Citi’s Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) has launched an application programming interface (API) solution for payment initiation, payment status and account balance inquiries through its connectivity platform CitiConnect. As Banking Technology reported late last year, Citi unveiled a new global API developer portal, which it claimed to be the most comprehensive to date in the […]
French fintech Lemon Way has launched an e-commerce payment solution across seven countries in Europe to rival Stripe.
Switzerland-based insurance provider Baloise Group has forged an investment partnership with Anthemis Group, a digital financial services investment and advisory firm. Together, they will curate European and American tech start-ups developing insurance (insurtech) and risk management solutions, with a mandate is to invest CHF 50 million ($50 million).
The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) announced that the proof-of-concept to improve the netting process for repo transactions using distributed ledger technology (DLT) has been successfully completed.
Bank of Baroda, a public sector bank in India, has launched a fellowship programme to support fintech, rural, agricultural and financial inclusion start-ups.
The committee on payments and market infrastructures at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), an international financial institution owned by central banks, has issued an analytical framework on distributed ledger technology (DLT) in payment, clearing and settlement.
As first reported by Banking Technology, there is a newcomer on the UK challenger bank scene, ClearBank. The bank has now gone on the record about its focus and strategy. ClearBank will be a bank for banks, FIs and fintechs, i.e. a clearing bank, offering customers access to UK payment systems and core banking technology to support current account capabilities.
An app is no longer a “nice to have”. As consumers expect businesses to engage with them at the right time, in the right manner, and over the right channel, a bank’s mobile app will be a crucial first point of contact for many customers. But it’s important to remember that an app by itself is not some wonder-cure that will instantly give a financial organisation perfectly satisfied customers.
IBM’s MobileFirst for iOS apps will be used by Santander as the bank looks to revamp its digital banking services and help its employees work better. The custom-built, native apps made for iOS will be rolled out across more than 11,000 iOS devices, and will be used by Santander’s commercial network employees, including those supporting […]
Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK), a blockchain architecture and development start-up, and the UK’s University of Edinburgh, have set up a blockchain technology laboratory within the university’s School of Informatics. The lab will bring together academics and students to collaborate on blockchain research and development with a focus on “industry inspired problems”. IOHK CEO and […]
Japanese financial services provider Mizuho has partnered with Cognizant to test cross-border document sharing and custom digital currency applications of blockchain – and the cost implications of using the technology. Mizuho says the project was a success and concluded that a tamper-proof distribution database built using blockchain could support a platform to share information and […]
Is the R3 consortium going to wave goodbye to $53 million in research and abandon blockchain? In a presentation on its Corda platform, R3 says it doesn’t need “block chain”. (No space is usually used, but I don’t want to be too much of a grammar Nazi.) Credit for this spot must go to Twitter […]
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Canada’s Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) have signed a new co-operation agreement to help fintech firms. The deal will enable fintech businesses in both countries to seek support from the financial regulators in each other’s market. It will also help reduce regulatory uncertainty and time to market for firms. Christopher […]
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! IBM and Northern Trust debut blockchain for private equity Uses the Hyperledger Fabric. Visa opens new innovation centre in London It’s the latest and largest one. Digital gets a spurt with Natwest and RBS experts Every branch gets […]
UK challenger bank Starling is to host its first hackathon, opening up its API to outside developers. According to Starling, the hackathon makes it the first UK licenced bank to launch a public API in keeping with the ambitions of the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and the open banking initiative. Megan Caywood, chief platform […]
Fintech Valley Vizag, a project championed by the Government of the State of Andhra Pradesh in India, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Visa and Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters will use the infrastructure provided by the government and local university resources to build fintech projects in the area. Visa is expected to support […]
Technology may rule the world, but human connection is still king.
In the name of innovation Thomson Reuters has officially opened a lab in the Singapore nation. It’s called Thomson Reuters Labs – Singapore, and will do the usual stuff. Namely, collaborate with the government, customers, tech start-ups and universities to “build partnerships and create innovative products and solutions for professional markets” throughout the Asia Pacific […]
IBM and financial services firm Northern Trust have launched the “first commercial deployment” of blockchain for the private equity market. The blockchain is based on the Hyperledger Fabric and is available for use for managing the administration of a private equity fund managed by Unigestion, a Switzerland-based asset manager with $20 billion in assets under […]
Four Russian banks, Ak Bars, VTB 24, Bank Saint Petersburg and Home Credit Bank have teamed with Mastercard to launch the “first collaborative” acceleration programme for fintech in Russia. Strategic consultancy will be done by Accenture, and representatives of the Central Bank of Russia (aka the Bank of Russia), the Ministry of Communications, the Association […]
Visa has unveiled its latest and largest innovation centre in London, located at its European headquarters in Paddington Basin. The 1,000+ square metre space will let Visa staff work side-by-side with financial institutions, merchants and other partners to develop new payment solutions. Rajesh Agrawal, London’s deputy mayor for business, says “as a successful fintech entrepreneur […]
Accenture will acquire German digital agency SinnerSchrader to boost its Accenture Interactive services in the country. Also, the company plans to launch ten new innovation hubs in the US in the next three years. Accenture has agreed to purchase a 62% majority of SinnerSchrader shares from co-founder and CEO Matthias Schrader, CFO Thomas Dyckhoff, and […]
There is pressure for CEOs to decide how distributed ledger technology (DLT) fits into their business strategy. Regulators also recognise that blockchain could advance their own processes. So what is all the excitement about? Blockchain is an exciting innovation but the technology has flaws…
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Insurance Australia Group (IAG) is looking to build an insurtech hub in Singapore. The new unit, Firemark Labs, will act as an incubator for IAG and help teamwork between start-ups and research and tech partners for new products and services across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Julie Batch, chief customer officer, IAG, says “customer lifestyles […]
Kevin, Traity’s new chatbot, provides micro-insurance for P2P transactions online. Created in collaboration with Australia’s financial services conglomerate, Suncorp, Kevin protects buyers on online marketplaces such as Gumtree, Facebook and Craigslist.
Chase is planning to launch a new self-service mortgage platform for its 43 million digital users, and will allow customers to digitally track their application – from start to finish.
Nordea Liv, a life insurance arm of Nordea, has worked with Norwegian fintech start-up Spiff to create a new app that will motivate customers to save money to reach goals.
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
The mobile payment market is getting more congested every day. For banks, it’s the most frequent touchpoint – one that can help (re) establish everyday relevance and drive engagement. How can banks develop their strategy and prioritise the capabilities that will help them remain valuable to their customers?
Fintech start-up Bankjoy has signed three credit unions for its digital banking software: CommunityWide Federal Credit Union in Indiana; Advantage Plus Federal Credit Union in Idaho, and One Detroit Credit Union in Illinois.
IBM has unveiled a large ecosystem initiative as it opens the doors of its new $200 million global headquarters for its Watson Internet of Things (IoT) business in Munich, Germany. BNP Paribas, Capgemini and Tech Mahindra are some of the firms who will place development teams at the IBM centre. Harriet Green, general manager, IBM […]
Major global transaction banks are now live with Swift’s global payments innovation (gpi) initiative.
You can read about fintech accelerators quickly with our latest round-up. Featuring RBS, BNP Paribas, Ben Franklin Technology Partners and the info on how to apply. Scotland has got its “first” fintech accelerator with the launch set for May. The new hub will be based in Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) Entrepreneurial Spark business centre […]
Hellenic Bank has opened an innovation lab in its home city of Nicosia, Cyprus.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has set up a new Data Analytics Group (DAG) with effect from 15 March 2017 as it looks to improve the financial sector and digital economy. DAG will use data analytics for insights, “enhance the supervision” of financial institutions, make regulatory compliance better for financial institutions, and improve work […]
2017 looks set to be the year in which a number of different jurisdictions vie to become the natural home of the financial technology sector. To help ensure that London remains fintech-friendly, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has created the “regulatory sandbox”.
Santander has become the first bank in the UK to allow customers to make payments using their voice. As Banking Technology reported in March 2016, Santander said it was the “first” bank in the UK to launch voice banking technology. Phase one enabled customers to talk to their Santander SmartBank app and ask about their […]
Being quick does the trick. A round-up of key blockchain and Bitcoin events. Berlin-based blockchain start-up, Bit Trust Services, has opened its Bitcoin-Bank in Vienna, Austria. The bank’s ATMs exchange Bitcoin for euro, and vice versa. Vienna is no stranger to the virtual currency as three years ago it got its first bitcoin ATM and […]
Last week’s FinovateEurope was full of the broad range of exciting and innovative companies that we have come to expect at the show. Although the 72 companies showcasing their solutions operated right across the fintech landscape, they all sing from a common hymn sheet of improving the customer experience.
