May 24, 2018--Vanilla Prepaid, the perfect gift for any occasion, has announced the sponsorship of eight Canadian high-performance athletes through a partnership with C3, the Canadian Cross-Training Club. The non-profit organization, located in Caledon, ON, provides opportunities for individuals of all athletic abilities to achieve improved health and personal fitness objectives.
May 22, 2018 --The Canadian Prepaid Providers Organization (CPPO) released its annual benchmark study, entitled Canadian Open-Loop Prepaid Market: 2017, revealing CAD$3.8 billion in total dollars loaded onto open-loop prepaid cards. In addition, there were significant increases to average loads per card in all 17 categories of corporate-, consumer- and government-funded cards. The open-loop market has achieved consecutive growth over the past three years, with a 27 percent increase between 2015 and 2017. The study was conducted by Mercator Advisory Group.
May 18, 2018--BMO and Air Miles have adjusted the reward program on their most popular Mastercard with no annual fee to allow cardholders to get rewards faster at over a dozen participating Air Miles Partners. Both new and existing cardholders will now get 2x the Miles at participating Air Miles Partners - that's 2 Miles for every $20 they spend on their BMO Air Miles Mastercard at participating partner retailers across Canada including Sobeys, IGA, Shell, Rexall, Jean Coutu, Safeway, and Lawtons.
May 14, 2018--Payments Canada, the Bank of Canada, TMX Group and Accenture have demonstrated that the instantaneous clearing and settlement of securities on-ledger is feasible, showing for the first time that both central bank cash and assets can be tokenized to complete an instant, end-to-end equity settlement on distributed ledger technology (DLT). Project Jasper is a collaborative research initiative between Payments Canada, the Bank of Canada and TMX group to experiment with an integrated securities and payment settlement platform based on DLT. Jasper III, a continuation of previous work launched in March 2016, is a proof of concept that was delivered by Accenture, leveraging R3's Corda DLT platform. It explores the impact and potential benefits of DLT on broader Canadian financial market infrastructure.
May 11, 2019--Boston Pizza, Canada's largest casual dining restaurant chain, is adding MyRestaurant mobile payment functionality from MyCheck into its MyBP loyalty program app at select locations within the Greater Toronto Area, as part of a pilot. The enhanced pay-at-table experience will enable Guests to check-in with the MyBP app, redeem personalized rewards that are synchronized with each restaurant's point-of-sale system (POS), review their bill, split a bill, and pay a bill using Apple Pay or traditional credit cards.
May 11, 2018--Cadillac Fairview we believe in building and maintaining shopper loyalty through the delivery of uniquely tailored services and experiences, created as a direct result of feedback and insights. Following months of research and analysis, CF revealed the development and launch of the company's symbiotic approach to loyalty, one that recognizes and rewards shoppers while helping build stronger relationships with the developer's clients. For CF, it menas loyalty will be constantly evolving, aiming to solve the future needs of shoppers. To validate the insights gained by this research, CF launched Loyalty experience pilots to test and trial the new approach.
May 10, 2018--Visa and PayPal extended their strategic partnership to Canada that will see them work collaboratively to accelerate the adoption of secure, reliable and convenient digital and mobile payments for consumers and merchants in Canada. The two companies are already collaborating in the U.S., Asia Pacific and Europe. This latest step brings the benefits of the partnership to Canadian consumers and businesses.
May 8, 2018 --Visa is expanding Visa Direct – a real-time push payments platform that allows companies to leverage Visa's global network to transform domestic and cross-border payments to businesses and consumers, in Canada. Peoples Payment Solutions, in working with TELUS Health and Payment Solutions, will be among the first companies in Canada to leverage the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) solution to better serve their customers with quick, simple and secure payments.
May 7, 2018--Generation Z (18 to 24 years old) are spending more time in physical retail stores but the reasons why may surprise you. Beyond the traditional focus on shopping for their favourite products, this generation is using the retail experience to socialize, interact, and be entertained, according to PwC Canada's Canadian Consumer Insights: Retail Evolution Report.
April 6, 2018--Canada's banking industry is facing increased competition from financial technology firms and weakening demand for mortgages and other consumer debt as interest rates continue to rise. Despite these challenges, pre-tax profits in Canada's banking sector continue to trend upward and are expected to climb to over $95 billion this year, according to The Conference Board of Canada's latest Canadian Industrial Outlook: Banking.
April 4, 2018--Class action lawsuits were brought in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Québec against Visa, Mastercard and a number of banks that issue their credit cards on behalf of all merchants in Canada who accept those credit cards. The lawsuits allege a conspiracy in setting higher interchange fees paid by merchants to accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards, and other restrictions. The allegations are denied.
March 15, 2018--Small businesses in Canada are ready for more payment options, according to a new Payments Canada survey. Businesses want more choice for their customers at point-of-sale and more options for their back-office payments to suppliers and vendors, such as e-transfers, e-wallets and digital currencies. Most importantly, small businesses want their payments to be safe and secure.
March 15, 2018-- TruRating, a technology company specializing in point-of-payment customer feedback solutions for online and brick-and-mortar businesses, announced today a partnership with Poynt, the maker of the world’s first smart terminal. TruRating will join Poynt’s Apps Marketplace, where merchants can select innovative solutions that enhance business operations beyond payments.
March 13, 2018---NetCents Technology Inc is working with Loyalty & Co., a Toronto based advisory firm to launch a new and innovative loyalty program for NetCents. The launch of the loyalty rewards program ties into the Company's imminent merchant release. With the integration of the first round of merchants nearing completion, the loyalty program will be used to reward consumers for activation, activity, and referrals in the NetCents platform and incentivize merchants for participating in the system.
March 12, 2018 --The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and Chase Merchant Services (Chase) announced today they have reached an agreement to further support Canadian small business. CFIB members will benefit from exclusive rates on American Express (Amex) transactions.
March 7, 2018 --With more than 9 in 10 Canadian Millennials owning a smartphone, this generation may be the most smartphone--savvy, but that doesn't mean they are doing everything they can to minimize their fraud risk when it comes to their mobile devices.
February 28, 2018--NACHA, The Electronic Payments Association and the Interactive Financial eXchange (IFX) Forum today jointly announced their intention to pursue a strategic combination of their organizations to accelerate and strengthen the development of standardized Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in support of the diverse global financial services industry.
February 27, 2018--Ingenico Group, the global leader in seamless payment, today launched Axium, its next-generation point-of-sale platform designed with acquirers’ clients in mind. It gives access to a complete cloud ecosystem for commerce, which builds on the open Android and Ingenico's Telium Tetra operating systems to converge business and payment.
February 22, 2018---The popularity of the Interac e-Transfer service continues to grow dramatically, as consumers and businesses used the platform in record numbers in 2017, making more than 241 million transactions, worth a total of more than $92 billion. Data released today by Interac Corp. show this is a 52-per-cent increase in volume and a 44-per-cent increase in total value over last year’s figures. Interac Corp. says three-quarters of people using online banking in Canada are registered to use its Interac e-Transfer service, with 7.4 million unique active users every month.
February 22, 2018---Shakepay, a Montreal-based fintech startup connecting users with their digital money, today announced the beta launch of its latest platform, a multi-currency, peer-to-peer mobile wallet that allows Canadians to buy and sell Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Shakepay users can now purchase Bitcoin directly from their phones with just one click.
February 22, 2018--Walmart Canada and Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery (SPUD) have an agreement to offer SPUD's food delivery platform, Food-X Urban Delivery Inc. (Food-X), to Walmart.ca customers in Metro Vancouver. Food-X helps Walmart fulfill last mile home delivery and — through shared warehousing and consolidation of orders — reduces waste, truck trips and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
February 22, 2018--Fit Pay, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NXT-ID, Inc. is now accepting pre-orders for Flip, a new contactless payment device that will enable cryptocurrency holders to use the value of their currency to make purchases at millions of retail locations. The new device, which was announced earlier this month, uses value exchanged from cryptocurrency to make traditional payment transactions.
February 20, 2018---EmployeeAssist Inc. launched PayTickr Time Tracking with Payroll SaaS software, including direct deposit ePayment integration with partner Telpay, out of Winnipeg, Canada. PayTickr is a solution for business with mobile workforces who are frustrated with manually tracking hours, incorrect payroll calculations, or hate their complex, expensive software.
February 6, 2018--The way Canadian businesses process payments costs them $2.9 to $6.5 billion annually, according to a new study by Payments Canada and Ernst and Young LLP (EY Canada). According to the report, delays in payments processing and a lack of data and transparency in payment messaging create a number of inefficiencies for small, medium and large enterprises.
February 5, 2018--Interac Association and Acxsys Corporation announced that they have completed a reorganization of their corporate structure resulting in an amalgamated entity called Interac Corp. Operating as a single corporate entity will give Interac Corp. the ability to better fund innovation and leverage resources, while at the same time reducing certain business, operating and legal complexities.
January 29, 2018--The emergence of Fintech startups and voice-powered artificial intelligence (AI) have altered people's expectations for banking. As a result, financial services organizations will leverage advancements in security and predictive technology as a means to improve their efficiency, agility and ultimately deliver a better customer experience, particularly beneficial for smaller and mid-size banks looking to transform how they go to market, according to a new set of predictions from experts at Unisys Corporation.
January 28, 2018--As Canada marks its 10th annual Data Privacy Day, Environics Analytics (EA), this country’s leading analytical and marketing services provider, believes this is an ideal time for all organizations to review their data governance practices. Strong privacy policies are expected by the public and benefit organizations too. Making it safe and easy for individuals to provide their information to marketers will result in better marketing—and improve people’s lives. And yet there is still more to do to ensure that data and analytics work being done by companies is based on the highest standards of data governance and that these practices are clear, accessible and transparent.
January 24, 2018 -- Ingenico Group today announced that Small World Financial Services has selected Ingenico as its trusted payment processing partner to help expand its global footprint. By leveraging Ingenico’s comprehensive suite of online and mobile payment processing technology, Small World is well-positioned to further grow its operations and offer its services to consumers in previously untapped markets. In addition, Ingenico’s omnichannel solutions, such as biometric terminals and unattended Kiosk solutions, will provide an even more convenient and seamless payments experience for Small World’s customers.
January 23, 2018 -- NetCents Technology Inc. is pleased to announce that the integration into the Poynt Smart Terminals has been completed and beta testing will be finalized over the next week. As of February 1, 2018, the NetCents Technology platform will be available to all Poynt Terminal retail merchants.
January 19, 2018 -- TransferWise has announced a partnership with Flinks, a FinTech startup from Montreal. Flinks is the only financial data aggregator dedicated to the Canadian market. As a partner application programming interface (API), it syncs financial apps with customers’ banks to verify account information, transactions, and balances in real-time.
January 16, 2018 -- First Global Data is very pleased to announce that it has entered into a Definitive Agreement with China Smartpay to deliver cross border payment solutions for Chinese vacation travelers and students studying overseas.
January 15, 2018 -- Today, Graft, a global, open sourced, payment gateway blockchain network designed for point-of-sale, announced that it would launch an Initial Coin Offering, or ICO, program to raise funds for the growth of its groundbreaking blockchain-based payments business. The ICO is scheduled to begin on January 18, 2018.
January 15, 2018--Moneris Solutions Corporation, Canada's largest processor of debit and credit payments, has joined with Kount to advance their online fraud protection platform that assesses customer transactions in real time. The Moneris Kount partnership will allow large businesses using the Moneris Gateway to reduce fraud exposure and chargeback risks from online and in-app transactions. Card-not-present (CNP) transactions are the highest risk for fraudulent payments that affect businesses today – specifically those that do mail order, telephone order or ecommerce transactions. Since Canada's shift to chip and PIN card transactions in 2011, CNP fraud has increased by 130 per cent.
January 15, 2018--After recording its strongest peak season in recent history, Purolator is already seeing high volumes of shipping activity continue into January. This increase in shipping volume over the holidays saw Purolator deliver over 12 million packages during its peak shipping period, in line with its projections. In its Retail locations, Purolator experienced a 24 percent increase in shipment and pickup activity during the same time period.
January 10, 2018 -- A new Visa survey of 1,000 Canadians exploring awareness and perceptions of biometric authentication confirms that consumers continue to have a strong interest in new biometric technologies that make their lives easier. New forms of authentication, such as fingerprint, facial, and voice recognition, can make unlocking accounts and payments much easier and more convenient than traditional passwords or PINs---which are difficult to type onto tiny keyboards, easy to forget, and can be stolen.
January 10, 2018 -- CGI has released a new report, Today's Financial Consumer: Open for Business, covering the results of its 2017 Global Financial Consumer Survey. Now in its fourth year, the survey assesses and provides insights into how consumers view their primary financial service providers, along with what consumers want and expect from their providers in the future. This year's survey includes the views of 2,250 respondents across nine countries.
January 4, 2018 -- Glance Technologies Inc. is proud to announce another milestone: since Glance launched the current version of its proprietary fraud prevention technology more than one year ago, its platform has experienced zero fraud across all of its live locations and all Glance Pay Anywhere remote payments. Glance intends to apply elements of its fraud prevention technology to its upcoming rewards and loyalty based cryptocurrency platform.
January 3, 2018 -- Mogo Finance Technology Inc. today announced that it plans to bring a new level of convenience and transparency to bitcoin ownership for all Canadians. With the planned launch of MogoCrypto in the first quarter of 2018, MogoMembers will be able to easily buy and sell bitcoin through their MogoAccount.
January 2, 2018 -- Telpay Incorporated announced a new venture and a new partner, whose services are designed to add value to customers of its all-in-one electronic payment system, Telpay for Business.The new venture, TelpayFX Inc., includes a new partnership with AFEX, one of the world's largest international payments providers. The global currency exchange provider for Telpay for Business customers, TelpayFX Inc. enables Canadian businesses to process currency conversions at ultra-competitive exchange rates. It also enables the purchase of "forwards", which can be used to minimize the impact of currency uctuations for up to 12 months.
