Ant Financial Lands Record-Setting $4.5 Billion Funding

As Alibaba-affiliated financial services provider Ant Financial seeks to expand in markets in China and around the globe, the company has landed $4.5 billion in new funding that values it at a whopping $60 billion.

FDIC Approves New Assessment Rule for Small Banks

The FDIC board of directors has approved a rule that changes how banks with less than $10 billion in assets and have been FDIC insured for at least five years are assessed for deposit insurance.

Infographics: seizing the mPOS opportunity

Mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) is revolutionising the POS terminal industry. In two years, the market is estimated to be worth $43 billion. By 2019, 46% of all POS terminals in 2019 are expected to be mPOS. Over the next four years, the market is poised to grow by 400%. This nifty infographics – courtesy of FIME – […]

Kyrgyzstan’s national bank invites bids for system implementation

The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan is inviting bids for the implementation of a new informational-analytical system (IAS). The submission deadline is 17 June 2016 and the bank says it has received a credit/grant from the International Development Association toward the cost of the financial sector development project. The project is conducted under the auspices of […]

Nasdaq launches new quality assurance platform, Nasdaq Validator

Nasdaq has launched Nasdaq Validator to provide quality assurance (QA) for exchanges, clearing houses and central securities depositories (CSDs). Nasdaq Validator is an API-independent testing platform offering manual and automated test tools for the capital markets industry. It interfaces with Nasdaq’s matching, clearing and CSD systems, in addition to systems by other providers. It is […]

Liontrust goes live on Eze OMS and portfolio accounting systems

UK-based Liontrust Asset Management has gone live on Eze Software Group’s OMS (order management system) and portfolio accounting solutions, implementing a front-to-back office workflow to replace its in-house systems. Eze Software Group says its investment software suite was chosen after a “rigorous and lengthy” selection process involving a number of unnamed vendors. Liontrust, which has […]

Misys unveils Misys FinCloud

Misys today is launching Misys FinCloud, a range of cloud solutions and “global cloud environment” for its clients. It is supported by “selected global and local infrastructure providers, systems integrators and solution partners”, including Rackspace and NTT Communications, Misys says. With Misys FinCloud “clients gain faster access to innovation through shorter and more predictable on-boarding […]

Wealth Dynamix launches WDX ONE, cloud-based platform for wealth & investment managers

UK-based CRM solutions provider Wealth Dynamix has launched WDX ONE, a cloud-based framework for wealth and investment managers. WDX ONE is targeted at small to mid-market firms, and Wealth Dynamix says it cuts implementation costs by over 60%. Groupe Financiere Hottinger (GFH), a London-based portfolio management and financial advisory service, is one of the first […]

Mondo in recruitment drive for senior executives

UK-based challenger bank Mondo is on a recruitment drive to find senior executives. Mondo, which positions itself as a “mobile first” bank, will be offering a contactless debit card paired with a mobile banking app to its customers. As part of this ambition to end the “tyranny of legacy banks” it is advertising for two […]

Cisco partners with Fiserv for communications and infrastructure

Cisco has teamed with Fiserv and its Sentry Performance Solutions to provide hosted communications and infrastructure solutions. Sentry Performance Solutions include network, hosting and network security services; hardware and software life cycle management; and unified communications services. Fiserv says its clients now have access to the Cisco workforce experience and branch solutions. The workforce experience […]

M&A Update: Visa Europe Deal Tweaked, MasterCard Eyeing VocaLink

Visa Inc. has amended the terms of its pending acquisition of Visa Europe, reducing a planned future payment in favor of additional cash up front. Meanwhile, MasterCard reportedly is in talks to acquire U.K. payments giant VocaLink in a potential £1 billion (US$1.45 billion) deal.

CFPB Schedules Arbitration Hearing for May 5, Proposed Rule to Come?

The CFPB has scheduled a field hearing on arbitration clauses in Albuquerque, N.M., on May 5 at 11 a.m., MDT. Experts are anticipating the hearing will be the forum for the bureau to release its proposed rule on arbitration, and industry groups are bracing for restrictions or an outright ban on arbitration clauses in financial services contracts.

Wave 2 of European Central Bank’s T2S migration plan completed

The second wave of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) migration plan for Target2-Securities (T2S) transactions has been completed. T2S is the delayed centralised European platform for the settlement of domestic and cross-border securities, and is one of the largest infrastructure projects launched by the ECB. Wave 2 included Portugal’s central securities depository (CSD) Interbolsa, a […]

Morgan Stanley cools blockchain buzz

Morgan Stanley has brought blockchain back to earth, calling it a “double-edged sword” because while it helps banks reduce clutter, profits could fall or shift to new players. In its 31-page report, “Global Insight: Blockchain in Banking: Disruptive Threat or Tool?”, the company predicts blockchain’s “widespread potential to disrupt financial intermediaries” but says there are […]

Global Payments gets green light to acquire Heartland Payment Systems

US-based payment processor Global Payments is to acquire Heartland Payment Systems for $3.8 billion in cash and stock, as approved by the Heartland stockholders. About 29.7 million shares were voted in favour of the merger proposal. The vote represents approximately 99% of the total Heartland shares which voted on the merger proposal and 80% of […]

Bank of Ireland ponders major IT overhaul

Bank of Ireland, one of Ireland’s “big four” banking players, is looking to modernise its legacy software, Banking Technology understands. The bank’s current set-up is outsourced to Accenture, which manages its group technology and change division. The deal was signed in 2014, and around 200 staff transferred to Accenture from Bank of Ireland as a […]

Biometrics: the road less travelled on the customer journey

Biometric security in the financial services sector has finally reached the tipping point many have been anticipating since Apple launched its fingerprint recognition technology one whole iPhone generation ago. We recently saw the first of the major banks to announce that both fingerprint and voice recognition technology will be viable account login options for millions […]

Orange buys Groupama for 2017 mobile bank launch

Orange has made a significant stride in mobile banking by acquiring a majority stake in financial services firm Groupama, reports Tim Skinner at Telecoms.com. The French mobile operator has confirmed it has acquired 65% of Groupama shares, will be launching a 100% mobile banking service in early 2017. By acquiring Groupama, Orange will be gaining an extensive […]

National Bank Holdings calculates core software overhaul at $3.7 million

National Bank Holdings (NBH), a US-based holding company of a group of local community banks, has gone through a major technology overhaul with FIS. The group, which comprises three banks, has implemented FIS’s core banking system, IBS, online and mobile banking applications and a cheque imaging system, Check Image. In its latest quarterly results, NBH […]

MasterCard closes in on £1bn VocaLink acquisition

MasterCard is in “exclusive” talks with VocaLink over a £1 billion-acquisition, according to Sky News. Sky News says it has learned that 13 banks, which are shareholders in VocaLink, have “approved a period of exclusivity within which MasterCard can negotiate a takeover of the company”. Out of those banks, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group and […]

Fidelity Bank completes latest acquisition; IT conversion to follow

US-based Fidelity Bank will move its latest acquisition, American Enterprise Bank of Florida, onto its core banking system, Fiserv’s DNA, from FIS’s Horizon. American Enterprise Bank added $209 million in assets, $147 million in loans and $182 million in deposits to Fidelity Bank. It also brought two branches in Florida. The bank’s Horizon core banking […]

Lloyds to cut 625 jobs

Lloyds Banking Group is to cut 625 jobs – as it continues another wave of its 9,000 job reductions announced a few years ago. Lloyds says there will be a net reduction of 430 roles once the 195 new jobs it will be creating are taken into account. News of the planned redundancies was greeted […]

Masthaven receives UK banking licence; implements new core system

Masthaven Finance, a UK-based specialist mortgage lender, has joined the “challenger banks” rush and secured a banking licence. It plans to open for business this summer. The new bank will offer mortgages and savings products to retail customers who struggle to get service from mainstream banks and lenders. These products will include specialist mortgages and […]

UK’s Financial Conduct Authority selects Sopra Steria for new regulatory platform

Paris-based Sopra Steria has been selected by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to deliver a new digital regulatory market data processing platform in an “exclusive” six-year contract. The new platform will support the FCA’s on-going regulation of firms, as well as encompassing new requirements under the forthcoming Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II). […]

Top fintech stories this week – 22 April 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Corelation’s Keystone core system reaches 50 users All aboard for US-based credit unions. Citizens Bank plans core banking revamp with FIS Bank is also looking at a new mobile platform and middleware layer. Scotiabank invests millions of dollars […]

Temenos’ Q1 2016 software licensing revenue up 51%

Temenos has revealed IFRS (international financial reporting standards) total software licensing revenue of $38.9 million in Q1 2016; and non-IFRS total software licensing revenue of $39.2 million – up 51% from Q1 2015 on a reported basis and 53% in constant currencies. Temenos CEO David Arnott says this shows financial institutions “continue to embark on […]

Moni goes into receivership

UK-based payments firm Moni has gone into receivership. Moni says its business and assets are being marketed for sale; and joint administrators have been appointed. If people have queries or are “owed money”, Moni is directing them to an advisory service. The firm did offer a mobile payment app for iOS and Android – similar […]

Corelation’s Keystone core system reaches 50 users

US-based software vendor, Corelation, has onboarded 50 credit unions for its flagship Keystone core system. Keystone is a much newer system than most of its rivals, having hit the market just seven years ago. Corelation has also recently moved to a new head office in San Diego, California, to an office space four times bigger […]

Citizens Bank plans core banking revamp with FIS

US-based Citizens Bank is planning a core banking modernisation. The bank is looking for a programme director, to be based in Rhode Island, for the upgrade of its core banking platform and to implement a new mobile platform and middleware layer. Citizens, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK’s RBS from 1998 to […]

Swift Business Forum London 2016: Open banking touches a nerve

Financial institutions are still nervous about APIs and security when the word “open” is discussed, was one theme from the Swift Business Forum London 2016. More than 1,300 delegates were packed into Tobacco Dock, London for the sixth edition of the one-day event. Yesterday morning’s sessions (20 April) were a mixed bag – “blockchain is […]

Viewpoint: The Gamification of Financial Services

Gamification is not new, but new entrants are showing that injecting the right mix of fun and rewards into financial education can reap dividends for consumers and financial services providers seeking to engage their customers.

Viewpoint: Fintech: The Great Equalizer

We’re bombarded daily with reports that fintech firms are poised to eat the banks’ lunch. The drumbeat is so loud and steady, it’s hard not to fall into the trap of thinking that banks’ best days are behind them. But, I believe the proliferation of fintech solutions presents a remarkable opportunity for small and midsize financial institutions.

When banks leave the front door open

Cyber attacks against the banking industry have soared in the last few years. And financial institutions now face 300% more attacks than any other industry. Comparatively with other industries, the financial services industry isn’t shy where it comes to cyber security investment and generally has a superior level of protection. But this attracts a more […]

Spring 2016 Pay Magazine Now Available

The digital edition of the Spring 2016 issue of Pay Magazine is finally here. Whether you’re a technology provider, a financial services company or a retailer, you have to reconcile consumers’ on-demand mentality with top-notch security and compliance at every consumer touch point. In this issue, we help you do just that.

Infosys’ Finacle core banking system gains first taker in Myanmar

Asia Green Development (AGD) Bank, one of the first commercially owned banks in Myanmar, is automating its ops with Infosys’ Finacle core banking system. This is Infosys’ first core banking system client in Myanmar. The system will support all main operations of the bank, front-to-back office, including online and mobile banking. Finacle will oust a […]

Bermuda Commercial Bank goes live with new core banking system, Temenos’ T24

Bermuda Commercial Bank (BCB) has gone live with Temenos’ T24 core banking system (R13). The bank has also implemented Temenos’ business intelligence and analytics tool, Insight, and an AML solution. Sofgen, a Switzerland-based specialist IT consultancy and integration firm (now part of Tech Mahindra), carried out the implementation. The project was 18 months in the […]