Retailers say that card processing fees take a bite out of sales. Then why not, asks Marion King, director of payments at NatWest, remove card rails and replace them with real-time payments rails? In this month's Faster Payments Tracker, King saysusing new real-time rails to transfer funds directly from a consumer’s bank account into a merchant’s account speeds up settlements and lowers costs — providing it does all the things that card rails do now. Details, inside the Tracker.  Read More...

Rebooking can be a nightmare for both airlines and passengers, but companies such as Volantio seek to automate the process by using software to incentivize volunteers to switch their flights. Through this system, airlines can have customers change their flights long before they arrive at the airport. Volantio Inc. CEO Azim Barodawala explains how the solution works and discusses its applications beyond airlines.  Read More...

A good partnership, in life and in business, sees two entities that can work better together and opens more doors than either can alone. Good partnerships are the root of many good ideas. Bad partnerships, on the other hand, make all parties less than the sum of their parts and have a long and glorious tradition of leaving blast craters in their wake.  Read More...