IT and telecommunications convergence along with an increase in active mobile device users could drive the growth of financial mobile applications. However, the lack of standards, along with uncertainty over which business model will prevail, are holding back m-payment adoption across Brazil, said IT...
Even though Brazilian telecom operators and financial institutions have not reached agreement about who should be responsible for each part of the mobile payment process, IT providers are working toward launching m-payment solutions.
Vendors are looking forward, developing solutions to be prepared for when demand arrives....
Consumers want banks to deliver financial advice and banking services through both virtual and physical channels. But despite the popularity of virtual banking, global consumers still value the personal attention of bank branches and expanded services that include different kinds of financial advice.
These are...
Making financial transactions with mobile devices is not considered new in Brazil. However, the service is far from being heavily used. During this week’s Ciab (check all stories) —a conference and exposition focused on IT for financial institutions held in São Paulo—banks and vendors are...
How many mobile wallets do you need? Many of us might say none, thank you very much, our credit cards work just fine. But service providers see a revenue opportunity in loading those cards into smartphones, and banks are paying them to do it....
Wanda, the mobile money joint venture between Telefónica and MasterCard, launched in Argentina, eyeing the millions of wireless users who don't have a bank account. Wanda is expected to reach approximately 10 million transactions by the end of 2012.
Announced earlier this year, the m-payment...
The mobile network operator Digicel has added NFC technology to its Digicel Mobile Money service offering in the South Pacific archipelago nation of Tonga. Digicel said it will make the service available initially with 50 merchants in the capital of Nuku’alofa and it plans...
Isis, the mobile payments venture formed by Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA, today announced its first set of retail partners who will accept contactless payments made with smartphones. Coca-Cola, Dillards and Macy's are among the merchants who are ready to start letting...
Mobile payments provider BOKU has added Sprint Nextel to its list of customers. BOKU will now be providing mobile payment solutions to all four major U.S. carriers. The company has contracts with a number of major online retailers, and enables carriers to offer customers...
With all the current momentum in the mobile payments space it seems hard for merchants to be able to decide what, if anything, they should utilize now to enhance
Boosted by the growth of smartphone use, mobile banking is on track to become as common as Internet banking in Brazil during the next five to seven years, industry analysts say. From 2010 to 2011, current mobile banking accounts grew by 49% to reach...
Less than a month after raising $100 million in a deal that valued it at ten times that amount, Square is reportedly considering a new round of financing that could value it at up to $4 billion. $4 billion is also the amount that...
AUSTIN, Texas – It's been a busy month for startups trying to gain visibility in the mobile payments space. They barely had time to catch their breath after Mobile World Congress before it was time to head to San Jose for this week's Mobile...
The m-payment joint venture between Telefónica and MasterCard (MA) has a brand name: Wanda.
The offering is expected to provide mobile payment solutions to more than 87 million Movistar customers in the 12 markets where it will operate. The JV was created to develop...
The Brazilian telecommunications market will over the next two years will face its best time since its opening to private initiatives. Here are eight issues, facts or trends, that deserve attention.
Near field communication (NFC) is on its way to getting launched in Brazil and could become a reality at the end of this year, told RCR Wireless News Mustafa Almansur, NFC programme leader for the Brazilian market at GSMA, a global association whose members represent more than...
The nearing maturity of mobile voice services in most Latin American countries and the reduction on mobile termination rates set by regulators are leading to three main trends in the region: the launch of unlimited plans; the search for new revenue streams; and the commercial launch of multiple-play offerings.
In 2011, MEF accurately forecast that the proliferation of smartphones would drive mobile consumer engagement with a number of other predictions also coming to fruition. MEF’s success in anticipating and addressing key industry issues, combined with its increased representation of the wider mobile content and commerce industry, place it in a strong position to forecast the top mobile industry trends for 2012.
Visa announced it has approved NFC-enabled smartphones from Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and Research In Motion for use with Visa payWave, its mobile application for payments at the point of sale.
Samsung Galaxy SII, LG Optimus NET NFC, BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Bold 9790, BlackBerry...
The holidays are ending, but Austin's Tabbedout hopes the party will go on, and that bars and restaurants around town will let you use your smartphone to pay the bill. Today the company is launching a coupon feature within its free mobile app for...
MasterCard and the Brazilian unit of Spain's Telefónica have created a joint venture to offer mobile financial solutions, or m-payment, for 65 million Vivo consumers in Brazil. The initiative aims to create a mobile wallet allowing consumers to make payments via their mobile phones...
Contrary to what we might have once believed, the mobile phone is the vehicle that will become the basis of all convergent channels. Before, it was thought that this main vehicle would be the TV or even the computer, but the mobile phone has won this battle -- not only with its incredible growth in units but also because these small devices incorporate more tech features every day.
While carriers and banks discuss mobile payment business models in Brazil, without anyone taking an m-payment leadership role, companies around the globe may launch initiatives that could deeply impact the space. “The recent launch of Google Wallet, the Android operating system turns smartphones into...
