What we are reading … 28th February 2013

South Africa: Spark adds to national ATM network http://dld.bz/ckwMV

Risk Management: Carnival Cruise Lines: What They Should Have Done http://shar.es/joDa1

Bank Failures Down in 2013 http://twb.io/YvT6A6

Consumers Spend Less When Using A Single Account, Study Finds http://huff.to/13gZ5Kq

ABN Amro penalised over fat finger client trading error http://dld.bz/ckFDa

Three Ways Banks can Support Innovation in Their Markets http://www.banking2020.com/2013/02/19/bank-innovation/

Imaging Brings Coveted Ease of Use to Mobile Banking: Study http://dld.bz/ckjbZ

Find those black swans, because they may find you first http://shar.es/jo8w0

P2P Payments Take Aim at Checks, Not Cash http://bankinnovation.net/2013/02/p2p-payments-take-aim-at-checks-not-cash/
Do we need more banks or bigger banks? http://shar.es/joEgr

Google Glass Could Spur Mobile Banking on Steroids

“Since their inception, computers have morphed. Once bulky, now small. Once obvious, now discreet. Soon they will be wearable. So, when you walk down the street, a message will brilliantly appear in the corner of your eyewear: Look, an ATM!” 

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Facing Headwinds: What Concerns Today's Banking Leaders

Nichole Jordan of Grant Thornton highlights the results of an audience response survey, conducted by Grant Thornton LLP and Bank Director at Bank Director's 2012 Acquire or Be Acquired conference in Arizona in January.

What we are reading … 27th February 2013

Imaging Brings Coveted Ease of Use to Mobile Banking: Study http://dld.bz/ckjbZ

PayPal Targets European Mobile Payments Market http://twb.io/Zx6Uz9

With 590M Mobile Banking Users Expected in 2013, New Insights Warn of Growing Fraud Threat http://dld.bz/ckjbX

MasterCard unveils MasterPass digital payments service http://www.finextra.com/News/FullStory.aspx?newsitemid=24575

Commission drops anti-trust probe into European Payments Council http://dld.bz/cjXku

Big banks are as risky as ever, economist warns http://shar.es/j3dd6

Why Eye Contact Still Matters In The Age of Email http://mashable.com/2013/02/20/kids-communication-social-media/

What You Need to Know About Debit and Credit Card Fraud http://shar.es/j3dtn 

Square Broadens Its Business Strategy with New Hardware Bundle http://dld.bz/cjXkp

Online Banking 2.0: Getting Visual

“Let’s face it: online banking hasn’t fundamentally changed since it first rolled out over a decade ago. It’s an online version of a checking register and little else. But times are changing. Financial institutions everywhere are transforming their once dry and dull online banking systems into robust, feature-rich visual user experiences.It’s what has become loosely defined as “personal financial management,” or PFM — the visual representation of financial information intended to aid consumers with account management, budgeting, saving and other banking decisions.”

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Italian Elections Rekindle Eurozone Crisis

Stratfor's Europe analyst Adriano Bosoni discusses the fractious results of the Italian elections and how they pose political and economic challenges for the European Union.

For more analysis, visit: http://www.Stratfor.com

UK regulator 'considering further banking crackdown'

“Banks in the UK may need to significantly increase the amount of capital they hold in the near future, it has emerged.

Sources in the financial industry have today (25 February) told Reuters that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) is currently overseeing an investigation into how lenders go about calculating the riskiness of their lending arrangements.”

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