Latest opinions that Matt White has shared on Finextra

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Matt White

North America editor

Finextra

Member since

27 Nov 2006

Location

Toronto

View Matt White's full profile

Matt's opinions

Virgin ditches green card for no card

According to Marketing Week, Virgin Money is shelving plans for a biodegradable card. The firm seems to have decided that if there's one thing greener than a green card it's no card at all, so they're going to concentrate on mobile payments instead. I’m sure at least one regular Finextra blogger will applaud the decision.

16 June 2008 /retail Going green

The China earthquake and access to banking

Nearly a month on from China’s devastating earthquake (brilliantly covered by Zennon), news has slipped from the UK's front pages but there is, of course, still a huge operation under way to try and help the hundreds of thousands of people whose lives have been torn apart. We received a press release earlier this week from a tech vendor called GRG...

06 June 2008 /payments /retail

Aviva living in a fantasy world

On the day insurance giant Aviva announced it will axe 1800 UK jobs, its American arm invited agents to visit the company's private island in Internet-based virtual world Second Life. The firm says its island features free virtual gifts and a "bright futures centre”...

06 June 2008 /retail Futuristic Banking

HSBC and the not so green credit card

HSBC put out a press release yesterday hailing the US launch of a “green” credit card. Having looked at the details I think it’s safe to say the ecosmart MasterCard is not going to save the planet. The card gives you a ‘reward point’ for every dollar spent – you can then use the points to make donations to various environmental causes. HSBC negle...

29 May 2008 /retail Going green

McDonald's trials mobile phone coupons

McDonald’s Japan has just launched Kazasu Coupon, a programme that sends digital vouchers to your mobile phone which are redeemed in store by tapping your handset against a contactless POS reader. To take advantage, you just download an application to your phone and register via mobile web, selecting the coupons you want. The system, which is being...

23 May 2008 /payments /retail

BoA invites online criticism

The Boston Globe reports that Bank of America is embracing customer interaction via an online forum. Predictably, plenty of irate customers are taking advantage of the feature to air their frustrations. With people posting reviews all over the Web anyway the bank has decided it might as well get into the spirit of things and show customers it’s “...

08 May 2008 /retail

Bloggers beware

According to the BBC, a blogger who took aim at the police over what he considered mistreatment has been fined £150 with £364 costs for posting a "grossly offensive and menacing message". His freedom of speech defense didn't cut much ice with the magistrate. So be warned - think before you blog.

30 April 2008

Pre-paid cards a real cash rival?

Following on from Navjeet’s post on the enduring popularity of cash, a serious digital rival looks to be emerging, at least if you believe the forum's panel discussing innovations in payments technology. A venture capitalist in the audience asked what sort of exciting new technology start-up he should be looking to invest his money in. The panel...

25 April 2008 /payments

E Trade sells off jets

You have to feel for poor old E*Trade. In a seemingly desperate cost-cutting exercise, the beleaguered discount brokerage has had to sell off its corporate jets. Apparently the private planes enabled executives to work on the move without nosy fellow passengers peeking at confidential information. I guess they'll just have to run the risk of mid-a...

03 April 2008

PayPass open to hack attacks?

A couple of weeks ago Finextra reported that security expert Adam Laurie has developed a script that lets fraudsters pull the names, account numbers and expiration dates from RFID enabled American Express cards without touching, or even seeing, them. At the time Amex told us the information was of little value to criminals and couldn't be used fo...

12 March 2008 /security