Companies Regulation

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Targets Google for Supervision: Big Tech’s New Regulatory Challenge

CEO Today

"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently announced its intent to bring Google under its regulatory supervision, a move that could establish a new era of oversight for tech companies delving into financial services. This unprecedented development signifies a potential shift in how the U.S. government approaches Big Tech’s increasing influence in finance and consumer markets."

Tags: CFPB Google

Companies

JCB to Offer Google Pay(TM) in Japan

ACN Newswire

"JCB Co., Ltd., Japan’s only international payment brand, announced that it enabled Google Pay for its customers on September 6, 2024. Android™ smartphone users can now use Google Pay in stores where JCB Contactless is accepted, by adding their credit/debit cards issued by the JCB Group in Japan to Google Pay."

Tags: Google JCB

Companies

Google Announces Beta Test for Digital IDs Based on Biometrics and Us Passports

Biometric Update

"A new type of digital ID based on U.S. passports in Google Wallet has been introduced ahead of beta testing. Users scan the chip in their electronic passport, and match their selfie biometrics with a short video."

Tags: Google

Companies

Convenience and Commerce with Google Pay at Global Fintech Festival 2024

Google

"Google Pay made a few key announcements about features and partnerships that will become available to Google Pay users later this year: Delegate Payments a.ka. UPI Circle: Empowering Your Trusted Circle with Digital Payments; UPI Vouchers or eRupi; Clickpay QR scan for Bill Payments; Prepaid Utilities payment; Tap & Pay with RuPay Cards; Autopay for UPI Lite."

Tags: Google

Companies

Netflix’s ‘Emily In Paris’ Features Google Lens

Deadline

"Google has come aboard Netflix‘s Emily in Paris as a sponsor as the series debuts Season 4. The agreement will let fans (on all Netflix plans) use Google Lens to scan Emily’s looks and find similar items to match her style."

Tags: Google Netflix

Companies

Google Wallet Will Have Payment via Pix With C6 Bank and Picpay Accounts

Canaltech

"Google Wallet will receive integration with C6 Bank and PicPay accounts to initiate payments via Pix without the need to open the financial institutions' apps."

Tags: Google

Companies

Google Shuts Down Gpay App and P2P Payments in the US

9to5Google

"As announced in February, “GPay” is no longer available in the US...Starting on June 4, GPay — as was the name of the app on Android homescreens — automatically signed US users out. Attempting to login again explains how: “The Google Pay US app is no longer available. You can still tap to pay using the Google Wallet app.”"

Tags: Google

Companies

Google Pay Will Now Display Card Perks, BNPL Options and More

TechCrunch

"Google Pay is rolling out a number of updates that capitalize on its integrations with other Google products, like Android and the Chrome browser. Starting Wednesday, people who check out with Google Pay will be able to see their card benefits and perks before selecting a card; use “buy now, pay later” through partners like Affirm and Zip; and fill in their card details through biometrics or a PIN, instead of by entering their security code."

Tags: Google

Companies

Apple, Google and Venmo Fight New U.S. Plan to Monitor Payment Apps

Washington Post

"The U.S. government is weighing whether to treat Apple, Google and PayPal-owned Venmo more like banks — and regularly inspect some of their operations — in a move meant to protect millions of Americans who now use their smartphones to pay at the register and send money to family and friends."

Tags: Apple Google Venmo

Companies

Google Wallet Now Lets You Skip Verification for Certain Payments

Android Authority

"As discovered by 9to5Google, the latest version of the Google Wallet app appears to have added a “Verification settings” option. Found within Wallet settings, the new option allows users to choose if they’ll be required to verify their identity when using a payment method or passes with Wallet."

Tags: Google

Companies

Google Is Sunsetting the Google Pay App in the US Later This Year

TechCrunch

"Google has announced that Google Pay is shutting down in the United States in June, as the standalone app has largely been replaced by Google Wallet. The company says the move is designed to simplify its payment apps."

Tags: Google

Companies

Indian Parliamentary Panel Red-Flags PhonePe and Google Pay Cornering 83% of India’s UPI Payments

TechCrunch

"An Indian parliamentary panel has urged the government to support the growth of domestic fintech players that can provide alternatives to the Walmart-backed PhonePe and Google Pay apps that currently command more than 83% of the country’s fast-growing digital payments market."

Tags: Google PhonePe

Companies

Google Pay India Signs MoU with NPCI International for Global Expansion of UPI

PR Newswire

Google India Digital Services Limited and NPCI International Payments Ltd have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the transformative impact of UPI to countries beyond India.

Tags: Google NPCI

Companies

Google Wallet Adds Support for Venmo and Over 40 Banks

Android Authority

"According to Android Police, Google Wallet has partnered with adding 44 new financial institutions that mostly include local banks and credit unions. In addition, the app will also start supporting the popular payment platform Venmo."

Tags: Google

Companies

Google Partners With NPCI to Take UPI Payments Global

IBS Intelligence

"Google India Digital Services and NPCI International Payments Ltd have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help expand UPI payments to countries beyond India."

Tags: Google

Companies

Worldline and Google Announce Strategic Partnership to Enhance Digital Payments Experiences with Cloud-Based Innovation

PR Newswire

"Worldline and Google announced today a strategic partnership designed to leverage cutting-edge cloud-based technologies from Google Cloud to take Worldline's digital transformation further."

Tags: Google Worldline

Companies

Zip and Google Pay Team Up, Providing Customers and Merchants with Flexible Payment Options at Checkout

Business Wire

"Zip Co. announced a collaboration with Google Pay that will enable merchants in the U.S. who accept Google Pay online to integrate the innovative Zip Pay-In-4* service, issued by WebBank."

Tags: Google Zip

Companies Global

Google Makes Big Consumer and Merchant Lending Push in India

TechCrunch

"Google has partnered with banks and other lenders in India to offer loans to individuals and merchants on the Google Pay app as the tech giant broadens its Indian payments app, processing about 4 billion transactions monthly, and makes its strongest push for financial inclusion in the South Asian market."

Tags: Google India

Companies Global

Australia Unveils Draft Law to Regulate Digital Payment Providers

Reuters

"The Australian government said on Wednesday it planned to introduce laws that would empower the central bank to regulate digital wallet providers including Apple Pay and Alphabet's Google Pay."

Tags: Apple Australia Google

Companies

Google Pay Autofill in Chrome Will Actually Name and Show Saved Cards

9to5Google

"Google Pay’s autofill experience in Chrome is set to get a big quality of life boost by better identifying your saved cards. Today, the Autofill payment info sheet that appears when you encounter a Card number field lists all your cards by their last four digits, when it expires, and payment network (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) with an accompanying icon at the left."

Tags: Google

Companies

Google Pay Triumphs In Delhi High Court, Clears Regulatory Roadblocks

Benzinga

"The Delhi High Court recently gave popular UPI payments platform — Google Pay the green light, dismissing two petitions that called for a halt to its operations in India over alleged regulatory and privacy breaches."

Tags: Google

Companies

Google Cloud Launches AI-Powered Anti Money Laundering Product for Financial Institutions

PR Newswire

"Google Cloud today announced the launch of Anti Money Laundering AI (AML AI), an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered product designed to help global financial institutions more effectively and efficiently detect money laundering."

Tags: Google

Companies

Blackhawk Network (BHN®) Partners with Google Play to Bring Cash-to-Digital Payment Option to Japanese Consumers

PR Newswire

"Blackhawk Network (BHN®) has partnered with Google Play to launch a new way for consumers to enjoy their favourite digital apps and games by transacting in physical retail locations to convert real-world cash into digital currency."

Tags: Blackhawk Network Google

Companies

Google to Open Up UK In-app Payments to Satisfy Regulator's Concerns

Reuters

"Britain's competition regulator said proposals from Alphabet Inc's Google to give app developers the freedom to break away from Google Play's billing system looked to be sufficient to address its concerns about in-app payments. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in June that Google's complete control over in-app payments unfairly restricted developers by forcing them to use Google Play's billing system, reducing competition and hurting users."

Tags: Google

Companies Global

EU Studying Whether Big Tech Should Pay Network Costs -EU Document

Reuters

The European Union (EU) will consult the technology and telecoms sectors on whether tech giants like Alphabet Inc's Google, Meta, and Amazon.com Inc  should subsidize network costs, according to a Commission document seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

Tags: Amazon European Union Google Meta

Companies

Google is Piloting its Own ‘Soundbox’ in India for Merchants to Get Audio-Based Payment Alerts

TechCrunch

Soundboxes — hardware used by merchants that emits sounds every time a mobile payment is made — have taken off in India, where point of sale activity can get busy and voice alerts from the soundbox help alert multitasking shopkeepers and assistants to a transaction going through. Now, to keep pushing ahead to build out its own payments business in the world’s second-largest internet market, Google is getting in on the act. The internet giant, which is currently one of the mobile transaction leaders in India with Google Pay, is piloting a soundbox of its own in the country to alert sellers of confirmations for UPI payments — a mobile payment standard developed and now ubiquitous in India for instant payments and transfers between banks, or two mobile users, or a customer and a merchant.

Tags: Google

Companies

Chrome Now Supports Passkeys, the Password Killer

PC World

“The Google Chrome browser now supports something new to secure your life: passkeys, a stronger, leak-proof version of a password that can use your phone as a token to authorize you to websites. Passkeys can and will be stored inside the Google Password Manager, or inside apps that support passkeys within future versions of Android, Google said. Passkeys are enabled in the lastest version of Chrome in both Windows 11, macOS, and Android.”

Tags: Google

Companies

Google Play Now Lets Children Send Purchase Requests to Guardians

TechCrunch

“Google already offers parents and guardians tools to restrict purchases their children make on Play Store using the family payment method. The company is now introducing an additional feature that will allow children to send a purchase request for the manager of the family account to approve when there is no present payment method. Children can ask for approval for both paid apps and in-app purchase when the family hasn’t set up a payments method.”

Tags: Google

Companies

Google Wallet Adds Whimsical Pay Animations for the Holidays

9to5Google

“If you recently used Google Wallet on Android, you might have noticed a touch of holiday whimsy on the Pay screen. Normally, tapping your Android phone to an NFC reader shows the card used and a loading animation just above it. The blue circular progress indicator morphs into a checkmark with that circle, then shrinks to make way for the Google Pay logo. During the holidays, the blue checkmark can morph into any number of characters. One of the more elaborate animations is a cat wearing several holiday sweaters that rolls off your screen to reveal the G Pay icon. It features very smooth transitions, and you don’t even suspect it’s going to occur. The 3-second sequence nearly triples in length, though you can exit or lock your device at any time.”

Tags: Google

Companies Global

Brazil Central Bank Grants Google Pay Payment Institution Status

Reuters

“Alphabet’s Google Pay has received approval to operate as a payment institution in Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, the country’s official gazette showed on Thursday, allowing it to initiate payment transactions. Payment initiators, according to Brazil’s central bank, initiate a transaction ordered by the final user but never manage the payment account, nor hold the funds of the transactions. A press spokesperson for Google confirmed the central bank’s authorization and said the move offered “more payment options to users through our platforms in Brazil.” Google Pay currently operates an app serving as a virtual wallet, which allows the user to include their credit and debit cards, vaccination cards and concert tickets, for example. The approval comes days after Brazil’s National Monetary Council also authorized fintechs to initiate payment transactions in the country.”

Tags: Google