Fern Software launches first of its kind API offering
Core banking software provider Fern Software has opened its Abacus HUB Cloud platform to third parties in the UK and Ireland.
UK
Abcul halts credit union migration to new core platform
EXCLUSIVE: UK-based Association of British Credit Unions (Abcul) has suspended its plans to migrate its member credit unions onto its new tech platform, Banking Technology understands.
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!
Ping is king for Open Banking’s UK framework
Open Banking, the implementation entity set up by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has chosen Ping Identity to provide the identity and access management (IAM) technology to underpin its UK framework. Ping’s IAM solution suite, the Ping Identity Platform, will provide the hub for Open Banking, where all UK banks and financial services […]
Get your Bacs up with Direct Debit feedback
UK payments system Bacs is asking for public feedback on how to improve the nation’s Direct Debit product. Bacs says usage is at an “all-time high” and lavishes praise on it. What a surprise. However, its 2016 consultation identified where it might be able to make improvements and “any changes will need to be carefully […]
UK challenger Redwood Bank launches
Redwood Bank, a new UK-based SME challenger, has launched four months after securing its banking licence. The bank is now offering secured SME mortgages for business owners, as well as for “experienced” commercial and residential property investors. It has also launched a business deposit account. As reported in April, Redwood entered its mobilisation phase and […]
10% of FTSE 350 firms lack cybersecurity plans, but are you surprised?
A recent report from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport claims 10% of the UK’s 350 largest firms do not have a response plan in place for a cybersecurity incident, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). These clearly aren’t all fintech companies, but considering the rhetoric which is constantly flowing around, bigging up […]
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. […]
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 […]
Infographic: UK’s blockchain job market
Blockchain vacancies in the UK increase by 25% with Britain posting three times as many jobs as Germany – and more findings in this infographic.
HSBC teams with Capita for new broker platform
HSBC is introducing a new improved software platform for brokers and also confirms Personal Touch Financial Services as its next intermediary partner. The new software, provided by Capita, replaces the current system and provides a single platform which “drives greater automation, making it easier for brokers to transact, upload documents, and track details of mortgage […]
Is this the end of fintech as we know it?
In the age of the internet, fintech dominates finance. In the UK, the sector is currently worth £7 billion, employing around 60,000 people with figures set to increase. The industry is definitely awe-inspiring, but as the lines between traditional banking services and fintech blur, fintech could disappear entirely.
£3.6m emergency cash injection pumped into Tandem
UK-based challenger bank Tandem received an emergency cash injection of £3.6 million from its existing investors earlier this year when a major funding deal with House of Fraser collapsed.
Trustly teams up with Qliro
Business-to-business (B2B) payment solutions company Trustly has partnered with e-commerce payment provider Qliro.
UK has a go at new data protection laws and it’s not a bad effort
The UK has unveiled details for its new Data Protection Bill, and while it is largely in line with European Union rules, there is also some substance to it (for once).
Barclaycard pilots Alipay payments in eight retail stores across UK
EXCLUSIVE: Barclaycard is launching a pilot that enables merchants in the UK to accept in-store Alipay transactions. The pilot will commence on 14 August 2017 in eight retail stores across the UK, with Barclaycard providing the POS solution for payments via Alipay.
Lloyds Bank target of Trickbot banking trojan
Trickbot is back, new and improved, and is targeting customers of Lloyds Bank in the UK in a new phishing campaign, according to cybersecurity specialist Cyren.
BML Istisharat gains two new takers of ICBS core banking system
BML Istisharat, a Lebanon-based banking software provider, has gained two new takers of its ICBS core banking system. These are Peterhouse Securities, a financial services firm in London, and Liberty International Bank in Abu Dhabi.
UK Government has another run up at encryption
UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd has taken another dim-witted swipe at end-to-end encryption claiming that terrorists are the only ones who care about it, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). It’s the latest chapter in one of the most short-sighted and ill-informed books available today, as Rudd has continued her moronic quest to make the […]
UK regulator keeps payday loan price cap in place
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published the outcome of its review into high-cost credit, which includes its assessment of the effectiveness of the payday loan price cap. With a generous amount of back-slapping, the review provides “clear evidence that FCA regulation of high-cost short-term credit (often known as ‘payday lending’) has delivered substantial […]
Everyday Loans automates IFRS 9 compliance with Jaywing
Everyday Loans, a UK-based provider of “loans for bad credit”, has signed for Jaywing’s Horizon solution for IFRS 9 modelling and provision calculation.
Interview: Ben Brabyn, Level39 – high rise
In the beating business heart of London, Banking Technology met Ben Brabyn, head of tech hub Level39, for an exclusive interview on Brexit, rivalry and how success isn’t a zero-sum game.
UK fintech start-up DueCourse goes into administration
UK-based DueCourse, a cloud-based invoice financing start-up, has run its course with the revelation that it has gone into administration. The bad news comes less than a year after it received £6.25 million in funding from investors, including the founders of TransferWise, and non-fintech firms such as LinkedIn, Zoopla and Lovefilm. According to online publication […]
Top fintech stories this week – 28 July 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Legal & General Insurance unveils fintech business
Legal & General Insurance (LGI) has created a new business to build and buy into a range of fintech companies. LGI says its fintech subsidiary Investments Discounts Online (IDOL), which was established in 1999, will form a key part of the new fintech business area. Nick Frankland, who’s been with LGI since 2010, will take […]
Visa expands with data centres in Singapore and UK
Visa is expanding its transaction-processing capabilities with two data centres in Singapore and the UK, reports Paybefore, Banking Technology‘s sister publication. The new global processing hubs will “increase the speed, resilience and geo-diversity of Visa’s infrastructure, while strengthening the company’s ability to deliver new and more sophisticated ways to pay in today’s hyper-connected global economy,” […]
UK regulator balances the looks for current accounts
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched proposals to help people compare the service levels for personal and business current accounts. The FCA proposes that firms offer information on how long it takes to open an account; how long it takes to replace a lost, stolen or stopped debit card; and the number and […]
PCFG has banking licence restriction lifted, goes live with core and digital banking tech
UK-based Private & Commercial Finance Group (PCFG) has had its banking licence restrictions lifted. It has gone live with a new core banking system, Temenos’ T24, a front-end digital platform from Sandstone Technology and the ICS lease and loan administration solution from Sopra Banking Software.
UK Government plans new cybersecurity innovation centre
The UK is fighting back against cyberattacks with a new cybersecurity innovation centre in London and investment of up to £14.5 million to develop technology to help keep the nation safe. The investment will be made over the next three years to bolster the UK’s cybersecurity defences, and follows on from February, when the new […]
Aire pulls in $5m, lands partnerships with Zopa and Toyota Financial Services
Alternative credit scoring company, Aire, has raised $5 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Sunstone Capital, with funds also coming from White Star Capital, which led the company’s 2016 seed round. Aire’s funding now totals $12 million, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). The London-based company plans to use the funds […]
Mastercard triumphs against £14bn collective action lawsuit
Mastercard can breathe a sigh of relief as the £14 billion lawsuit – a collective action over card charges that were passed on to shoppers – has been stopped by the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal. As reported last year, Mastercard faced the massive lawsuit. The claim was headed by ex-financial services ombudsman Walter Merricks, who […]
House of Lords launches artificial intelligence inquiry
The UK’s House of Lords wants you to come clean on the rise of the machines – with a call for feedback on the economic, ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence (AI). The House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence is asking for contributions to its inquiry and is looking for pragmatic solutions […]
“Game changer” Jargon Bank appoints sales director
The fintech world has been left breathless and bewitched by the stunning revelation that UK-based challenger Jargon Bank has appointed a sales director. As reported last year, the “game changer” bank launched offering “compelling and innovative” products. This was followed in February with a payments app update; an office move in March; and a cat […]
TSB goes dotty for iris scanning tech
The buzz for biometrics gets bigger with TSB now eyeing up the launch of iris scanning tech to let users login into bank accounts by glancing at their phone. According to the BBC, some TSB customers will be able to do this from September when the bank introduces iris recognition to its mobile banking app. […]
Bank of England opens up RTGS service to fintech competition
The Bank of England (BoE) is opening up access to settlement accounts in its real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system with the goal to promote fintech innovation and competition. The bank says it’s extending access to non-bank payment service providers (PSPs), offering direct access to the UK’s sterling payment systems. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), […]
Monzo gently rolls out current account
Mobile-only challenger bank Monzo is taking it nice and easy with a steady roll-out of its current account. The bank, which received its full UK banking licence in April, says it’s been using the current account internally and today (17 July) is now inviting some of its customers to join and “help put it through […]
Debit cards knock off cash as No. 1 payment method in UK
Cash is no longer king in the UK, according to the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) annual Payments Survey, which found that debit card transactions accounted for almost 43% of all retail transactions in 2016, overtaking cash, which accounted for 42% of all retail transactions, for the first time. Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore reports that […]
UK watchdog backs PSR plan for merger of three payment bodies
The UK’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has got approval from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for its plan for the consolidation of the operators of three payment systems. As first reported in May, the PSR aimed to get Bacs Payment Schemes (BPSL), Cheque and Credit Clearing Company (C&CCC) and the Faster Payments Scheme (FPSL) […]
Darktrace raises $75m to fight cybercrime with AI
Darktrace, a start-up that tackles cybercrime with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, has raised $75 million in a Series D round, reports Light Reading (Banking Technology’s sister publication). The latest capital injection values the company at $825 million, testament to the security threat faced by network operators and fintech enterprises and the power of machine learning technology. […]
Fidor adds a touch of Nutmeg to banking with Seedrs
Seedrs will be the sole equity finance provider in a new partnership with challenger bank Fidor.
