Digital


Barclays in Flux for instant digital receipts

Barclays is trialling itemised digital receipts to its customers via a partnership with start-up Flux, a rewards and receipt platform. The upcoming trial will take place with around 10,000 users of the Barclays Launchpad app, its platform for testing new features with “real customers to learn more about how best to meet their needs”. Matty […]

Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 9 November 2017

Whether it’s AI to bridge cryptocurrencies or someone accidentally losing it, something is always going on, whether right or wrong in the world of blockchain and Bitcoin. Our latest round-up features Parity, AiX, R3 and SIA.

Payments round-up: 9 November 2017

We got a trilogy folks. Following the payments round-ups on 8 November and 7 November, here’s more paytech action. Features PayPal, NCR, Samsung, Scotiabank, Mastercard and Eftpos. It’s been offering cross-border payments in India for a decade, but PayPal has now launched domestic operations in the country as it looks to take on Paytm and […]

Africa can learn from the South American mistakes

Africa is firmly in last place when it comes to the development of the digital society, unless you count the Antarctic, but looking towards the failures of other emerging markets might help things along, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). First of all you have to address the hurdles which Africa is facing. Firstly, the […]

Over-regulation and career politicians could spell disaster for tech

Government intervention has been a hot topic all week at AfricaCom, and it doesn’t seem like there is going to be a resolution to the problem anytime soon, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). Of course there will always be a need to regulate any industry; commercial entities should not be left by themselves, they […]

UK banks join the iPhone X Face ID rush

Customers of TSB and Tesco Bank are now able to use facial recognition technology, Face ID, for mobile banking app and make payments. The new technology is exclusive to Apple’s iPhone X. Carlos Abarca, TSB’s chief information officer, says: “Providing customers with biometrics logon to their mobile banking, such as Face ID, means all of […]

Digital performance firm Dynatrace acquires Qumram

Digital performance management company Dynatrace has acquired Qumram, a digital interaction audit solutions provider, for an undisclosed amount. With the addition of Qumram’s technology and intellectual property, Dynatrace says it will provide the ability to visually replay a user session within its existing platform. Qumram’s product will be re-engineered and will form part of an […]

OCBC Bank in good shape with digital health insurance plan

Singapore’s OCBC Bank has unveiled the purchasing of health insurance plans via its mobile and internet banking channels. The bank says: “Typically, health insurance plans like critical illness, disability, hospitalisation and surgical are not sold via online channels as they require a health check-up to evaluate the applicant’s medical condition. However, with ‘Early Cancer Care’, […]

Payments round-up: 8 November 2017

Just yesterday (7 November) was a payments round-up, but here’s more action from the lively paytech place. Features Apple, Coinsilium Group, UMT United Mobility Technology, Visa and even the Olympic Winter Games. Apple, which is rarely out of the news, has set up Apple Pay Cash for person-to-person (P2P) payments in Messages. This feature is […]

ICICI Bank sets the tone for voice-based payments in India

ICICI Bank has unveiled India’s first voice-based international remittance service to enable non-resident Indians (NRIs) to send money to any bank in the country. With the new feature in its Money2India (M2I) app, an NRI customer can make a remittance to existing payees in India with a voice command to Apple’s virtual voice assistant, Siri. […]

Payments round-up: 7 November 2017

A distinctly European feel in our latest payments round-up. Stars Facebook Messenger, the UK’s Payment Systems Regulator, Concardis and AliPay. The UK will be the first country outside the US to get the Facebook Messenger payments service. Messenger was launched in the US in 2015 and lets people transfer cash during any conversation within the […]

Fintech funding round-up: 7 November 2017

Not cash-strapped just backed. Our latest fintech funding round-up features Douugh, Choice Financial, Monzo and Smartkarma. All rise please. Banking (not baking) challenger Douugh has partnered with community bank Choice Financial to launch an integrated checking account and debit card. Choice has also made an investment to “support Douugh’s roadmap”, bringing the company’s total seed funding […]

Starling Bank bolts to Yolt money app

Yolt, the money app backed by ING, has integrated with its first digital challenger bank, Starling Bank. Yolt says its aggregation functionality now enables Yolt users to view their Starling Bank account details and transactions alongside their other bank accounts, together in one place. Since launching in June 2017, Yolt states that its users have […]

Salesforce doubling down on AI

A little over a year ago, Salesforce introduced Einstein, making a huge bet that artificial intelligence (AI)  would play a major role in the future of information technology. Now, the CRM giant is doubling down on that bet, reports Enterprise Cloud News (Banking Technology’s sister publication). At the start of its annual Dreamforce conference in […]

No laughing matter as Smile and Co-op online banking goes down

The customers of the UK’s Co-operative Bank and its digital arm, Smile, have been affected by an online banking glitch that is preventing access to accounts. As with all these problems the banks say they are investigating. There are no more details on specifics or when the systems will be back up. However, the mobile […]

Wirecard provides paytech to Orange Bank

France’s latest mobile bank, Orange Bank, is getting its mobile payment and banking services underpinned by Wirecard. The paytech vendor says it is providing “all the technical components integrated into the Orange Bank platform to manage their mobile payments”.

SoftBank to increase Sprint stake as Vision Fund boosts earnings

SoftBank has revealed plans to increase its stake in Sprint shortly after abandoning efforts to merge the US telco with local rival T-Mobile US, reports Light Reading (Banking Technology‘s sister company). The announcement came as the Japanese company reported a sharp increase in operating profits for the April-to-September period thanks to investment activities by its $98 […]

Mastercard, Bank Asia and a2i team for financial inclusion in Bangladesh

Access to Information (a2i, an innovation lab supported by the Bangladeshi government), Bank Asia and Mastercard have signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate financial inclusion in Bangladesh by making digital payment services accessible countrywide through the Union Digital Centres (UDCs).

Wells Fargo unveils Greenhouse effect with money management app

Wells Fargo has unleashed Greenhouse, a new standalone mobile banking app to help consumers manage their money and know where they stand financially. The app combines personal finance management (PFM) tools with Wells Fargo banking, offering “personalised” insights through artificial intelligence (AI). The bank says Greenhouse will be available in a limited, national pilot in […]

Cashplus licence = new UK challenger bank

London-based financial services provider Cashplus is making the bold move into the challenger bank ring by unveiling its next move: applying for a banking licence.

Studio Bank starts up with CSI’s core and mobile banking

Tennessee-based Studio Bank has powered up in the US and selected Computer Services Inc (CSI) as its core and mobile banking technology provider. Studio, which filed its application to become Nashville’s “first newly chartered de novo bank in nearly a decade”, plans to use CSI’s NuPoint core processing solution for an omnichannel and “hyper-local” strategy. […]

German mobile challenger bank N26 expands to UK

Germany-based mobile challenger bank N26 will enter the UK market in the first half of 2018. According to N26, the UK is “one of the most advanced markets” in Europe in terms of digital payment methods. It says “non-cash payments and e-commerce are the accepted norm” and reckons there is a demand for a “fully-fledged […]

Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland hit by system outages

The customers of Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland have been affected by an online and mobile banking glitch that is preventing access to accounts or telling users they don’t have an account with the bank. The banks say their phone lines are back to normal, but online and mobile banking are facing “intermittent issues”. […]

NAB plans 6,000 job losses in digital banking revamp

National Australia Bank (NAB) will make 6,000 job cuts over the next three years with its digital banking revamp and long-term strategy to maintain profit. Andrew Thorburn, NAB’s CEO, says: “I think all big businesses – particularly incumbent businesses – the reshaping of the workforce is going to be significant. And I think it’s important […]

Orange finally peels open mobile-only bank

French telecoms firm Orange has launched its delayed mobile-only bank as it looks to tap into its current customer base. As Banking Technology reported in January 2016, Orange outlined its plans for a new bank. While in April 2016, it made a significant stride in its mobile banking ambitions by acquiring a majority stake in […]

Visa Direct expands to Europe

Visa has unveiled its European debut of Visa Direct, its real-time payments platform that allows for person-to-person (P2P), business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) payments.

Case study: Piraeus Bank – e-branches

Stefanos Mytilineos, deputy general manager, digital business retail banking, branch network & deposits, Piraeus Bank Group, shares the bank’s experience of bringing full digital banking experience to brick-and-mortar branches.