KIOSK Information Systems (KIOSK) is announcing a new bill payment software platform at the NRF Big Show, 2017, Booth #3805. The modular application provides a complete user flow for payment of multiple bills (via cash, card, and check) and common account inquiries. While unique customer features or additional flow paths can be readily integrated by KIOSK’s Application Development team, the base product license accomplishes the most common transaction functionality KIOSK has encountered with other major retail bill payment and money services clients.

KIOSK CEO, Tom Weaver, states, “Without question, bill payment is KIOSK’s most consistent and dominant market application. Many of our clients are in their second or third generation of self-service having already proven the enormous impact of automating literally millions of transactions each year. The ROI on in-store bill payment has moved it from a ‘nice to have’ in-store feature to a ‘must-have’ element to maximize store profits.”

Having worked with most of the dominant phone and cable service providers as well as leading electronic bill payment and money transfer clients, KIOSK’s Development Teams embarked on creating a more turnkey and modular software product, with a pre-established user flow for multi-bill account look-up and payment processing. By offering this as licensed functionality, KIOSK can reduce development timelines by 50% or more, leaving only specialized requests and client-specific API integration to complete.

KIOSK CTO, Charley Newsom, adds that “Our team has integrated our bill payment software with CORE K-NECT to include our proprietary remote monitoring and real-time alerts on connectivity, application status, and advanced payment component-level monitoring in the base product license. This capability, combined with our Intel Security Suite software stack options, creates a secure and PCI compliant total solution that has been vetted and deployed with Fortune 500 client applications. The custom hardware has always been a ‘given’ with KIOSK, but over the course of several years, we have developed a fully secured and finished TOTAL payment solution that we are very proud and excited to bring to market.”

Curve have teamed with over 50 leading UK retailers, including Marks and Spencer, House of Fraser, Boots, Waterstones and more with the launch of Curve Rewards, rewarding Curve users with up to 5% back on their spending at participating retailers.

Toward the end of 2016, ESMA published guidelines for transaction reporting under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) and Regulation(MiFIR).

Deloitte, which works with 90 percent of the largest financial institutions across its audit, tax, consulting and advisory businesses globally, has announced it has opened a client-focused blockchain lab in New York’s Wall Street district.
“Innovation is a top priority for Deloitte – we continue to strategically invest in our capabilities to help clients adapt to a world where success or survival depends heavily on innovation,” said Joe Guastella, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP and global financial services consulting leader. “Our ecosystem for education, ideation, strategy, application prototyping and development is there to support Deloitte’s clients and practitioners across industries in harnessing the opportunities and capabilities that blockchain technology has to offer.”

This builds on Deloitte’s broader digital transformation and innovation efforts, called “Grid by Deloitte,” which constitutes a network of labs around the world, among other initiatives. Deloitte Ireland opened the first blockchain lab in May, making the New York lab at 140 Broadway the second formal hub in Deloitte’s global network. While a number of centers of expertise for blockchain have organically grown within Deloitte’s network over the last two years, Deloitte expects to announce additional formal labs in 2017

The Americas blockchain lab has a dedicated team of more than 20 blockchain developers and designers. The team will focus on developing strategic blockchain capabilities and proofs of concept into functioning prototypes to create “ready-to-integrate” solutions for financial services clients.

The lab will work alongside specialist teams from other countries and with Deloitte’s network of more than a dozen preferred technology companies.

“With the technology not yet having reached widespread adoption, 2017 could be the make-or-break year for blockchain technology,” said Eric Piscini, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP, who leads the consultancy’s digital transformation and innovation efforts in the financial services industry. “Financial institutions have the power and ability to move blockchain to the next level. To get there, companies will need to move away from churning out proofs of concept and begin producing and implementing solutions. That’s a big part of the goal with Deloitte’s blockchain lab.”

In a recent Deloitte survey of blockchain-knowledgeable executives, just 12 percent of financial services executives surveyed said their company has deployed blockchain in production. But they are aiming to pick up the pace: 24 percent say their companies plan to go live with blockchain efforts in the coming year.

While the Americas blockchain lab will be mainly focused on working with financial institutions, it will be working with other industries as well, given blockchain technologies’ ability to create opportunities across all sectors of the economy.

Deloitte’s blockchain team – comprised of more than 800 professionals across 20 countries – works with international organizations looking to roll out blockchain-enabled solutions.

Deloitte has developed more than 30 blockchain-related prototypes, covering a multitude of uses such as digital identity, digital banking, cross-border payments, trade finance, and loyalty and rewards solutions, as well as distinct efforts for the investment management and insurance sectors.

Asia: where energy meets innovation

The Philippines and its neighbouring countries are among the most exciting ATM markets in the world. Banks are expanding their networks rapidly and are in a position to take advantage of the wide range of innovative solutions that today’s digital ecosystem has to offer. Low levels of banking penetration means that the opportunities to reach new customers are huge.

Local and international banks share ideas and perspectives

The Central Bank of the Philippines, Maybank, Land Bank of the Philippines, Beyond Bank and Standard Chartered Bank are just some of the institutions ready to discuss their experiences of self-service banking. From physical channels to digital, delegates can learn from case studies and leading industry perspectives in order to define and refine their own self-service strategies. The networking breaks and dedicated exhibition area*, showcasing the latest self-service solutions, provide further learning opportunities.

Self-Service Banking Asia 2017 builds on many years of successful RBR conferences in Asia, from Beijing to Mumbai, from Jakarta to Bangkok. RBR’s Managing Director, Dominic Hirsch, points out: “Self-Service Banking Asia is the leading ATM and self-service banking conference in the region: a unique spotlight on ATM, branch and digital innovation that showcases the most advanced solutions for the banks of today.”

Banks embrace opportunity to learn about latest solutions

Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, has teamed up with Easy, the largest transport app solution in Latin America, available in 12 countries, to greatly improve the quality of mobile services in Brazil. More than 150,000 taxi drivers in Brazil will use Gemalto's CE Quality of Experience (QoE) solution to collect Key Performance Indicators from mobile devices as they travel throughout 24 major cities. The detailed data and up-to-the-moment QoE event maps are used by mobile operators, Over-The-Top service providers and device makers to improve networks, handsets and value-added services for customers while boosting competitive advantage in the marketplace.  

​Gemalto's QoE solution operates unnoticed in the Easy app, securely collecting anonymous data such as type of mobile device, device behavior, network traffic patterns, battery consumption data, no service areas, 2G, 3G and 4G handover, WiFi consumption and many more. It operates across different devices and networks and provides unique benchmarking and competitive analysis insights that help mobile operators optimize connectivity performance and improve subscriber offerings. Consumer usage data available by region helps service providers develop attractive segmented rates and value added offers while information about events that lead to device and battery strain help Original Equipment Manufacturers optimize designs to improve device performance. Gemalto's QoE is compatible with virtually all operating systems and will initially launch for driver Android devices before expanding to other platforms and customer apps. 

"With strong global mobile operators relationships and outstanding consulting support, the partnership with Gemalto is ideal to help us leverage our Easy app to expand new services to the wireless industry while gaining a new revenue stream," said Jorge Pilo, Global CEO at Easy. "The intuitive, easy to use Gemalto QoE software helps us quickly personalize the app, dashboard and reports to meet varying needs of wireless industry customers," concludes Pilo.

​ ​"Easy is uniquely positioned to disrupt traditional business models by leveraging Gemalto's QoE solution," said Rodrigo Serna, President for the Americas at Gemalto. "Easy has a clear visibility of network and connectivity performances, enforcing the quality of their service to thousands of daily users."

 Munnypot, a new service offering clear, affordable online financial advice to all is live from today.

Munnypot’s founders aim to help close Britain’s financial advice gap, which affects 16 million people¹, by making high quality advice available to everyone.

Munnypot is an online savings and investment service giving anyone straightforward automated financial advice in a language they can understand, at a fraction of the cost of most financial advisers. The service requires a minimum investment of £25 per month and/or a £250 single investment amount.

It provides an intuitive WhatsApp style ‘chat-based’ user-interface that advises people on their savings and investment decisions. Conversational and jargon-free questions, coupled with state of the art technology and algorithms, learn about your financial situation and risk profile to help set the lifestyle goals you’re investing towards.

For each goal, from saving for a house deposit or a dream holiday, the time-frame, target amount and risk profile of each savings pot can be individually tailored to meet the needs of that investment. Munnypot then offers clear advice on where to invest your money², and monitors your investment 24/7 to help ensure your goals are on track.

Unlike some other robo-advisors on the market, Munnypot doesn’t just track customer accounts, it works 24/7 to help ensure they achieve their goals– alerting people, in real time, when their goals are off-track and providing straight forward financial advice to help get them back on track.

Fees are clear, all-inclusive and affordable – not hidden behind layers of jargon or buried in lengthy T&C’s. Munnypot’s quick and easy fee calculator is designed to remove any confusion for investors by presenting costs upfront. For example, those looking to invest a total contribution of between £250 and £2,500 would pay a £5 one off fee for initial advice and a £0.42p monthly monitoring fee.

Munnypot launches as new data³, out today, reveals that almost a third (32%) of Britons don’t currently save any of their annual income. Despite this, the vast majority (76%) of people say they want to save more each month. But almost a quarter (24%) dismiss saving accounts as ‘pointless’ due to record low interest rates³.

Simon Redgrove, co-founder of Munnypot, said, “Wealthy investors have been using first generation robo-advice services for years, but until now they’ve not been accessible to the majority of people, particularly those who have little or no savings.  We’re aiming to change that with a more intuitive and more cost-effective service that anyone with £25 a month to invest can use. We are determined to help Britain fall in love with saving again.”