highest SWIFT Certification for its SWIFTNet Service Bureau, being recognised as a Premier Operating Practice.

Numerix (www.numerix.com), the leading provider of cross-asset analytics for derivatives valuations and risk management, announces today its plans to expand into Ireland with the opening of a new office.

While the introduction of Apple Pay in the UK offers an exciting new payments functionality for UK consumers, Apple faces several challenges if it is to meet a similar level of consumer adoption to that in the US.

Equiniti, the leading provider of technology and solutions to some of the best known brands and public sector organisations in the UK, has exchanged contracts to acquire TransGlobal Payment Solutions (“TransGlobal”).  TransGlobal is the technology company that powers the platform for the Group’s foreign exchange payments business, Equiniti International Payments.  The acquisition is subject to certain procedural matters that are expected to be concluded in the next six weeks.

 NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), the global leader in consumer transaction technologies, announced today that Vodat International is using Authentic, an intelligent payments platform from Alaric, an NCR business. Vodat is using the platform to underpin its Unified Payment Service, which is providing retailers with a managed, PCI-compliant card processing solution.

The unprecedented number of data breaches over the last year has increased investigation of attack patterns and deep post-breach analysis to reveal the root cause. Knowing your IT environment gives you better control over your most critical systems, but awareness of what is going on outside your perimeter gives you the opportunity to proactively prepare for possible cyberattacks. The negative experiences of other market players, especially in the financial sector, may serve as an excellent guideline for identifying existing gaps and strengthening your own security.