United Kingdom Take a Step Forward in Regulation of Digital Currencies

Digital currencies are beginning to rise quickly in popularity with consumers increasingly looking into digital currency as a means of payment. The UK government, in their most recent budget report have announced their plans to support innovation in the nascent technology, whilst taking steps to prevent criminal use. Similar to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), who recently proposed rules to help the development of the prepaid industry, the UK government are seeking to create an environment that will allow digital currencies to flourish whilst making it ‘a hostile environment for illicit users of digital currencies’.

At the beginning of March, cash was overthrown as the leading method of payment in the UK. More transactions were made digitally by credit, debit, or via other cashless methods than paying with cash. Predictions in 2023 show that digital transactions will have risen to a staggering 27 billion per year with cash being around 13 billion. With digital set to continue to be the leader in payments, the UK Treasury have seen the need for new regulation.

The main aim, just like with the CFPB’s new proposed rules, look closely at consumer protection as digital currencies in the past have been linked with many criminal activities. The bitcoin especially has been under a lot of scrutiny for its popular usage on the website Silk Road which was a marketplace for drugs, arms and other underground business. What many seem not to know is that bitcoins are not in fact anonymous; they can be tracked through the pseudonyms created by users to see every transaction ever made.

This budget announcement came soon after the Bank of England declared moves to undertake research into central bank issued digital currencies. Digital currencies have been pinpointed by the UK government as something with great potential but need a set of standards and best practices in order to decrease the volatility of prices in currencies such as bitcoins and to protect digital transactions that previously have not been particularly secure.

The UK’s move to embrace digital currencies shows that increased usage is expected in the future. The necessary regulation should allow consumers to feel more comfortable in becoming more reliant on digital transactions. Standardising digital currencies could help to adapt bitcoin and other virtual currency values for recording and transfers to help promote mainstream adoption.

It will be interesting to see whether other countries follow suit and devote more research into the support of digital currencies. However like with the CFPB’s proposed rules regarding prepaid payments, the standardising and regulation of digital currencies could mean a potential stifling in development and innovation within the industry that could limit longevity due to new innovations arising in the future.  

About the Author: Harry Kempe, a marketing intern at IIR USA, who works on various aspects of the industry including social media, marketing analysis and media. He is a recent graduate of Newcastle University who previously worked for EMAP Ltd. and WGSN as a marketing assistant on events such as the World Architecture Festival, World Retail Congress and Global Fashion Awards. He can be reached at hkempe@IIRUSA.com  

Share this article with your social network, just click below to share now!

Share |

Will new prepaid payments rules improve or hinder the development of the prepaid industry?

Prepaid cards are growing in popularity in today’s payments world with consumers becoming increasingly reliant on prepaid products in order to purchase goods and access funds. Director Richard Cordray of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) predicted a total dollar value of general purpose reloadable cards to grow to around $100 billion by the end of 2014. The CFPB decided in 2014 that there needed to better rules in order to help to protect users in a way that is more similar to the security that comes from a credit or debit card.

Towards the end of 2014, the CFPB proposed new rules for prepaid accounts that will create amendments to the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Truth in Lending Act. The rules fall under 4 main categories:

1. Credit Protections – relates to credit products in prepaid accounts. Now means monthly billing statements, allowance of time to pay debts, late fees and limitations on fee and interest charges.
2. Prepaid Protections – allow prepaid users to have the same protection as they would receive with a normal checking account. This includes easy access to account information and lost-card and fraud protection.
3. Prepaid/Credit Distinction – rules to be implemented in order to distinguish between credit products and prepaid accounts.
4. Prepaid Fee Disclosures – rules in order to standardise upfront disclosures and that card agreements must be publicly accessible. 

The rules will exclude cards that are marketed and labeled as gift cards or certificates. Also excluded are flexible spending accounts, medical savings account, health reimbursement arrangements and health savings accounts.

So are these rules going to be advantageous in the prepaid payments world? The general consensus is yes; much of the 870 page proposal is widely considered to be reasonable. The rule allows credit to be offered and will mean a decline in hostility from regulators in regard to the prepaid industry providing credit, so a measure of regulatory consistency has now been provided. Providers are now allowing check writing and bill paying to help persuade cardholders to use prepaid payments as their primary banking platform.

However the issue that has been raised by many in the industry is that the rules will stifle any future innovations into digital wallets, person-to-person payment systems and cryptocurrency products. The CFPB, some believe simply have too much power and so rulings like these tend to go unopposed. The Bureau has the power to break businesses due to its huge influence. The industry tends to accept new rules and regulations in the fear that if they say no there could be negative repercussions.

To me, looking in from the outside of the industry, it looks as if the rules will be advantageous to the ever-growing industry at present. Providing security and the ability to pay debts, limiting interest charges amongst other plus points will continue to increase the popularity of prepaid payments. However stifling the potential for development and innovation may in the long run mean a limit to longevity if another disruptive innovation within the payments world comes along.

About the Author: Harry Kempe, a marketing intern at IIR USA, who works on various aspects of the industry including social media, marketing analysis and media. He is a recent graduate of Newcastle University who previously worked for EMAP Ltd. and WGSN as a marketing assistant on events such as the World Architecture Festival, World Retail Congress and Global Fashion Awards. He can be reached at hkempe@IIRUSA.com. 

Share this article with your social network, just click below to share now!

Share |

Eliminate Payments Risk at All Payments Expo

Rules, Regulation and Compliance

With innovation comes risk. And where there's risk, there's rules, regulation and compliance - plus, lots of uncertainty.



At All Payments Expo, you'll get the legal analysis and regulator face-time you need to decipher how new regulation developments, fraud trends and lingering uncertainties will impact your payments product or program.

Get Analysis on:

• CFPB-led presentation on its proposed rules for prepaid
• How fraudsters are gaining access to a wide variety of payment access devices, with insight from the FBI and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
• Analysis on EMV's maturation, and the subsequent impact on payment fraud
• The legal implications of Bitcoin, and how partnerships can satisfy compliance requirements
• How to improve the compliance relationships between prepaid program managers and issuers
• Eliminating gift card-based fraud in-store, online and third-party
• How to boost approval for your product innovations, enhancements and add-ons throughout the regulatory lifecycle
• How non-traditional payments companies and MSBs can better access financial services

View the APEX agenda.

At APEX, you'll have a tailored line-up of legal analysis, regulator access and real-world takeaways. Don't risk your program's growth - get ahead of regulation now by attending APEX.

Save $100 when you register with the code XU2848BLOG

Share this article with your social network, just click below to share now!

Share |

Prepaid Debit Cards Set to Face Rules on Overdrafts and Disclosure

Via Bloomberg

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will propose to limit overdraft charges on prepaid debit cards and require more disclosure from issuers about all fees they charge, a person familiar with the matter said.

The market size for prepaid debit cards has nearly doubled to an estimated $80 billion since the CFPB began reviewing the products after the initial criticism that transaction fees on some products were too high.

The competition in the prepaid marketplace has driven lower fees over the past four years. The person familiar with the proposal told Bloomberg that it could come in early November and won’t include broad restrictions on transaction fees.

CFPB officials have been studying the prepaid market since 2010, when cards including one issued by reality TV stars the Kardashian sisters were charging as much as $1.50 for withdrawals or for speaking with a customer service. Such fees became rarer after increased competition from new market entrants.

According to Madeline Aufseeser, senior analyst with the Aite Group, a Boston-based consultancy, these cards have risen in popularity. In 2010, consumers had about $37 billion loaded onto prepaid cards, a number that is expected to rise to nearly $80 billion by the end of this year.

To read the complete story from Bloomberg, click here.

With more consolidation and saturation in key niches of the marketplace, it's never been more important for prepaid to continue to drive new growth and unearth new business opportunities. To support prepaid players, that is why at All Payments Expo 2015, we've created the Prepaid Forum, a dedicated forum focused on relevant and important content for the prepaid industry.

Click here to view the updated event brochure. 

Make sure you join us this February 23-25 at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas - As a blog reader, use the code XU2848BLOG when you register and save $100 off the current rate | Register Here.

See you in Las Vegas!

Share this article with your social network, just click below to share now!

Share |