GLG News by Money Transfer Provider Experts

Richard BialekChief Executive Officer Bialek Group

But Can I Trust It?

April 24, 2007

Analysis of:Skype to offer money-transfer system via PayPal | news.yahoo.com

Consumer money transfer is is a large and growing global business. Its size and current pricing are attracting new entrants and new technologies that promise lower cost transfer services. But cost is not the only factor, and often not the most important factor in selecting a money transfer service. Security and trust often dominate the decision on which service to use.

Richard BialekChief Executive Officer Bialek Group

Who Will Win The China Credit Card Market?

April 18, 2007

Analysis of:Bank of America to market credit cards in China | www.iht.com

The Chinese consumer market for financial services is taking shape with the promise of huge returns; credit cards are a core component of that developing market.

The major global card companies have product expertise, but will require Chinese partners to gain the market expertise needed for success.

Ronald IngramDirector of Product ManagementADVANCE AMERICA, CASH ADVANCE CENTERS, INC.

Turning Convenience Stores into Banks: Greendot, Incomm, Visa, MasterCard Race to Build Reload Networks for Prepaid Cards

December 11, 2006

Analysis of:Green Dot and InComm Announce Strategic Distribution Agreement | biz.yahoo.com

The Greendot service allows prepaid card holders to pay merchants (for example Safeway) anywhere from $2 to $4.95 to “load” or “reload” cash to their card. The alliance announced is likely a preemptive competitive response to Visa and soon MasterCard who are have recently begun to offer a similar facility directly. Visa and/or MasterCard will likely drive prices downward to invite larger more frequent card loads and usage.

The creation of the referenced load networks may be an advanced step towards the creation of an entirely new platform for the distribution of financial services to middle and low income segments of the population around the world. This latest announcement is evidence of a growing trend that may represent a threat to established financial institutions and an opportunity for upstarts.

Ronald IngramDirector of Product ManagementADVANCE AMERICA, CASH ADVANCE CENTERS, INC.

Gift Cards: The Dark Side

December 11, 2006

Analysis of:Gift Cards | www.cardweb.com

The value proposition that is driving Visa and MasterCard gift card growth is one-sided in favor of customers and could provide future fodder for the proponents of antagonistic class actions, incite resistance among merchants, card issuers and/or card processors, and dampen investor enthusiasm for MasterCard and Visa.

Ronald IngramDirector of Product ManagementADVANCE AMERICA, CASH ADVANCE CENTERS, INC.

MasterCard Offers Interchange Transparency and Rate Caps to Appease Merchants Points to Vulnerabilities

October 6, 2006

Analysis of:MasterCard Announces US Interchange Initiatives | www.paymentsnews.com

Merchant angst with regard to established credit card payment alternatives MasterCard, Visa etc. is acknowledged and addressed in this recent statement my MasterCard (MC). The MC approach consists of a commitment to improving interchange transparency by publishing rates publicly at www.mastercardmerchant.com. Secondly MasterCard announces a cap on interchange payable on gasoline.

Providing relief on gas interchange and improved transparency presents an astute move from a public relations perspective however the merchant economics of credit card payments versus debit and emerging technologies will continue to drive movement towards new more secure, convenient and less costly payment alternatives. The lack of finality of payment offered by cash transactions, the potential chargebacks that arise with credit (and certain types of signature based debit card transactions) plus processing inefficiencies, high cost, lack of security and generally weak value proposition from the merchant perspective  creates a significant window of opportunity for the emergence of new payment alternatives.

Ronald IngramDirector of Product ManagementADVANCE AMERICA, CASH ADVANCE CENTERS, INC.

Ebay for Money a Disruptive Banking Innovation?

September 11, 2006

Analysis of:Consumer lending may be ripe for disintermediation | money.cnn.com

Prosper.com and Zopa.com offer a Peer to Peer (P2P) financial market that aims to cut out the middleman (banks and finance companies) in retail financial markets. These companies use available credit scoring, payment systems (ACH and/or EFT) and the internet to directly connect borrowers and lenders through an online money marketplace similar to ebay.
This business model increases competition and may force the retail lending market to respond with new comparable offerings or become significantly more efficient through vertical integration in the long-term.

Ronald IngramDirector of Product ManagementADVANCE AMERICA, CASH ADVANCE CENTERS, INC.

Merchant Dissatisfaction with Payment Standards Bodes Well for Upstarts

September 5, 2006

Analysis of:Merchants, Banks Seek Control Of Payment | www.epaynews.com

This article correctly reflects the dissatisfaction of merchants globally with credit cards, the current dominant cash payment alternative. This spells opportunity for less costly and in some cases more secure payment alternatives like Debitman and Pay By Touch which make use of the more efficient Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment infrastructure as well as large payment processors like First Data and Global Payment Systems.

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