Open Banking

From Open Banking to Open Finance: Redefining the Financial Services Landscape

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) just released proposed rules for Open Banking in the U.S. which offer a framework for understanding Open Banking roles, role-based requirements and rights, and timelines for implementation, among other things. This long-awaited proposal lays the groundwork for a more mature approach to Open Banking in the U.S., or dare […]

Cross-border Payments Financial Inclusion Global Payments

Decoding a cross-border business payment to Rwanda: detailing the journey, the costs, and our observations

By Elizabeth McQuerry, Cici Northup, & Victor Malu   Introduction Glenbrook is based in the U.S., but we work on projects around the world; our global practice often supports clients in emerging markets. From time to time, for more formal proposal processes, we are asked to provide a corresponding bid security. For anyone not familiar […]

Cross-border Payments Global Payments PaymentsPost

Payments Post #7: Glenbrook's September Roundup - Sibos, India, and a Connected Future

This month, Payments Post is going global. We’ll jump to Canada as we explore themes from Sibos and then to India to take a look at a leader in next-generation national payment schemes. We’re joined by Cici Northup, Associate Partner in our Global practice, alongside our usual curator Justin Pituch. Sibos highlights global payment aspirations […]

Tags: Fintech

Cross-border Payments Fast Payments Global Payments

On the journey to fast and low-cost cross-border payments (not yet at the destination)

Impetus to improve cross-border payments Whether you are deep in the cross-border payments space or have sent (or tried to send) a cross-border payment, you know these are not as easy as paying for your morning coffee or sending money to a local friend for last night’s dinner. Domestic payments have become faster, if not […]

Banking Merchant Acquirers Risk & Fraud

Examining Risk and Resiliency in Banking Relationships (..and no, we’re not just talking about bank failures)

On Monday a few weeks back, a member of a client’s executive team gave me a call: “We really need to speed up the project to find another bank sponsor.” That was followed by a call from another client later that day: “We’ve been thinking about what it would take to form a relationship with […]

Tags: Chris Uriarte Fintech Risk Management

PaymentsPost

Payments Post #1: Glenbrook’s February Roundup

There are a lot of headlines in the payments world. Payments News is Glenbrook’s curated news feed of the headlines that matter most every day, but we’ll readily acknowledge that it can be a lot to digest. That’s why we’re introducing Payments Post, a month-end roundup of the news items that got us talking as […]

Tags: fis

Digital Currency

CBDCs or Stablecoins? There’s space for both

Time to Read: 6 minutes Central Banks and Private Sector Issuers continue to develop their respective digital currencies, CBDCs and stablecoins. While this could be perceived as a type of competition, realistically both stablecoins and CBDCs could co-exist and provide differentiated benefits. Digital currencies are on the rise. Private sector stablecoins are being adopted at […]

Payments Views Risk & Fraud

Why Risk Management is a Team Sport

In today’s world, risk management and security are front and center topics for every enterprise. And because money is money, the management of payment risk and security has to be a priority.  In this chapter of our Merchant Payment Operations series, we look at top of mind payment and security risks facing today’s enterprises and […]

Glenbrook P2P Payments Views

The P2P Domain Gets a Big COVID Push

We have seen relatively immediate and significant effects in payments within the P2P domain, particularly during the economic shutdown, but it will likely persist beyond it. We expect that the convenience and safety of electronic P2P transfers will guide many users toward a permanent behavior change. Further, cost barriers are falling away: the cost of […]

Bryan Derman Glenbrook Uncategorized

In Zuck We Trust?          

We got the first real details this week on the Facebook-sponsored Libra cryptocurrency. Opinions are still taking shape around Glenbrook, but it’s fair to say that the team is deeply intrigued by the possibilities and sees it as both a novel and potentially very practical application of blockchain technology. We think the consortium-based governance, open […]

Elizabeth McQuerry Fast Payments MasterCard NACHA TCH Visa

Innovation, Fragmentation in Cross-border and Real-time Payments

I’ve just returned from SIBOS 2017, the annual SWIFT convening of global transaction banks and all things associated with cross-border payment. And right now I’m in flight, heading to the payments industry grail otherwise known as Money 20/20 USA, getting ready to moderate a cool event on Wednesday morning. Oooph, this industry’s fall conference season […]

Cici Northup Cross-border Payments Global Payments Mobile Money

Lowering the Cost of Remittance - the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

There was an estimated $55b billion in cross-border remittances in 2015. But how much of that, per transaction, arrived in the wallet of the intended recipient? Unfortunately, not as much as many of us would hope. The cost of remittances is quite high with the average cost worldwide nearing 8% in 2015. And in some […]

Amazon Amazon Payments B2B Big Data Card Payments ECommerce Ecommerce Payments Merchants Prepaid Russ Jones

Is Amazon Best-in-Class for Online Payments?

Amazon.com is in the news all the time with its continued expansion of markets and fulfillment centers, its focus on innovation and long term R&D, and, recently, some very non-intuitive acquisitions. It’s easy to get swept up in their story. But when a company gets as big and powerful as Amazon has become, it’s helpful […]

Apple Authentication Banking Industry Bitcoin Blockchain Card Fraud Card Technology Chip Cards Economic Outlook Fast Payments Financial Regulators George Peabody Innovation Interchange Marketing & Offers Merchants Mobile Payments Security Starbucks

Payments 2017 – One Month In

Business evolution—whether it’s automotive, bioscience, or in the payments industry—proceeds along a predictable path of incremental improvements and optimization. Until it doesn’t and a step function takes effect. Last year was sleepy compared to what we can expect during the next eleven months. 2016 was characterized by the more familiar path, through themes set in […]

Elizabeth McQuerry Global Payments Interoperability Mobile Banking & Payments Mobile Payments Remittances SADC

Expanded Frontiers in Mobile Payment

One of the payments obsessions here at Glenbrook is understanding the ways in which mobile payment and digital financial services are taking hold around the world. Once effectively limited to the early success of M-PESA and P2P payment in Kenya, today there are a number of services underway. M-PESA itself, in around a decade, has […]