02.06.09 – Foreign exchange specialist Foremost Currency Group (FCG) is today reporting a close to 100% increase in the amount of people registering to ‘buy’ euros and dollars since the pound began its dramatic fightback against the leading currency pair last week. With the vast majority of its customers making international payments in order to buy overseas property, Foremost Currency Group is cautiously asking if this could mark a gradual return of confidence to the overseas property buying markets?   Commenting on the news, Robin McEwen, MD, Foremost Currency Group says, “The pound’s recent return to form is positive news for British investors who have been looking to take advantage of deflated property markets in the US and Europe, but have so far been holding back. However, many buyers are securing the rate with a forward contract, as the pound’s underlying weakness remains and with volatility in the FX market we could see a return over the coming weeks.” 

UK’s biggest insurer is about to change its online presence to Aviva.co.uk

The website behind Norwich Union, the UK’s biggest insurer, is set to change its customer website to www.aviva.co.uk on 1 June. The website switchover coincides with Norwich Union’s name change to Aviva, as part of the Aviva group’s move to a single global brand – the fifth largest insurer in the world.

Sixty million people have visited the site since it first launched as Norwichunion.com in 1997. During that time it has supplied the nation with more than 100 million insurance quotes, and sold over 2 million home, motor and travel insurance policies. During the course of a decade it has established itself as the ultimate one-stop-insurance-shop, helping protect peoples’ homes, cars, travels, as well as financial security for the future through its range of life insurance policies.

Key Industry Leaders Discuss Payforit Evolution at Dialogue AIME Seminar

Representatives from mobile aggregators, operators, industry bodies and content and service providers, gathered at the Grand Fitzrovia Hotel in London last Thursday (May 21st), to thrash out the growth, evolution and pros and cons of mobile payment initiative, Payforit. Dialogue MD Guiom Peersman, was joined by Rory Maguire of Three, Del Dias of AEI Mobile and AIME representative Andrew Darling, where the hot topics of the night included the growth of web Payforit and its position in relation to more ingrained payment options such as credit cards. There was also analysis of how Payforit has performed over the last two years and what the industry can do to hasten its growth, as well as the question, does everyone actually want Payforit?

World’s largest payment routing data provider to manage the Irish National Sort Code (NSC) Directory   LONDON, UK – 27 May, 2009 –Accuity/CB.Net, the leading payment reference data, software and services provider today announced that it is working with IPSO to provide services to manage the National Sort Code (NSC) Directory. Following the successful implementation of the EPC SEPA Register of Participants and the EBA Priority Payments Central Repository, Accuity/CB.Net has helped IPSO develop the new management system for its National Sort Codes database.   The NSC data includes bank sort code numbers and related bank branch information used by IPSO members in payment systems and clearing in the Republic of Ireland. The NSC database is available through a Web-search facility that offers direct access to over 1200 Irish sort codes, as well as through standard download formats to benefit IPSO participants and the Irish payment community.