Top fintech stories this week – 1 September 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Digital
Artificial intelligence round-up: 31 August 2017
Where’s the humanity? Well, not here as this is an artificial intelligence (AI) round-up. Features Royal Bank of Canada, Emirates NBD, and the ten greatest threats to mankind. Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has announced a pilot launch of two digital services based on AI that offer insights about client’s financials and an automated savings […]
Fintech: beware the fake news
In every aspect of life, sentiment overshoots. We overbuy and oversell securities. The political pendulum swings from left to right. Shops run out of ultra-fashionable goods only to heavily discount excess stock a couple months later. Ben Robinson, chief strategy officer at Temenos, explains how this is not a new phenomenon, but has got worse […]
Top 5 Best Challenger Banks: Fidor Bank
Our final spotlight article for our Top 5 Best Challenger Banks list is the only actual bank in the bunch. See how Germany-based Fidor Bank stacks up against the high street banks and its nonbank competitors.
Japanese start-ups fire up in force
The land of the rising sun is seeing a rising number of start-ups power up as they hunt for fintech glory. According to Nikkei Asian Review, 46 tech companies have gone public in Japan so far in 2017, with the full-year total seen reaching 80 to 90. The highest tally in the last decade was […]
Avoka reports record growth for second consecutive year
Australia-based digital banking software vendor Avoka is celebrating its second year in a row of topping expectations. The company has experienced big gains in order numbers (79% overall, 67% new business), opened a new office in Frankfurt, Germany, and launched a new solution to help FIs build and implement their visions for an omnichannel experience, reports […]
Alexa gets into bed with Cortana
Amazon and Microsoft have announced their previously competing voice-driven artificial intelligence (AI) assistants are now an item, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). The world can be a lonely place for virtual assistants. All the company they have are demanding millennials constantly asking what their latest email is or a retiree wondering what the weather […]
Google chases down Apple with ARCore launch
Google has responded strongly to Apple’s front-running approach to augmented reality (AR) with the launch of a new AR platform, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). ARCore is the Android equivalent to the Apple ARKit; in short, an AR reality platform for developers. It’s not the first time Google has had a crack at the […]
McDonald’s Taps Capgemini for Digital Push; Burger King Unveils Whoppercoin in Russia
Do you want fries with that? France-based Capgemini is likely to hear that phrase a lot more now that it’s signed a multiyear IT strategic provider agreement with McDonald’s Corp. Meanwhile, Burger King Russia is jumping on the cryptocurrrency bandwagon.
Europe’s pan-industry e-identity platform preps for launch
A joint European pan-industry platform for online registration, e-identity and data services is readying for launch at the turn of the year with new partners on board. As reported in May, Deutsche Bank and a variety of German and European companies teamed up for the plan to “make online registration simpler and more secure for […]
Singapore’s Payments Council seeks road to common QR code
The Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) new Payments Council plans to set up interoperable electronic payments and has unveiled a taskforce to develop a common QR code for the city-state. As reported earlier this month, the Council launched and comprises 20 people from banks, payment service providers, businesses, and trade associations. MAS says the setting […]
Mastercard pumps up payments with Fitbit’s first smartwatch
Mastercard is bringing its contactless payments to Fitbit’s first smartwatch, Fitbit Ionic.
Heartland State Bank in core and digital banking tech revamp with CSI
Heartland State Bank, a community bank in the US state of North Dakota, is modernising its front-to-back office technology. The new tech supplier is Computer Services Inc (CSI).
How the new EU payments regulation will help prevent fraud
Scott McInnes, partner at international law firm Bird & Bird, discusses how the Second Payments Services Directive (PSD2) will affect companies and what requirements industry players need to know.
Digiliti Money and Urban FT in “advanced” acquisition talks
Prospective buyer Urban FT Inc. confirmed on Aug. 25 that it’s in “advanced negotiations” with Digitili Money regarding a “potential transaction that will see DGLT stave off potential bankruptcy proceedings.”
Top 5 Best Challenger Banks: Varo Money
“There’s a reason that the bank of the future hasn’t been created yet—it’s extremely difficult,” says Top 5 Best Challenger Bank Varo Money. See if you think they’ve got what it takes to rise to the challenge.
Banking Technology Awards entry deadline extended
Due to high volume of requests, the deadline to enter Banking Technology Awards is being extended. The final chance to enter the Awards is now Friday, 8 September 2017. Nominate projects, products, services or partnerships for a Judged Award or tell us about inspirational people by nominating them for a Leadership Award. Full details on […]
Guatemalan co-operative network selects Temenos core banking platform
Guatemala-based Federacion Nacional de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Credito (Fenacoac) has selected Temenos‘ RetailSuite core banking platform for its 25 co-operatives that operate under the brand Micoope. RetailSuite is the brand name for a variety of Temenos products, and includes the T24 core banking system and the business intelligence offering, Insight BI. Banking Technology understands […]
Juniper predicts major global shift to contactless on heels of US EMV push
A new study from Juniper Research is forecasting that more than half (53%) of global transactions at the point of sale will be contactless within five years, compared with just 15% this year, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. The new research, “POS & mPOS Terminals: Vendor Strategies, Positioning & Market Forecasts 2017-2022,” expects adoption in the US […]
Walmart taps Google for omnichannel commerce play
Google and Walmart are teaming up to take on Amazon (and Alexa) with voice-activated commerce and more plans for 2018, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. Starting in late September, the retail giant will be working with Google to offer hundreds of thousands of items for voice shopping via Google Assistant – the largest number […]
FIS and Equifax want you to say goodbye to passwords
FIS has joined forces with information specialist Equifax to create OnlyID, a digital authentication solution that enables consumers to make secure transactions across multiple online accounts without passwords, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. OnlyID provides “a single, secure digital log-in,” consisting of the consumer’s thumbprint or another unique identifier. The two companies jointly offer the […]
Douugh rises to occasion for AI-powered banking
Banking challenger Douugh has unveiled its artificial intelligence (AI) powered financial platform, guided by “Sophie” – a 24/7 personal assistant for finances. Andy Taylor, founder and CEO of Douugh, says: “We believe the future of banking is about platform, data and identity.” Douugh plans to use Sophie to offer better financial decisions for consumers. Services […]
TerraPay teams with Instant Cash for cross-border payments
Mobile payments switch TerraPay and money transfer company Instant Cash have teamed up to enable real-time cross border money transfers for migrants that want to send money back to Africa to recipients’ mobile wallets. Powered by TerraPay’s global clearing and settlement service for mobile wallets, the partnership “will make cross-border money transfer faster and convenient […]
3 Ways to Drive User Experience Success and Value
Designing the user experience consumers expect in digital banking is less about seeing what sticks and more about seeing what stands up to real-world human examination and use.
Mountain America CU chooses digital banking platform from Alkami
Utah-based Mountain America Credit Union (MACU), with $6.7 billion in assets, will deploy a new digital banking platform courtesy of Alkami Technology, reports Finovate (Banking Technology‘s sister company). The new platform will integrate with Mountain America CU’s existing core system and enable the 650,000 member institution to provide a variety of digital banking services including billpay and PFM. […]
Douugh Rises to Challenge with AI-Powered Banking
Banking challenger Douugh has unveiled its artificial intelligence-powered financial platform, guided by “Sophie”—a 24/7 personal assistant for finances.
Barclays enables voice payments with Siri
Barclays says it’s the first UK high street bank that lets mobile banking customers make a payment by asking Siri. The payment, which relies on TouchID for authentication, can be completed without opening the Barclays mobile banking app, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. The Siri integration enables payments to existing payees or mobile contacts. […]
Mind the reality gap fintech
A new survey has highlighted the differences between customer expectation and experience in the fintech industry, with many companies failing to deliver the value that consumers crave. It has also flagged up the low standing that CEOs have as credible sources of information. According to public relations (PR) firm FleishmanHillard Fishburn’s (FHF) “Authenticity Gap” survey, […]
Samsung’s Bixby AI expands to more countries
Look out Siri and Alexa, but Samsung says its artificial intelligence (AI) powered Bixby’s voice system has now expanded to more than 200 countries and territories. In addition to South Korea and the US, it is now available in the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa, among others. As reported in March, Samsung unveiled the […]
Ondot Systems unveils card control integration platform
Card control firm Ondot Systems has released its multi-interface card control integration platform. The California-based company has combined a server-side API, mobile apps, and an HTML5 framework to give financial institutions (FIs) the ability to add card control technology to their mobile banking solutions, reports Finovate (Banking Technology‘s sister company). “Much as Facebook Messenger fits […]
Fintech funding round-up: 21 August 2017
A short time ago, in a round-up near here (i.e. 18 August) we covered the lively world of fintech funding. Yet again, we have more cash action. Featuring Xinja, Capital Float and Prodigy Finance. Australia-based Xinja, which recently emerged from the shadows to unveil its plans for a mobile-only digital bank, is in the news […]
App economy dodges bullet as Uber wins in court
It’s a rare ray of sunshine for the under-fire Uber, as it won a key battle as the US Second Court of Appeals ruled its Terms and Conditions (T&C) were legally binding, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). Uber has proved to be a difficult ally to have in recent months with the firm facing […]
Q&A with Mobey Forum’s ED Maikki Frisk
Six months after coming on board to lead the digital financial services trade association, Maikki Frisk talks about how to drive mobile payments adoption, the implications of Brexit and PSD2, and the ultimate importance of a good user experience.
Is fintech to banking what craft ale is to brewing?
Is fintech to banking what craft ale is to brewing? If so, what can banks learn from the rise and rise of craft ale? Aden Davies, principal consultant at ABZD, looks at ten trends seen in the craft ale industry that have interesting parallels with the rise of fintech.
Infographic: why your moat is no longer enough to protect your castle
In the 1600s, Spain built an impregnable defence system to protect the San Juan Bay in Puerto Rico. This defence in-depth system fortified San Juan with three lines of defence, marking a high point in military engineering for the time period. A similar model could be used to protect your institution’s account holders from today’s cyberattacks. But with 15.4 million Americans falling victim to identity fraud last year, three lines of defence are no longer enough.
Top 5 Best Challenger Banks: Revolut
Last month, we asked Paybefore.com visitors to vote for the Best Challenger Banks—the ones shaking up the status quo with a legit chance to become consumers’ preferred accounts, not just a stepping stone to the big banks. For the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing our spotlight articles on these challengers. First up is Revolut.
Fintech layoffs round-up: 18 August 2017
A distinctly cheerless round-up as we highlight some key moments regarding fintech layoffs. Features Simple and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). US-based digital banking service Simple has fired 33 staff members (about 10% of its workforce), including several executives, according to The Oregonian. Simple’s CMO, chief people officer, VP of operations, and VP of engineering […]
Top fintech stories this week – 18 August 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Physical containers – reused in novel ways. Does that include nextgen branch offices?
With standards as simple as what we see with shipping containers, creative folks will begin considering options for almost anything that can benefit from these containers being mobile. The user experience that today we enjoy with mobile devices has changed the very heart of today’s data centre even as we see on-premise IT moving to clouds. Couldn’t a case be made that such flexibility be embraced even more aggressively in the future and couldn’t that change the very way we view banking as it continues to transform?
CIBC goes it alone with new Simplii Financial banking brand
Canada’s banking group CIBC has unveiled Simplii Financial, its new direct banking brand, signalling the end of its President’s Choice (PC) Financial consumer banking business with retailer Loblaw. Mike Boluch, EVP, direct banking, innovation and payments, CIBC, says Simplii will deliver “straightforward, no-fee everyday banking” and offer services by telephone, online, or through mobile and […]
