ADN’co Payments Insight – January 2016

Virtual currencies – Bitcoin made more visible with PayZen

• EUROPE – PayZen considers next generation means of payment to broaden its range of services. Lyra Network’s e-payment platform allows its e-merchants to accept Bitcoin-based payments: a first step towards including other virtual currencies.

Mobility – Car manufacturers: new entrants in the payments market

• WORLD – Ford unveils FordPass, a relational program encompassing loyalty, assistance and payments services.

Just like several other car manufacturers, Ford highlights its interest in the payments sector. Beyond the services already covered by their captives, car industry leaders are shifting their strategies to include connected devices, too: cars are mobile by definition, and stand at the heart of an increasingly diversified ecosystem.

Cash management – A major concern

• FRANCE – Brink's, cash-in-transit specialist and Payment Institution, focuses on the issue of cash management cost with “Momentum”.
• UNITED KINGDOM – Barclays tests a new service called “Barclays Collect” for its corporate customers. This offer proposes to spare them time and money through avoiding that they should deposit their daily revenue in person.

Cash is often considered expensive, both in terms of issuing and processing cost. This asset is pivotal in Brink's business, and adjustments were required for this company to enhance its services and same money. Barclays, for its part, chooses to rethink its cash management offer for the sake of customer satisfaction. It bets on an innovative approach to dealing with cash collection.

Acceptance – New opportunities for iDEAL

• NETHERLANDS – The Dutch Payments Association is planning to expand iDEAL’s acceptance through including POS locations: another way for this popular online service to gain momentum.