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Ahead of potential new monetary policy from the Bank of Japan, CoinDesk explores its potential impact on bitcoin markets.

The modern smartphone is a remarkable device. A single device that fits in your pocket can do all the tasks that once required cameras, camcorders, GPS devices, watches, alarm clocks, calculators, and even TVs.    

But the next change might be the most radical of all—it could eliminate the need to carry cash and credit cards.  

The growing importance of the smartphone as the go-to computing device for every digital activity is having a profound effect everywhere you look, but it’s only the biggest story among many exciting developments in the world of payments:   

• Apple Pay was first out of the gate, but now mobile wallets are everywhere you look—Android Pay, Google Pay, Chase Pay and even Walmart Pay are making smartphones a real alternative to carrying credit cards. And the potential for mobile wallets to limit a merchant’s fraud liability could help them really take off in acceptance for small businesses.   
• As consumers move more purchasing online, gateway vendors that can act as a front-end processor for online businesses are seeing explosive growth.   PayPal-owned Braintree grew 111% YoY in the number of cards on file in Q4 2015, while Stripe and Klarna now have multi-billion dollar valuations.
• Mobile Point-Of-Sale (mPOS) startups like Square and ShopKeep have pioneered a whole new payments niche—accepting payments via tablets and smartphones.   Coupling their transactions capabilities with new apps can revolutionize a small business’ inventory management, marketing, loyalty and even payroll.   
• Mobile Peer-to-Peer payments in the U.S. are forecast to grow from $5.6 billion in 2014 to nearly $175 billion by 2019 as consumers increasingly skip the hassle of writing a check or going to an ATM.   But smartphone vendors like Apple could cripple the dominant player of 2016 (Venmo) if they make a serious push to own the space.   

If your job or your company is involved in payment processing in any way, you know how complex this industry is. And you know that you simply can’t understand where the next big digital opportunities are unless you know the key players and roles in each step of the payments “supply chain:”   

• Acquirers
• Processors
• Issuers
• Card Networks
• Independent sales organizations and merchant service providers
• Gateways
• Hardware and software providers

Fortunately, managing analyst John Heggestuen and research analyst Evan Bakker of BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, have compiled a detailed report that breaks down everything you need to know—whether you’re a payments industry veteran or a newcomer who is still getting a basic knowledge of this complex world.

Among the big picture insights you’ll get from this new report, titled The Payments Ecosystem Report: Everything You Need to Know About The Next Era of Payment Processing:

• The 5 key events of 2015 that have set up 2016 as a watershed year for the entire payments ecosystem. 
• The basics of traditional card processing from the start of the process through to the very end.    
• Why new players and innovations like prepaid cards, store cards, and PIN debit transactions are gaining market share and creating new opportunities.   
• The effects—good and bad—of the transition to new mobile payment methods.   New players and old have surprising threats and opportunities in areas as varied as carrier billing, remittances, wearables, and more.   

This exclusive report takes you inside these big issues to explore:

• The critical steps in credit card transactions and how they are changing.
• The six major types of organizations involved in the payments ecosystem.
• The significant differences for industry players who operate closed-loop networks and offer prepaid cards.
• The challenges and opportunities facing hardware and software providers for the payments sector.   
• The 8 reasons why mobile wallets are growing so fast and how they will disrupt all aspects of the mobile ecosystem.    
• The exciting possibilities ahead in fast-growing payments subsectors like remittances, connected devices and mobile P2P payments.   
• And much more.

The Payments Ecosystem Report: Everything You Need to Know About The Next Era of Payment Processing is the only place you can get the full story on the rapidly-evolving world of payments.      

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Subscribe to BI Intelligence's Ultimate Payments Research Bundle and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

Join the conversation about this story »

A slew of recent departures from itBit suggest a changing future for a startup originally founded as a bitcoin exchange service.

One of South Korea's largest banks has inked an agreement with the best funded startup working in the bitcoin space. KB Kookmin announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with bitcoin payments startup Circle, as well as local startup Coinplug, today. Coinplug, which is based in South Korea, was previously revealed to be working with […]

“It’s called stealing or piracy, as if sharing a wealth of knowledge were the moral equivalent of plundering a ship and murdering its crew. But sharing isn’t immoral — it’s a moral imperative. Only those blinded by greed would refuse to let a friend make a copy.” — Aaron Swartz

The post The War On File Sharing is the New War On Drugs appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

A team of economists from UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, Deutsche Bundesbank, University of Wisconsin and The New School have...

The post New Study Reveals Bitcoin Economy Maturing to Mainstream Enterprise appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Yunbi, one of China’s biggest Ethereum trading exchange, announced today that they were to postpone the listing of ETC in order to undertake “security preparations” to address vulnerabilities due to “Relay Attack.” Yunbi further stated that they had lost over 40,000 ETC “from users who deposited ETH before YUNBI listing ETC after Hard Fork:” “The […]

The post Ethereum Exchange’s Attempts to List ETC Leads to Losses appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Investigations in the aftermath of the recent terror attack in Munich which saw nine people killed in a Munich shopping center on Friday will now see darknet markets under the scanner. Speaking to journalists today, Holger Muench, the chief of Germany’s Federal Criminal Police (also known as Bundeskriminalamt or BKA), has stated that the emergence […]

The post Darknet Investigations Now a Priority, Says German Federal Police Chief appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Bitcoin price teeters on the edge of a precipice like Wily E. Coyote holding onto an anvil. The roadrunner is further up the road at $680. Beyond lies the promised land of bitcoin price $2000. FOMC night is here again. This analysis is provided by xbt.social with a 3-hour delay. Read the full analysis here. […]

The post Bitcoin Price – Behold The Coyote Bear appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Bitcoins may be valuable in tech circles, but to a judge in Miami-Dade County, the virtual money is nothing more than shadow currency.

Bitcoin Press Release: Lisk, the blockchain application platform, has experienced a healthy growth of its community throughout these past few months. Community members have developed tools and services that enhance the Lisk experience. July 27, 2016 Aachen, Germany – The Lisk team is excited about the communities’ involvement with the platform. Since launch, the Lisk […]

The post Lisk Community is Rapidly Developing Tools and Services for the Ecosystem appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

In October 2015, Nexusguard, a systems security company that specializes in DDoS defense, started accepting bitcoin as a form of payment...

The post Case Study: Why Systems Security Company Nexusguard Chooses Bitcoin appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Bitcoin Press Release: Breakout Gaming, the Blockchain-based Cryptocurrency gaming platform has announced the appointment of Board of Directors following the successful launch of its initial gaming properties. July 23, 2016, San Jose, Costa Rica – Following the successful launch of BreakoutPvP eSports and Breakout Poker platforms, the Breakout Group of companies has strengthened its management […]

The post Breakout Gaming, The BRK Cryptocurrency Based Gaming Services Adds New Board Members appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Blockstream has acquired wallet provider GreenAddress in a move the startup says could impact the development of sidechains.

A senior associate and technology lawyer at global financial law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has discussed the legality of bitcoin in South Africa, a country where the cryptocurrency remains unregulated. In a blog published yesterday, Kerri Crawford, a technology lawyer and senior associate at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright discussed cryptocurrencies with a particular […]

The post Tech Lawyer Sees Possibility of Bitcoin Regulation in South Africa appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

In response to the challenges posed by technology, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has enacted initiatives to address cybercrime as well as the disruptions caused by the emerging fintech sector, including blockchain technology. The RBI has established the Reserve Bank Information Technology (ReBIT) has been established to address these issues. R. Gandhi, deputy governor of […]

The post Reserve Bank Of India Mobilizes Blockchain & Fintech Initiatives appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

If the world hasn’t hit peak "Pokémon Go" yet, then surely we are close?

ITV, the UK’s biggest ad-funded broadcaster, is the latest to jump on the bandwagon, with its staff canteen literally serving up a slice of the Nintendo phenomenon this week.

Business Insider has seen the menu (pictured above), which has created ripples of excitement at ITV's London headquarters.

The company does a least have an ulterior motive: its children’s channel CITV broadcasts "Pokémon the Series: XYZ" every Saturday at 12pm.

Make mine a "Pokémon Ball Pizza" with a side of "Onyx Onion Rings."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How to find Pokémon in 'Pokémon Go'

Coinigy has raised $400,000 in new seed funding to develop an updated version of its bitcoin trading platform.

Digital currency exchange Coinbase has revealed its stance with the Ethereum hard fork, stating that it has no plans to support Ethereum Classic, the spin-off blockchain based on the consensus and protocols of the original Ethereum blockchain. In an announcement today, bitcoin and ether exchange Coinbase has revealed that its recently launched support for ether, […]

The post Coinbase Isn’t Supporting Ethereum Classic, Yet appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Agentic Group, a New York City-based global blockchain consortium, has seized an opportunity to boost the U.K. fintech sector following the Brexit vote with the opening of a London office.   The consortium, formed in 2015 to provide a cohesive voice on the financial implications of blockchains and digital currencies, has more than 35 blockchain […]

The post Global Blockchain Consortium Agentic Group Opens London Office To Boost U.K. Fintech appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Payments Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

US-based processor Vantiv launched Vantiv One Network Experience (O.N.E.), a three-part solution that will make it simpler for developers to build applications for omnichannel payments.

The platform has three components: TechTools, which provides APIs and software development kits (SDKs), sample code, and testing environments; TechLift, which gives developers hands-on guidance; and Tech-Tribe, which connects merchants looking to develop in the payments space. Combined, these tools will make it simpler for merchants to use their own applications to accept payments across channels.

Simplifying omnichannel integration for merchants could ultimately lift Vantiv's business. More merchants are moving into the digital space — 89% of merchants have a website and 65% have a mobile store, compared to 76% and 25%, respectively, just five years ago or at the time of their founding.

By providing a service like O.N.E., Vantiv allows merchants to more easily add new channels or unify existing channels. New channels give merchants new opportunities to make money from consumers and grow their overall volume, which in turn gives Vantiv the opportunity to extract higher processing revenue from its clients. 

Vantiv serves as one piece of the larger payments ecosystem, which includes acquirers and processors, issuers, gateways, and more.

Evan Bakker and John Heggestuen, analysts at BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, have compiled a detailed report on the payments ecosystem that drills into the industry to explain how a broad range of transactions are processed, including prepaid and store cards, as well as revealing which types of companies are in the best and worst position to capitalize on the latest industry trends.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• 2016 will be a watershed year for the payments industry. Payments companies are improving security, expanding their mobile offerings, and building commerce capabilities that will give consumers a more compelling reason to make purchases using digital devices.
• Payments is an extremely complex industry. To understand the next big digital opportunity lies, it's critical to understand how the traditional credit- and debit-processing chain works and what roles acquirers, processors, issuing banks, card networks, independent sales organizations, gateways, and software and hardware providers play.
• Alternative technologies could disrupt the processing ecosystem. Devices ranging from refrigerators to smartwatches now feature payment capabilities, which will spur changes in consumer payment behaviors. Likewise, blockchain technology, the protocol that underlies Bitcoin, could one day change how consumer card payments are verified.

In full, the report:

• Uncovers the key themes and trends affecting the payments industry in 2016 and beyond.
• Gives a detailed description of the stakeholders involved in a payment transaction, along with hardware and software providers.
• Offers diagrams and infographics explaining how card transactions are processed and which players are involved in each step.
• Provides charts on our latest forecasts, key company growth, survey results, and more.
• Analyzes the alternative technologies, including blockchain, which could further disrupt the ecosystem.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the payments ecosystem.

Join the conversation about this story »

  Bitcoin and digital exchange Coinbase has expanded its services to Australia, enabling customers in the country-continent to buy bitcoin and ether with payment cards. In an announcement today, digital currency exchange and wallet provider Coinbase revealed its expansion effort to Australia. The move will allow users to buy bitcoin and ether with credit and […]

The post Coinbase Enables Bitcoin Buying in Australia appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Payments Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

US-based store card issuer Synchrony Financial, which provides store cards for retailers including Walmart and Toys R Us, delivered another quarter of strong performance in Q2 2016, with overall purchase volume increasing 9% year-over-year (YoY) to $31 billion. 

At the same time, the firm’s digital channels continue to grow steadily, which could be driven by rising digital commerce and increased reliance on phones.

• Online purchasing: Synchrony’s online sales are up 27% YoY. That’s fairly consistent with the YoY growth that the firm has posted in the past several quarters, 29% and 23% in Q1 2016 and Q4 2015, respectively. That's much higher than "US growth trends" in the industry overall, which hover around 14-15%. Synchrony's success could be a result of strong online platforms from Synchrony’s partners, but it’s also likely related to the rise in popularity of e- and m-commerce across the board — BI Intelligence forecasts that US e-commerce sales will hit $631 billion in 2020, up from $341 billion last year.
• Digital applications: Synchrony noted that about a third of its card applications occur digitally, and that it’s received 11 million mobile-based applications overall since 2012. Digital applications allow consumers to apply, and get approved, for cards on a near-immediate basis, which could attract consumers who are dependent on their mobile phones. It’s also plausible that many of the online and mobile applications occur directly at the retail point-of-sale (POS) as a way of targeting customers interested in claiming a discount or charging a high-value purchase to credit. 

Synchrony’s investments in digital firms could help them remain “best-in-class” in these areas, something that CEO Margaret Keane noted is a priority. In order to stay ahead, Synchrony is leveraging its partnership with m-commerce firm GPShopper to make it simpler for merchants to develop mobile apps that integrate Synchrony.

And in June, Synchrony invested in flexReceipts, which provides merchants with digital receipts and other customer engagement solutions that could help drive up repeat purchasing and grow spending opportunities, which could increase Synchrony’s overall and online volume further. It’s likely the firm will extend flexReceipts to some or all of its merchants.

Synchrony functions as one piece of the larger payments ecosystem, which includes acquirers and processors, issuers, gateways, and more.

Evan Bakker and John Heggestuen, analysts at BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, have compiled a detailed report on the payments ecosystem that drills into the industry to explain how a broad range of transactions are processed, including prepaid and store cards, as well as revealing which types of companies are in the best and worst position to capitalize on the latest industry trends.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• 2016 will be a watershed year for the payments industry. Payments companies are improving security, expanding their mobile offerings, and building commerce capabilities that will give consumers a more compelling reason to make purchases using digital devices.
• Payments is an extremely complex industry. To understand the next big digital opportunity lies, it's critical to understand how the traditional credit- and debit-processing chain works and what roles acquirers, processors, issuing banks, card networks, independent sales organizations, gateways, and software and hardware providers play.
• Alternative technologies could disrupt the processing ecosystem. Devices ranging from refrigerators to smartwatches now feature payment capabilities, which will spur changes in consumer payment behaviors. Likewise, blockchain technology, the protocol that underlies Bitcoin, could one day change how consumer card payments are verified.

In full, the report:

• Uncovers the key themes and trends affecting the payments industry in 2016 and beyond.
• Gives a detailed description of the stakeholders involved in a payment transaction, along with hardware and software providers.
• Offers diagrams and infographics explaining how card transactions are processed and which players are involved in each step.
• Provides charts on our latest forecasts, key company growth, survey results, and more.
• Analyzes the alternative technologies, including blockchain, which could further disrupt the ecosystem.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the payments ecosystem.

Join the conversation about this story »

Editor’s note: The insights established in this publication are solely that of the reporter and his source and do not represent any from CCN, nor Ethereum. The communication with the source has not been verified by CCN. A source close to Ethereum Foundation decisions came to me via Skype, then encrypted means to solely arrange […]

The post “Ethereum Insiders Believe the DAO Hack Was an Inside Job,” Claims Source appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.