Het Financieele Dagblad (paid access) reports that Payquare is countering the B+S bid for credit-card fees in the restaurant sector by lowering its merchant service charge with 0,5 %. The lower fee is applicable to enterprises that are members of the Koninklijke Horeca Nederland.
Friday, July 16, 2004
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Bibit to merge operations with Worldpay
Worldpay, focusing on small and medium sized enterprises, will merge its operations with those of Bibit, focusing on the large European players. Read the Dutch Emerce - article.
Friday, July 09, 2004
European Commission sees bank kartel in France deter entry for newcomers
Het Financieele Dagblad (paid access) and the IHT report that the European Commission has issued a statement of objection to nine French banks and their collective organisation: Groupement des Cartes Bancaire (GCB) of forming a cartel to prevent market entry in the market for payment cards.
Good news is that the Commission's press release also reads:
The Commission’s statement of objections in no way challenges the legitimacy of GCB as the joint and effective operator of the CB card payment system in France.
So it's not a call for a different structural or institutional arrangement of the card industry.
Good news is that the Commission's press release also reads:
The Commission’s statement of objections in no way challenges the legitimacy of GCB as the joint and effective operator of the CB card payment system in France.
So it's not a call for a different structural or institutional arrangement of the card industry.
Monday, July 05, 2004
T-mobile allows Wap-billing: 3 merchants signed up
To add to the continuing debate on e-money payments via mobile phones, Planet Multimedia reports that T-mobile has payment via WAP-billing operational. So where Vodafone needs to further develop its system, T-mobile has it up and running (with only 3 merchants though...).
Wap billing allows for payment of greater amounts than with SMS and has a business model where T-mobile shares revenue with the content provider.
Wap billing allows for payment of greater amounts than with SMS and has a business model where T-mobile shares revenue with the content provider.
Norwegian central bank study on (e-)payments and fees
The Annual report on payment systems is an important part of Norges Bank's oversight of the payment system. The report provides an annual update of developments and prices in the payment system. The report for 2003 also provides an overview of important events in the area and a review of various issues related to international payment systems. The report, including a statistical annex, is now available in English on Norges Bank's website.
Friday, July 02, 2004
Rabo and Privver cooperate
A long time it was silent around Privver, the digital post and e-billing company on the web. But E-merce reports the cooperation with Rabobank in the domain of e-billing. Rabobank will present the digital bills in their e-banking application, avoiding the type-errors now made by customers that pay via e-banking (and need to type in a 16 digit payment reference number).
Rounding cash payments
Yesterday the Dutch central bank announced that a trial with rounding cash payments has succeeded. As of September this year, merchants and retailers will choose to round cash payments to the nearest 5 cents (as we did before when we still had the single guilder-cent). The cost-savings will amount to approximately 30 million euro. And the Society Platform for Payments Issues may take the credit.
Also on the central bank website: a free CD-Rom to learn yourself the safety features of euro bank notes. Given that the CD-rom is free for the public, my guess is that the central bank will soon run out of CD-roms. And they will also experience the above average demand that occurs if you provide something for free.....
Also on the central bank website: a free CD-Rom to learn yourself the safety features of euro bank notes. Given that the CD-rom is free for the public, my guess is that the central bank will soon run out of CD-roms. And they will also experience the above average demand that occurs if you provide something for free.....
Further developments in the m-payments arena
Planet Multimedia reports that Vodafone is developing a payment method whereby a click on the WAP-link effects a payment for tickets up to an amount of 10 euro. Essentially the Dutch version of m-pay, I presume.
Meanwhile Beep.nl is investigating how to add the Rabobank payment product Minitix to its payment portal for mobile payments. Effectively Beep acts as an integrator just like Bibit, but then for payment via mobile means.
Where will this end?
I think large retail players will operate their own payment brands; all the others will work with integrators or choose the most efficient and cheap payments brands in the market.
Meanwhile Beep.nl is investigating how to add the Rabobank payment product Minitix to its payment portal for mobile payments. Effectively Beep acts as an integrator just like Bibit, but then for payment via mobile means.
Where will this end?
I think large retail players will operate their own payment brands; all the others will work with integrators or choose the most efficient and cheap payments brands in the market.