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Original author: Beth Kitchener

Insurer partnered with Mastercard to create QuickCard Pay, which will provide the fastest payment method for claims.

NORTHBROOK, Ill., October 21, 2016 – A debit card and e-mail address is all that’s needed now for Allstate to pay claims in an instant. QuickCard Pay is the latest and fastest payment method in the Allstate ExpressPay network. Working with Mastercard to leverage its Mastercard Send platform, Allstate becomes the first U.S. Property & Casualty company to use the first-of-its-kind service.

“Allstate continues to innovate on behalf of our customers and claimants,” says Chief Claims Officer Glenn Shapiro. “QuickCard Pay gives claimants an immediate and secure payment method and helps us deliver on our promise of a fast, fair and compassionate claims experience.”

Allstate QuickCard Pay is the only payments service of its kind in the P&C industry that reaches virtually all U.S. debit card accounts – including non-Mastercard debit cards. QuickCard Pay is faster than any existing solution and provides real-time payment to claimants anytime, anywhere in the United States.

“It is very important to people to get the quickest access to the funds you need when an emergency occurs—whether that be with your home, your car or your business,” said Matt Barr, senior vice president, Digital Payments and Labs, Mastercard. “We built Mastercard Send so partners like Allstate can provide claimants with the quickest means of receiving their payment on a claim. By using QuickCard Pay, Allstate claimants will now have nearly instant access to these funds sent to almost any bank account through a U.S. debit card.”

QuickCard Pay is now the fastest claims payment method in the P&C industry, eclipsing Allstate’s previous industry-leading service, Fast Mobile e-Payment, which produced same-day payment with just an email address or mobile phone number.

Mastercard Send is a payments service that facilitates the delivery of funds quickly and securely. Through a single connection to the Mastercard Send platform, businesses, merchants, governments, non-profits, issuers and other senders can send money to consumers and small businesses. By digitizing personal payments that are typically handled via cash or check, Mastercard provides greater convenience, choice and security to both payment senders and receivers.

About Allstate Corporation

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16 million households from life’s uncertainties through auto, home, life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Now celebrating its 85th anniversary as an insurer, Allstate is widely known through the slogan “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate®.” Allstate agencies are in virtually every local community in America. In 2015, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $36 million to support local communities.

About Mastercard

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry.  We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories.  Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone.  Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

Media Contact:

Justin Herndon

(727) 512-8314

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Original author: Robyn Cottelli

WHAT: Apple® FY 16 Fourth Quarter Results Conference Call

WHERE: Via conference call. The dial-in numbers for press are (877) 406-0010 (toll-free) or (913) 643-3300. Please enter confirmation code 205714.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 25, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. PDT/5:00 p.m. EDT

REBROADCAST: The conference call will be available as a continuous rebroadcast beginning Tuesday, October 25, at 5:00 p.m. PDT/8:00 p.m. EDT, through Tuesday, November 8, at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST. The dial-in numbers for the rebroadcast are  (888) 203-1112 (toll-free) or (719) 457-0820. Please enter confirmation code 2017273.

WEBCAST: Apple will provide live audio streaming of its FY 16 Fourth Quarter Results Conference Call using Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology. The live webcast will begin at 2:00 p.m. PDT on October 25, 2016, at www.apple.com/investor/earnings-call/ and will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter. Live audio streaming requires an iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch® with Safari® on iOS 7.0 or later, a Mac® with Safari 6.0.5 or later on OS X® v10.8.5 or later, or a PC with Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.

This recording is the property of Apple and protected by US copyright law and international treaties. Any reproduction or distribution is strictly prohibited without prior written approval from Apple. Please contact Apple Public Relations or Investor Relations with any questions.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

Press Contact:
Kristin Huguet
Apple
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(408) 974-2414

Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Safari, Mac and OS X are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

View a mobile-optimized version on Apple Newsroom

Features Exclusive Watch Faces, Nike Sport Bands & All-New Nike+ Run Club App

CUPERTINO, California and BEAVERTON, Oregon — October 24, 2016 — Apple® and Nike today announced Apple Watch® Nike+ will be available on Friday, October 28. Apple Watch Nike+ combines all of the unique features of Apple Watch Series 2 with the new Nike+ Run Club app for unrivaled motivation to go for a run, guidance from the world’s best coaches and athletes and coaching plans that adapt to your unique schedule and progress. Apple Watch Nike+ also features exclusive Nike Sport Bands and unique watch faces inspired by Nike’s iconic style that can be easily personalized with useful apps like Activity Rings, Heart Rate, Stopwatch and Weather — helping runners stay informed at a glance.

“Running is one of the world’s most popular activities for staying in shape and being healthy, and with Apple Watch Nike+, runners will be even more motivated to achieve their performance goals,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “The response so far has been incredible and we’re thrilled to get Apple Watch Nike+ onto customers’ wrists starting Friday.”

“Apple and Nike share a passion to make life easier and more fun and we’re excited to bring a great running experience to consumers around the world,” said Trevor Edwards, president of the Nike Brand. “Apple Watch Nike+ with Nike+ Run Club app combine to deliver a powerful device with a simple running solution for all athletes and is another example of Nike’s commitment to bringing innovative products to the market.”

Apple Watch Nike+, like all Apple Watch Series 2 models, features built-in GPS to track your pace, distance, and route — even if you don’t have your iPhone® with you. With the brightest display Apple has ever made, metrics are easy to read, and if you decide to take a post-run dip in the pool, Apple Watch Nike+ is water resistant 50 meters.*  The Nike+ Run Club app is seamlessly integrated into Apple Watch Nike+ and offers daily motivation through smart run reminders, challenges from friends and even alerts informing when the weather is right to get outside. Training data, including pace, distance and heart rate are available at a glance, and through shared run summaries, the app promotes friendly competition, even allowing users to send fist bumps to each other, right from the wrist.

Pricing and Availability 

Apple Watch Nike+ will be available in two different aluminum case sizes, 38 mm and 42 mm and pairs with four exclusive Nike Sport Band color combinations including Black/Volt, Black/Cool Gray, Flat Silver/White and Flat Silver/Volt.  Apple Watch Nike+ will be available in 38 mm at $369 (US) and in 42 mm at $399 (US) from Apple.com, Nike.com, Apple Stores, select Nike retail stores, select Apple Authorized Resellers, including Best Buy, and select specialty stores and department stores, including Macy’s and DICK’S Sporting Goods. For local availability, visit www.apple.com/apple-watch-nike or www.nike.com/applewatch. Apple Watch Nike+ will be available on Friday, October 28 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the UK and the US. Apple Watch Nike+ will be available on Saturday, October 29 in Bahrain, Greece, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Apple Watch Nike+ will be available on Sunday, October 30 in Israel. Nike Sport Bands are available exclusively with Apple Watch Nike+ models and not sold separately. Apple Watch Nike+ requires iPhone 5 or later running iOS 10 or later. Some features are not available in all regions or all languages. Every customer who buys Apple Watch Nike+ from Apple will be offered free Personal Setup,** in-store or online, to help set up and personalize their new Apple Watch with calendars, notifications, apps and more. Anyone who wants to learn more about Apple Watch Nike+ or watchOS® 3 can register for the free workshops offered at every Apple Store®. 

*Apple Watch Series 2 has a water resistance rating of 50 meters under ISO standard 22810:2010. This means that it may be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean. However, Apple Watch Series 2 should not be used for scuba diving, waterskiing, or other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth. Stainless steel and leather bands are not water resistant.

**In most countries.

NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned NIKE, Inc. subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes surf and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, Nike’s earnings releases and other financial information are available at http://investors.nike.com. Individuals can also visit http://news.nike.com/ and follow @Nike.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

 

Press Contacts:
Lance Lin
Apple
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(408) 974-5036

Simon Pope
Nike
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(503) 532-5593

 

Apple, the Apple logo, Apple Watch, watchOS, Siri, iPhone, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Store are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

By Joel Kaplan, VP Global Public Policy, and Justin Osofsky, VP Global Operations & Media Partnerships

In recent weeks, we have gotten continued feedback from our community and partners about our Community Standards and the kinds of images and stories permitted on Facebook. We are grateful for the input, and want to share an update on our approach.

Observing global standards for our community is complex. Whether an image is newsworthy or historically significant is highly subjective. Images of nudity or violence that are acceptable in one part of the world may be offensive — or even illegal — in another. Respecting local norms and upholding global practices often come into conflict. And people often disagree about what standards should be in place to ensure a community that is both safe and open to expression.

In the weeks ahead, we’re going to begin allowing more items that people find newsworthy, significant, or important to the public interest — even if they might otherwise violate our standards. We will work with our community and partners to explore exactly how to do this, both through new tools and approaches to enforcement. Our intent is to allow more images and stories without posing safety risks or showing graphic images to minors and others who do not want to see them.

As always, our goal is to channel our community’s values, and to make sure our policies reflect our community’s interests. We’re looking forward to working closely with experts, publishers, journalists, photographers, law enforcement officials and safety advocates about how to do better when it comes to the kinds of items we allow. And we’re grateful for the counsel of so many people who are helping us try to get this right.

Ecobank takes a step closer to reaching its 100 million customer ambition by partnering with Mastercard to roll-out Masterpass QR across 33 countries

Partnership will shift Africa to instant and secure digital payment solution

Lagos, Nigeria – October 20, 2016 – The Ecobank Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mastercard to roll-out Masterpass QR, a mobile payment solution, across 33 African countries. This new agreement will give Ecobank the scale and capacity to achieve its 100 million customer ambition in a profitable and sustainable way by 2020.

The MoU signals the largest Masterpass deal of its kind for Mastercard globally, with the QR solution specifically being selected due to Masterpass QR’s ease of use and convenience for merchants and consumers in the selected markets.

Ecobank customers in Nigeria already enjoy the benefits of Masterpass QR. Soon all remaining 32 countries in across Pan-African will receive the benefits of the partnership by the end of 2016.

Masterpass QR is the first mobile-driven, Person-to-Merchant (P2M) payment solution. The solution is an enhancement to the Masterpass global digital payment service that will enable millions of micro, small and medium enterprises across Africa to begin accepting fast and secure digital payments. This service addresses the challenges of expensive infrastructural issues associated with point of sale devices and eliminates the need for cash.

Group CEO Ecobank, Ade Ayeyemi said, “With partnerships such as the one we have with Mastercard, we are well-positioned to meet the growing demands of consumers and merchants across Africa. We will use Masterpass QR to leverage the power of digital to bring millions of people into the formal financial sector. Our mission at Ecobank is to build a world-class Pan-African bank that contributes to the integration and socio-economic development of the continent.”

Users of Ecobank’s mobile banking platform across the 33 countries will be able to safely pay for online and in-store purchases by scanning a Quick Response (QR) code displayed at checkout on their smartphones, or by entering a merchant identifier into their feature phones.

Daniel Monehin, Division President, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mastercard said, “Masterpass QR has been fulfilling the needs of micro merchants in Nigeria since it was launched in August this year. Our extended partnership with Ecobank signals one of the largest implementations of a digital payment solution in Africa, resulting in millions of previously excluded people joining the financial ecosystem.”

Patrick Akinwuntan, Ecobank Group Executive Consumer Banking said, “With Ecobank Masterpass QR, our customers across 33 countries will now be able to make fast, simple and safe digital payments via Ecobank mobile banking loaded on their mobile device where Masterpass QR is accepted globally. It will also help provide instant receipts for the numerous small, medium and large merchants across Africa.”

Micro, small and medium enterprises across Africa contribute significantly to economic growth, creating around 80 percent of the region’s employment and fueling demand for goods and services. The introduction of digital payment solutions such as Masterpass QR, will help these businesses become more efficient.

With Nigerians soon to enjoy the benefits of the solution first in Africa, the additional 32 markets that will receive Masterpass QR as part of the groups drive to connect with 100 million new customers by 2020 across: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic), Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

 

-ENDS-

About Ecobank

Incorporated in Lomé, Togo in 1988, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’) the parent company of Ecobank is the leading independent pan-African banking group. It currently has a presence in 36 African countries employing over 20,000 people in 40 different countries in over 1,200 branches and offices. Ecobank is a full-service bank providing wholesale, retail, investment and transaction banking services and products to governments, financial institutions, multinationals, international organisations, medium, small and micro businesses and individuals.

Ecobank Communications Contact: Richard Uku – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  +228 22 21 03 03

 

About Mastercard

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry.  We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories.  Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone.  Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

Mastercard Communications Contacts: Geraldine Trennery – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +27 76 301 0264

Original author: Jandre Nieuwoudt