All articles by Patrick Brusnahan

The year of the crypto currency begins with a whimper

At the end of last year, many industry experts were predicting that 2015 would be the year that bitcoins were finally legitimised and would finally be a mainstream alternative currency.

Within seven days of the New Year, Europe’s biggest bitcoin exchange was hacked, leading to a major loss. Patrick Brusnahan writes

Will consumers like it or poke it away?

The payments industry is seeing an influx of institutions trying to secure their own share of the sector. One of the most interesting trends is the emergence of social media providing a payment option, but everybody is wondering: Will it actually be successful? Patrick Brusnahan investigates

Social media and the payments challenge

The payments industry is seeing an influx of institutions trying to get their own share of the sector. One of the most interesting trends is the emergence of social media providing a payment option, but everybody is wondering if they will actually be successful? Patrick Brusnahan investigates

Europe’s biggest bitcoin exchange hacked

Bitstamp, Europe’s leading bitcoin exchange, has suspended operations following an apparent breach which led to a loss of millions of dollars of the virtual currency.

RBC becomes the first North American financial institution with HCE

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has added Host Card Emulation (HCE) to its RBC Mobile app.

Should payments have a social side?

As technology continues to improve and engagement increasingly becomes a buzzword in the payments industry, social payments are becoming a truly appealing prospect, particularly to consumers of younger generations. Patrick Brusnahan looks into this trend and whether payments should actually have a ‘social’ side

ING set to lose 1,700 staff in new IT system implementation

ING is preparing to lose nearly 2,000 staff members after spending €200m ($248m) on its ‘omni-channel’ digital banking system in the Netherlands.

Shellshock is the latest threat to banking’s security

In a time where it is said that a bank is hit by a cyber attack every minute, the recently discovered Shellshock bug, derived from the UNIX Bash shell, has had UNIX and Linux system users scared for the safety of their accounts. The problem is that the bug affects more people than first thought. Patrick Brusnahan investigates

Start-ups in suits – CaixaBank tackles wearable technology in their annual hackathon

Corporates have long since realised big business isn’t the best environment for creativity. This goes double for banking. The FinAppsParty hackathon is Caixabank’s latest attempt to build new technology and stay ahead of the fast moving curve. Patrick Brusnahan reports

Twitter to incorporate bank transfers in France

Twitter has joined Apple and Facebook in the tech giant race to gain a foothold in financial services.