InComm Acquires Linq3 Technologies

InComm Acquires Linq3 Technologies

Prepaid payments technology firm InComm marked its eighth acquisition this week with the purchase of Linq3 Technologies, an Atlanta, Georgia-based digital lottery company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal gives InComm access to Linq3’s suite of lottery products that leverage consumer interaction at retailers’ point of sales systems. Brooks Smith, InComm founder and CEO, noted that incorporating the new technology will enable InComm “to deliver new product solutions to create experiences that will engage the consumer – right at the retailer’s point of sale.”

Smith also noted that this week’s purchase extends beyond technology and into Linq3’s human resources, offering InComm lottery industry intelligence. “This transaction brings us an experienced management team with a great deal of industry knowledge that can be leveraged to transform and grow lottery business across North America.”

In anticipation of the acquisition, InComm has already integrated with central gaming system vendors in the U.S. In fact, the company plans to launch lottery products including point of sale-activated draw games, prize payouts and validations, and prepaid state lottery gift cards for its retail clients.

Tom Spiegel, CEO of Linq3, noted that InComm will especially benefit from state lotteries. “Today, state lotteries face many challenges tied to retailer expansion, new player acquisition, and product innovation in an increasingly digital world. Through InComm’s acquisition of Linq3, state lotteries will now have the ability to reach more players through new and current retailers, retailers can realize more revenue by driving new consumer traffic to their locations, and lottery players will benefit from easy, simple and new ways to purchase and play lottery products.”

InComm offers more than 500,000 points of retail distribution with 1,000+ brand partners in more than 30 countries. The company debuted CorFire Mobile Commerce at FinovateFall 2011. More recently, InComm showed off the Cashtie API at FinDEVr Silicon Valley 2014. Last June, the Atlanta-based company teamed up with Fiserv to make it easier for consumers to pay their bills using cash at retailers’ physical point of sale systems.

Finovate Alumni News

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  • Larky wins big at Finastra’s Innovation Challenge

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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  • Fiserv Helps NationalLink Maximize Smart Safe Technology.
  • Mastercard to Acquire Digital Commerce Fraud Fighter Ethoca.

Around the web

  • Carsharing firm HyreCar leverages identity verification technology from Mitek for its mobile onboarding app.
  • PayPal invests $750 million in Argentina’s e-commerce company, MercadoLibre.
  • Tinkoff Bank reports 2018 highlights including launch of new mortgage app, a joint P2P money transfer offering with Sberbank, and more than 2.7 million new active credit customers.
  • Best of Show winner Voleo chosen to participate in Netherlands-based fintech research program.
  • ThreatMetrix teams up with Blue Turtle Technologies to help market its fraud prevention solution to customers in Africa.
  • ArthaYantra wins Fintech of the Year (India) at The Asset Triple A Digital Awards.
  • Stash launches Stock-Back, a rewards program to bridge banking and investing.
  • Jack Henry to collaborate with the Zelle Network to launch JHA PayCenter.
  • InComm expands into lottery industry with Linq3 Technologies acquisition.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

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  • Temenos Acquires Avoka in $245 Million Deal.
  • More Than $400 Million Raised by 19 Alums in Q3 2018.
  • ShopKeep Closes $65 Million to Boost Small Business Financing Tool.

Around the web

  • The Open Bank Project wins Best Technology Provider for Open API Standards at Global Open Banking Awards.
  • InComm partners with Revolut to offer their prepaid cards at U.K. retail chain wilko.
  • U.K.’s Experian to buy Africa’s Compuscan.
  • First Data and China CITIC Bank International to join forces with launch of new merchant acquiring solutions.
  • PayPal launches Xoom International money transfer in Canada.
  • Docutech and Tavant integrate for digitally-focused loan origination process.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

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  • Roostify Powers TD Bank’s Digital Mortgage Experience.

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  • iQuantifi launches RoboPlanner roboadvisory tool for millennials.
  • Nummo selects MX to power user account aggregation.
  • Signicat digitizes in-store signing of credit agreements for Resurs Bank retail partners.
  • Kony helps PSECU deliver an updated digital banking application to enhance the digital user experience.
  • InComm partners with Japanese pharmacy chain Welcia to launch four mobile barcode payment solutions in its stores.
  • Sezzle adds ShipStation as client.
  • Ocurrency interviews Radoslav Albrecht, Founder & CEO of Bitbond.
  • Insuritas partners with Sound Community Bank to launch bank-owned digital insurance agency platform.
  • Bill.com partners with First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) to offer enhanced digital business payments solutions.
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  • Provident Bank chooses Gro Solutions to boost mobile-first user-experience and drive account growth.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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  • InComm partners with Xsolla to enable online game account funding with cash.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World

As Finovate goes increasingly global, so does our coverage of financial technology. Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World is our weekly look at fintech innovation in developing economies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Asia-Pacific

  • InComm launches Google Play gift cards in Thailand as it celebrates its 10th anniversary in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • Bank of Thailand announces plans to develop a central bank digital currency (CBDC).
  • Indonesia’s KoinWorks, an online P2P lending marketplace, locks in $16.5 million in funding.
  • Singapore-based crypto payments startup, Terra, raises $32 million in funding.

Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Azimo forges strategic partnership with African payments business, Interswitch Group.
  • Nigerian payment startup Paystack picks up $8 million Series A investment in round led by Stripe.
  • South Africa-based bitcoin wallet Luno tops two million customer milestone.

Central and Eastern Europe

  • Sberbank becomes Founding Partner of World Economic Forum Centre for Cybersecurity.
  • A pair of fintech entrepreneurs from Latvia have bought Colorado National Bank for $8.97 million.
  • Bank of Russia’s Corporate University hosts workshop on functioning of regulatory sandbox.

Middle East and Northern Africa

  • Modo teams up with Etihad Airways to build loyalty solution for airline industry.
  • Emirates NBD launches DirectRemit service to the U.K.
  • Forbes Middle East profiles the fintech industry in Lebanon.

Central and South Asia

  • India-based startup PaySpoon to provide mobile-first credit options for consumers.
  • ZestMoney, a digital lending startup based in Begaluru, has raised $13.4 million in Series A funding.
  • Entrepreneur India explains why new entrepreneurs should “consider fintech as a sweet spot.”

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Compass Plus migrates Brazilian prepaid card issuer, BPP, to its platform.
  • PYMNTS.com looks at partnerships between fintechs and traditional FIs in Mexico.
  • Wirecard Brazil introduces new financial features for its entrepreneur customers.

Top image designed by Freepik

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  • BBVA enhances security by enabling customers to manage security levels on their smartphones from a single point in the app.
  • InComm launches Google Play gift cards in Thailand as it celebrates its 10th anniversary in the Asia-Pacific region.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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  • Baker Hill expands client base, moves to new office.
  • Crypterium to let Australian citizens pay bills and make bank transfers with crypto. Come check out Crypterium at FinovateFall next month.
  • InComm Celebrates 10 Years in the Asia-Pacific Region.
  • National Association of Credit Union Services Organizations accepts Kony as a Gold Partner.
  • Payroll in Xero launches encryption for UK payslip PDFs.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Fiserv and InComm Partner for Cash Billpay

Fiserv and InComm Partner for Cash Billpay

Prepaid products company InComm, along with financial services company Fiserv, have joined forces to make it easier for customers to pay their bills using cash at stores where they traditionally shop.

Bill payment transactions are powered by InComm’s VanillaDirect Pay. When a bill is due, the consumer receives a barcode on their smartphone from the biller. At the point of sale at a brick-and-mortar merchant, the cashier scans the barcode as they would for any other purchase. This adds the customer’s billing balance to their total, which they can pay in cash. After payment, the consumer receives a receipt as proof of purchase. Thee press release states that the service is currently available at thousands of InComm retailers such as Dollar General and Family Dollar.

“CheckFreePay allows us to continue to transform the payment experience,” said Matt Lanford, senior vice president and general manager for financial services at InComm. “Our technology is serving consumers, enabling them to pay bills easily, while also driving more traffic into our retailers and increasing their revenue.”

Fiserv’s CheckFreePay offers billers a cash bill payment option, enabling them to support all channels, including web, mobile, financial institution websites, walk-in, print, and mail. John Stoner, President of Biller Solutions at Fiserv said, “Whether it is for the convenience of paying a bill while shopping or the ability to receive a receipt immediately upon payment, VanillaDirect Pay and CheckFreePay will enable more biller organizations to conveniently serve customers in-lane at thousands of retail locations without visiting a designated walk-up pay counter.”

This cash payment option competes with PayNearMe’s service. Founded in 2009, PayNearMe offers a QR code-based payment service that allows customers to pay at 27,000 retail locations, including CVS, 7-Eleven, Family Dollar, and Casey’s General Store. doxo also has its foot in the door with cash-based bill payments. The company partnered with Coinstar in April to allow users to pay billers using cash at Coinstar kiosk locations.

InComm offers more than 500,000 points of retail distribution with 1,000+ brand partners in more than 30 countries. The company debuted CorFire Mobile Commerce at FinovateFall 2011. More recently, InComm showed off the Cashtie API at FinDEVr Silicon Valley 2014. Earlier this month, InComm acquired Gift Card Impressions, making it the company’s seventh acquisition.

Fiserv recently appeared on the FinovateSpring stage alongside Samsung SDS, where the two showcased how Samsung SDS integrates its biometric authentication and collaboration solutions into Fiserv’s Commercial Center: Security (CC:S) to create a more secure and convenient digital banking experience. As another security play, Fiserv recently began offering Mastercard’s Decision Intelligence decision and fraud detection service.

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  • Unison Raises $40 Million to Promote the American Dream.
  • Munnypot Picks Up Investment from Livingbridge.
  • Five Degrees and BillPro Launch New European Cross Border Banking Service.
  • The ROI of a Finovate Demo.

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  • Infosys Finacle partners with Santander UK to launch interbank cash management system.
  • Luxoft to use open source blockchain platform Corda from R3.
  • Texas Tech FCU to deploy hardware, software, and services from NCR as it overhauls its customer experience.
  • Fiserv makes its Prologue Credit Loss Manager and risk modeling tools available via the cloud.
  • PYMNTS.com features Best of Show-winning cybersecurity specialist, SpyCloud.
  • American Banker: U.K.’s Revolut teams with Russia’s Qiwi ahead of U.S. launch.
  • Bill.com surpasses $50 billion in business payments processed annually.
  • The Tech Tribune names nCino and Passport among the 10 best tech startups in North Carolina.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

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  • Kinetica Taps Dell for Hardware.

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  • Workfusion announces Smart Process Automation 9.0 — the newest evolution of its flagship AI-powered RPA software.
  • Trulioo and Acuant join forces on AML/KYC Compliance.
  • SnapCar and Revolut team up to offer instant payouts to SnapCar drivers (in French).
  • InComm achieves HITRUST CSF Certification to mitigate security and compliance risk.
  • Glassdoor lists PayPal as one of 20 companies that champion LGBTQ equality hiring.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.