Apple Card Family hits iPhones; Air India card details exposed in breach

The information you need to start your day, from PaymentsSource and around the web:

In the cards

A new iOS update has added iPhone support for Apple Card Family, allowing cardholders to add up to five people who can use the credit card simultaneously.

Users can additionally access expense tracking and limits, reports Engadget, adding family share additions can be as young as 13, but the card owner or co-owner must be at least 18.

Apple announced the update along with other upgrades such as support for paid Apple Podcast subscriptions and updates to its smartwatch operating system. Apple unveiled its plans for a family card in April, as a way for family members to build a credit record equitably.

Jennifer Bailey presents Apple Card
Bloomberg

Joining forces

BNP Paribas will acquire about one third of the share of European incentive marketing company Joyn. The bank joins KBC and ING, which already own 33% stakes.

Joyn has about 2 million consumers, who use Joyn cards to pay at a network of more than 7,500 mostly local merchants while accumulating loyalty points. The cards process about 100,000 transactions per day.

The banks see Joyn as a way to boost shopping and payment volume at merchants that have struggled during the pandemic, and also lack the resources to operate their own incentive marketing.

Turbulence

Details on a data breach at air transportation data firm SITA are emerging, and the news is particularly bad for Air India.

Air India reports personal data for 4.5 million passengers has been exposed, including names, payment card details, dates of birth, passport information and air travel-based incentive marketing. SITA did not hold CVV or CVC data for credit cards, and the airline has asked customers to change passwords.

The Geneva-based SITA first announced it suffered a data breach in March, according to TechCrunch, which added the firm has notified several other airlines about the breach, including Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa.

Danger zone

Following last week's volatility in the cryptocurrency market, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey reiterated his anti-crypto stance to the Parliament's Treasury Committee.

Bailey said cryptocurrencies are a "danger" to the public, and he's skeptical about cryptocurrency because of the public's enthusiasm, reports The Economic Times. Bailey earlier said people should only invest in crypto if they are prepared to lose all of their money.

It's not unusual for figures from the financial establishment to criticize cryptocurrency, most notably JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Alan Greenspan, who compared it to colonial currency during the Revolutionary War that later became worthless.

From the web

At Epic v Apple's closing, judge probes implications of upending Apple's App Store
REUTERS | Monday, May 24, 2021
Federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers held unconventional closing arguments Monday in the antitrust trial between Epic Games and Apple Inc, peppering both sides' attorneys for three hours about how far she could - and should - go to change Apple's App Store business.

High-Profile Hacks Leave Ransomware Gangs With Unwanted Publicity
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Hackers move further underground after Colonial Pipeline, Irish health system attacks bring increased scrutiny and scorn

Zocdoc says ‘programming errors’ exposed access to patients’ data
TECHCRUNCH | Monday, May 24, 2021
Zocdoc says it has fixed a bug that allowed current and former staff at doctor’s offices and dental practices to access patient data because their user accounts weren’t properly decommissioned.

More from PaymentsSource

PNC reports brisk B2B enrollment for real-time payments
More than 250 wholesale clients signed up with the Pittsburgh bank in the past year to use real-time payments for payroll, billing and supply chain management.

B2B payments are table stakes for software vendors
ISVs that optimize B2B payments within their software solutions stand to save the day for merchants who want to grow but feel hamstrung with their current solutions, says Global Payments Ingegrated's Ashley Jones.

How online commerce advanced while mobile lagged in the U.S.
The U.S. is the world’s largest economy, based on World Bank data, at $21.43 trillion with more than 330 million consumers — and while the pandemic may have slowed the nation down, U.S. merchants, particularly small businesses, have been resilient.

Banking tech startup is unicorn with $250 million from SoftBank
The banking technology provider Zeta raised $250 million from SoftBank Vision Fund II at a valuation of $1.45 billion, winning its first venture backing to help fuel its expansion.

Citi renews card-issuing pact with booming farm-supply chain
Citi Retail Services has renewed its longtime card-issuing relationship with Tennessee-based Tractor Supply Co., which saw record sales during the pandemic as consumers expanded their backyard menageries.

As crypto prices swing, fraudsters wait to pounce
Cryptocurrency prices have been very volatile of late with a huge rally followed by a sharp correction and the start of a recovery.

The U.S. pandemic recovery is a chance to improve digital ID
The digital migration caused new risks, and new responsibilities for security professionals, say RUSI's Isabella Chase and ACAMS' Rick McDonell.

Cities work to bring fintech to underserved communities
Business leaders in Atlanta and San Francisco warn that the digital divide will widen if Black-owned companies can't accept online and mobile payments.

How Trustmark boosted video ATM traffic by 40%
Trustmark in Jackson, Mississippi, had been testing video-enabled ATMs since 2017, starting in a branch lobby, a drive-through lane and a “transformed” branch that shared space with a coffee shop. The experiments were promising, but the company felt there was room for improvement.

Epic’s remedy for App Store ‘terrible’ for users, Cook says
Apple's Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said it would be “terrible” for iPhone and iPad users if a judge ordered the company to allow third-party app marketplaces, in addition to its own App Store, as Epic Games Inc. is demanding in a high-stakes antitrust battle.

Push-pay fraud is a new, and changing threat to banks
Authorized push payment fraud — where fraudsters trick people into voluntarily transferring money or providing credit card or other payment information over the phone or via digital channels — is accelerating globally.

Price volatility limits usefulness of crypto for payments, Powell says
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve signaled Thursday that it is looking to expand its oversight of stablecoins, just one day after China issued a warning about the financial stability risks of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Synchrony earmarks $15 million for VCs backed by women, minorities
Synchrony has committed to place $15 million in venture capital funds led by women, minorities and other underrepresented groups, as part of Synchrony Ventures’ broader initiative to drive diversity through investment.

Cagney’s Figure valued at $3.2 billion in latest funding round
Figure Technologies, the blockchain-based startup co-founded by Mike Cagney, is closing its latest funding round that values the company at $3.2 billion.

European Central Bank warns of pricing pressure from U.S. payment firms
The European Central Bank made a veiled threat to commercial banks that are extracting fees from real-time payments, stating the levies stand in the way of progress.

Fintechs and crypto pose a creative threat to traditional banking
The economist Joseph Schumpeter created a term called “Creative Destruction," as can be seen in cases such as Netflix vs. Blockbuster, department stores vs. Amazon, taxis vs. Uber and so on. Cryptocurrency could be brewing another creative destruction in the financial markets.

Open banking must incorporate financial inclusion
Regulators must urgently usher the unbanked or underbanked individuals into the wider financial ecosystem as they continue to craft open banking rules, says FISPAN's Clayton Weir.

MoneyGram's agent network will enable crypto users to cash out
The money transfer company is working with Coinme to provide a way for bitcoin users to access their profits — or cut their losses.

Bitcoin's wild Wednesday weakens its case for payments
Bitcoin's value plunged 30% Wednesday morning — and bounced back to just shy of $40,000 by the afternoon — in a stark reminder of why many people are still wary about using the cryptocurrency for payments.

Adyen takes on cash-centric Japan with local card processing
Japan is one of the most cash-centric of all developed nations, with about 80% of consumer transactions conducted with paper or coins, but the pandemic triggered some shifts that Adyen wants to capitalize upon.

The Most Influential Women in Payments: Next
This year's honorees are women under 40 who have demonstrated a strong talent for leadership and an expertise in their respective fields. They also took on crucial responsibilities to help their organizations navigate the complexities of the pandemic, and set their companies on a path for continued growth.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
MORE FROM AMERICAN BANKER