Facebook Messenger, Stripe’s Atlas, Ingenico gamification and Azimo’s remittances in cards and payments news

Headlines this week in Cards and Payments

• Facebook has announced the roll out of a new feature on its Messenger app which uses artificial intelligence to make recommendations
• RiskIQ survey has revealed that mobile app users in the UK may be putting their identities and devices at risk. The survey found that 45% of respondents do not examine the details of an app and 60% never or only occasionally look at privacy policies and permissions prior to downloading an app
• Stripe has announced it is extending its Atlas service to American start-ups after an initial global launch targeting online start-ups only. The Atlas service charges a $500 fee and helps entrepreneurs get incorporated, open a bank account and start accepting payments
• Ingenico has partnered with Belgian start-up, Luckycycle, to develop and launch a Gamified Checkout, which gives shoppers a chance to win their basket for free. Tests by Luckycycle show that merchants can increase the volume and value of transactions and boost conversion by up to 15% when applying the technique
• Azimo has launched an in-app feature that enables customers to instantly request, send and receive cash internationally by using a mobile phone number. The service is also being rolled out in Poland, the US and Canada
• ECB research has found that around 75% of all Euro zone payments at the point-of-sale are still made in cash. The survey is based on a daily diary completed by 65,281 respondents between October 2015 and July 2016. Respondents were asked to note all payments made at points-of-sale, such as supermarkets, shops for durable goods, bars, restaurants and street markets. The ECB survey covered 17 countries
• Amazon has launched a service that allows Americans to top up their Amazon accounts by handing over cash at the physical locations of partner retailers. To use Amazon Cash a consumer visits the Amazon website or app and requests a barcode that they can either receive via text message or print off. The barcode is then shown to a cashier at a partner retailer and the cash to be deposited is handed over. The funds are then added to their Amazon accounts