Fresh Banker Trojan Striking Banking Institutions within Japan - IBM

From SPAMfighter -

“IBM the security vendor is warning of one fresh banking Trojan that is striking account holders of twelve and more Japanese banks.

Named "Shifu," which means thief in Japanese, and circulating from April, if not earlier, the Trojan malware is created for attacking Japanese banks as well as culling e-banking systems within Europe. Presently, it is chiefly prevalent inside Japan targeting people with accounts in fourteen financial institutions.”

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Management to blame for core banking replacement failures - not tech

From Computer World UK

‘Management failings rather than technology are to blame for a growing number of botched core banking system replacements, according to Forrester Research.

Replacing legacy technology is a top priority for many banks as they face increased regulatory burdens, internal cost cutting requirements, and customer demands for digital services.

But according to Forrester principal analyst Jost Hoppermann, in the ‘Anatomy Of A Disaster — Learn From Major Banking Platform Transformation Failures’ report, “more and more” modernisation projects are running into problems due to poor management.

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Revamping the U.S. Payments System

From Bank Info Security

“Over the next five years, the U.S. payments infrastructure is slated to undergo a major overhaul, with the Federal Reserve leading the charge. Two Fed leaders share insights on the impact on U.S. banking institutions.

“Since 2012, the Federal Reserve's Financial Services branch has been focused on identifying payment system improvements that could enhance the end-user payment experience. Over the last 12 months, the Fed has been reviewing how the role it plays in payments might expand, says Sean Rodriguez, senior vice president of industry relations at the Federal Reserve's financial services branch.

The Fed is now focusing its efforts on creating a plan for a new infrastructure for faster payments, rather than adding to existing networks, such as those that facilitate ACH and PIN debit payments, Rodriguez, who is based out of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, told a group of bankers this week in New York.”

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“Bankers’ hours” takes on new meaning

From ABA Banking Journal

“The term “bankers’ hours” comes from the traditional bank operating hours between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., long out of date. Today, the term is often used to describe an easy job with short working hours.

In contrast, at FirstCapital Bank of Texas, any hour of the day—or night—is bankers’ hours. The bank recently launched ten interactive video teller kiosks that provide customers with live, remote teller service at four of the bank’s seven branches located throughout western Texas and the Texas Panhandle 24 hours a day, five days a week. The $800 million-assets bank plans to install the kiosks, which it calls TellerConnect, in all seven branches as well as non-branch locations, says Brad Burgess, CEO. Several TellerConnect kiosks are drive-up units, and the rest are located within the branches—placed in 24-hour lobbies.”

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ATM operators eye Linux as alternative to Windows XP

From Computerworld

“Some financial services companies are looking to migrate their ATM fleets from Windows to Linux in a bid to have better control over hardware and software upgrade cycles.

Pushing them in that direction apparently is Microsoft's decision to end support for Windows XP on April 8, said David Tente, executive director, USA, of the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA).

"There is some heartburn in the industry" over Microsoft's end-of-support decision, Tente said.

ATM operators would like to be able to synchronize their hardware and software upgrade cycles. But that's hard to do with Microsoft dictating the software upgrade timetable. As a result, "some are looking at the possibility of using a non-Microsoft operating system to synch up their hardware and software upgrades," Tente said.’ "

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2014 to be Watershed Year for U.S. Payments as EMV Chip Card, Mobile Payments Ramp Up in Retail and Transit

From WSJ Market Watch

“A dramatic payments evolution is underway in the U.S., bringing consumers new, secure and convenient ways to pay with EMV chip cards and mobile devices in retail and transit. More than 600 individuals leading this payments transformation - including card brands, banks, merchants, mobile wallet providers and transit agencies - gathered last week at the Smart Card Alliance 2014 Payments Summit to collaborate on making 2014 a year of significant progress.”

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Mobile payments in Australia: state of the banks

From Computerworld

“Major Australian banks have made mobile payments a priority tech initiative and are in various stages of rolling out technology that lets customers pay with smartphones. Commonwealth Bank and Westpac are so far leading the pack, but ANZ Bank and National Australia Bank (NAB) say they are planning to make their own moves soon.

Mobile payments in Australia are largely based on near-field communications (NFC) technology, which can be embedded either inside a smartphone or a smart sticker that can be attached to the phone. NFC is included in many major Android, Windows and BlackBerry phones. However, Apple so far has not included NFC in the iPhone.”

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