All articles by Stafford Thomas
Stafford Thomas
UK retailers’ poor response to consumer needs
Consumers in the UK are ready for change in the retail payments space and in many respects have remarkable insight into the potential convenience new technologies can deliver, reveals a study undertaken by the Royal Bank of Scotlands payments processing division RBS WorldPay The research into consumers thoughts on payments in the retail sector found that the majority seven out of 10 want faster, less hassle and more secure payment solutions In particular, 67 percent of consumers wished that independent retail outlets offered more card solutions and nearly half of consumers admitted that they would rather pay for all transactions by card and not bother with cash at all
ING bolsters its European e-invoicing position
In a move aimed at strengthen its position in the fast-growing European electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) market, ING Groups ING Wholesale Banking unit has increased its stake in Dutch-based electronic invoicing specialist Anachron to 30 percent for an undisclosed sum Anachrons online e-invoicing service spans 25 European countries.Comments by Robert Heisterborg, ING Wholesale Bankings global head of payments and cash management, underscore INGs optimism on growth prospects in the E-invoicing market
Uphill battle against cash’s dominance
This may change with the advent of new technologies, in particular contactless payments, believe some industry experts In sheer size Germany ranks as one of the worlds biggest electronic payments markets, with the Deutsche Bundesbank (DB), the countrys central bank, recording13.2 billion non-paper based payments in 2007, or some 160 per capita In addition, 1.04 billion paper-based credit transfers and 81.9 million cheque payments were recorded that year.However, significant potential exists to extend the use of electronic payments in Germany, believes Felitas Aguilar, sales manager at US payments technology developer ACI Worldwides German office
Streamlining travel industry payments
SCLs founder and MD provided EPI with insight into the technology behind the companys success and his view on the significant potential for innovation in the marketBorn out of bespoke development work undertaken for American Express (Amex) in the early-1990s UK-based Stanton Consultancy Limited (SCL) had from the start a clear focus: the automation of payments flowing through the travel industry SCL has evolved with the changing pattern of payments preferences in the travel industry, its automation services having first concentrated on paper travelers cheques and banknotes and more recently and increasingly prepaid travel cards