Fintech funding round-up: 12 December 2016
With so much fintech funding activity going on, we’ve summarised the latest fundraising efforts of start-ups. Featuring Lunar Way, FXCH and Polychain Capital.
Innovation
Top fintech stories this week – 9 December 2016
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Fintech funding round-up: 8 December 2016
Fintech funding stories can be fun if they are brief. Featuring MoneyLion, SETL and Finicity.
IBM launches blockchain ecosystem on Hyperledger Fabric
IBM has unveiled a blockchain ecosystem “to help accelerate the creation of blockchain networks”. The programme “is designed for innovators looking to build real networks – venture capitalists, start-ups, systems integrators, independent software vendors and enterprise developers”.
Weapons of mass distraction: worrying about the wrong fintech revolution
Reading the technology news these days you could be forgiven for thinking that some seismic revolution is occurring almost every day! Stories abound of Airbnb, Facebook, Uber, Alibaba taking over the world and demolishing our traditional business models – ushering in a new age where the “interface is king”. But are they revolutionary and game changing disruptors? I am not so sure…
Leveris looks to raise €15 million for core banking software business
A new core banking software vendor, Leveris, looks to raise €15 million from international venture capital firms, and is working with stockbroker Davy on the transaction.
Santander InnoVentures invests in Tradeshift
Business commerce and supply chain finance platform Tradeshift has got an investment from Santander InnoVentures.
Amazon Web Services to certify fintech firms
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched Financial Services Competency to certify its partners that specialise in the financial services space.
Digital messaging platform Viber gets banking chatbot
Comtrade Digital Services has built an automated banking platform that enables users of online/mobile messaging platform Viber to perform a range of banking operations entirely through a chatbot.
BNY Mellon sets up global innovation group
BNY Mellon’s treasury services business has created a global innovation group and appointed Christopher Mager to lead it.
New mobile bank Pepper goes interactive with Playbuzz
Bank Leumi’s new mobile banking subsidiary, Pepper, is working with digital authoring platform Playbuzz “to enhance user experience and engagement through personalised content”. Content created with Playbuzz’s suite of interactive formats, such as polls, quizzes and flip cards, will be embedded into Pepper’s banking app (to be launched in Q1 2017).
Case study: KeyBank – treasure the moment
Treasury professionals are finally adopting mobile cash management, says Melissa Zajac, vice-president and senior product manager, Key Total Treasury, KeyBank’s corporate online channel. Slowly but steadily. So what are the best practices?
Fintech funding round-up: 29 November 2016
We’ve summed up the latest funding efforts and results in the fintech space – so you don’t have to! Featuring Billon Group, Stripe, figo and Finimize.
This isn’t the end of the advisor: why tech won’t cut out the middle man
Who do you trust with your money? Well, if the latest talk in personal finance is anything to go by, we’ll soon be placing our trust in an altogether less warm-blooded beast. Move over mankind: the robots are coming. But not so fast!
It’s time to talk ATM 2.0
The ATM is one of the most recognised and trusted pieces of technology on the high-street, but as it too has come under pressure from the wave of digitalisation sweeping almost every aspect of our everyday lives. The humble ATM is no longer a single physical touch point…
More banks to opt out of R3 blockchain consortium
US Bancorp, Macquarie and JP Morgan are understood to be in the “leave” camp as they have opted out of the upcoming fundraising effort of the R3 blockchain consortium.
Top fintech stories this week – 25 November 2016
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Fintech funding round-up: 24 November 2016
Let’s put the fun in funding by keeping it mercifully brief. Money seekers are PayKey, Euklid and Flender.
APIs: open for business
No longer are the mid-tier banks doomed to be extinct! The arrival of open application programming interfaces (APIs) will enable them not just to survive but to prosper, states Chris Truce, director of platform development at Saxo Bank.
Infographics: the fintech landscape
It’s infographics time! A great compilation of fintech companies, showing how we’ve gone from graph paper to personal data algorithms – and everything in between.
Morgan Stanley and National Australia Bank to leave R3?
Morgan Stanley and National Australia Bank (NAB) are understood not to be renewing their membership with the R3 blockchain consortium.
Fundinfo launches Digital Advisor, intelligent fund selector
Fundinfo says its new cloud-based fund selection system, Digital Advisor, considers “investor’s emotional preferences” in addition to analysing active and passive funds.
R3 blockchain consortium loses another member, Santander
Santander has decided to leave the R3 blockchain consortium, which it joined last December. Meanwhile, R3 has slashed its fundraising target to $150 million from the original $200 million.
Leumi Card behaves with biometric mobile app
Israel-based Bank Leumi’s credit card subsidiary, Leumi Card, will launch a “first-of-its-kind” integration of a mobile security product based on behavioural biometrics. Using Israeli start-up SecuredTouch’s solution embedded in the Leumi Card app, it will eliminate the need for passwords. SecuredTouch’s technology allows user identification based on a “unique” personal usage profile within the mobile […]
Creating a hyperconnected corporate bank of the future
Banks are not competing with banks anymore, but against the ubiquitous, all pervading unified digital experience, which is driving the adoption of digital across the corporate banking value chain. Fintechs are a great example of how innovations in digital can deliver speed to market, a superior customer experience and better pricing.
Bunq and Veridium join hands for mobile banking biometrics
Dutch mobile-only challenger bank Bunq is using Veridium’s hand recognition software for its new app. The app will now use VeridiumID and its software, 4 Fingers TouchlessID. With their collaboration, Veridium and Bunq say this is a “world first” for “safe” mobile banking. Todd Shollenbarger, COO of Veridium, calls Bunq’s banking platform a “market disruptor”. […]
Top fintech stories this week – 18 November 2016
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! FNZ to build new BPO centre EXCLUSIVE. For Société Générale’s private banking business Mizuho Bank gears up for new core banking system go-live Keen to modernise after large-scale system failures in 2011. Big three explore blockchain for consumer […]
Stellar offers sponsorship for fintech start-ups
Stellar Development Foundation is offering sponsorships for fintech start-ups, and those who educate developers or represent an NGO. Sponsorship is available in the forms of “lumens” – Stellar’s unit of digital currency, similar to a Bitcoin. The firm says its goal is to support new products and ideas, and for those enabling that goal via […]
Infographics: the inevitable blockchain
It’s blockchain infographics time!
A boringly good guide to cryptocurrencies
Here is a boringly good guide to cryptocurrencies, courtesy of MBNA. It is not boring at all really!
Top fintech stories this week – 11 November 2016
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
R3 and ten member banks develop KYC service proof-of-concept
The R3 consortium and ten of its member banks have developed a proof-of-concept (PoC) for a know your customer (KYC) registry “that addresses the challenges associated with satisfying KYC requirements and allows identities to be managed by their owners”.
Hey, Siri! Send some money via PayPal
PayPal is bringing its users “an early holiday present” – the integration of Siri into PayPal.
Mobile-only bank Pepper gears up for launch in Israel
Israel’s Bank Leumi is gearing up for the launch of its new digital banking subsidiary, Pepper. It is expected to open its virtual doors for business before the end of 2016. The tech is provided by Temenos.
SEB and Ripple to build real-time payments system on blockchain
SEB has teamed up with blockchain specialist Ripple to enable SEB customers to make real-time transfers between SEB accounts in Stockholm and New York. This is “the first step” of a larger blockchain-based payments project.
Wipro launches open banking API platform
Wipro has unveiled its Open Banking API Platform as its “expects a large number of banks and financial institutions to adopt open banking initiatives to conform with evolving banking regulations, meet customers’ digital expectations, and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive fintech industry”.
Banking Technology November 2016 issue out now
The latest edition of our flagship magazine – Banking Technology – is out now, packed with news, analysis and insights, case studies, research and expert commentary.
Blockchain is not just for banking… insurance wants it too
There has been a tremendous amount of excitement and discussion about the potential of blockchain technology to transform the financial services industry and beyond. But the only thing that is clear at the moment is that there is still a lot of work to be done to implement wide scale use cases, clear up any regulatory uncertainly or barriers and educate institutions and employees about the technology and its potential.
Testing environment for Bitcoin exchanges
Amidst tightening regulations, the latest hack of the Bitfinex Bitcoin exchange has highlighted ongoing difficulties for the sector. Bourn Collier, associate, and Oliver Yaros, senior associate at Mayer Brown International LLP, explore. A few years ago media reports in Britain drew attention to the unfortunate plight of James Howells, a Welsh IT worker who had […]
Fintech funding round-up: 4 November 2016
Let’s put the fun in funding by keeping it mercifully brief. A round-up of some key events. KEEN Venture Partners, a new venture capital firm operating from London and Amsterdam, has announced €90 million first close of its inaugural fund. It will use the money to provide early growth capital for tech firms with a […]
