Innovation


Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 16 August 2017

Blockchain and Bitcoin are flying high – literally in one case – as we now have satellites in space. Our latest round-up features Bitcoin Cash, Blockstream, Falcon Private Bank and Bitcoin Suisse. Bitcoin’s value doesn’t need to be discussed every day, but today (16 August) on the US-based Bitfinex exchange, it has been holding at […]

Samsung to power biometric authentication pilot for Bank of America

Samsung will launch a pilot programme that enables Bank of America (BofA) customers to log into their mobile banking app by taking a picture of their eye, reports Finovate (Banking Technology‘s sister company). According to a report from American Banker’s Penny Crosman, half of BofA’s customers are using fingerprint authentication to log into their app, […]

Is Prosper prospering?

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lender Prosper released its second quarter earnings recently, just days after the company shuttered its consumer-facing bill management system.

Industry bullish on promise of fintech – Opimas research

Market players are bullish on the near- and longer-term promise of fintech, according to new research by Opimas, “Fintech Spending and Innovation in Capital Markets”. In 2017, it estimates fintech spending across all capital markets participants to exceed $127 billion.

But what about the human cost of automation?

New research from recruitment agency Robert Half has outlined the jobs which are under threat from automation, but when are we actually going to talk seriously about the dark side of artificial intelligence (AI)?

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.

Where top US banks are investing in fintech – CB Insights

Since 2012, the top ten US banks (by assets under management) have participated in 72 rounds totaling $3.6 billion to 56 fintech companies, according to CB Insights. While investment activity dropped on a quarterly basis in Q1 2017, four of the last five quarters have seen over $1 billion invested into fintech start-ups in the US backed by venture capital firms.

Skye Bank revamps omnichannel banking with Oracle FSS

Nigeria-based Skye Bank has launched a new digital banking platform, SkyeXperience, built on the Oracle FSS tech. The bank plans to enrol over two million clients on the new solution by the end of next year.

The Monday mindset: 14 August 2017

Fintech zeitgeist! This week, Banking Technology’s editor Tanya Andreasyan muses about the growing trend of celebrity endorsement in the fintech world.

HoneyDue tackles major PFM challenge: collaborative spending

Managing a relationship is stressful enough without introducing unnecessary miscommunications about day-to-day spending. This is one reason why many couples maintain separate spending accounts with pre-defined responsibilities (e.g. you pay the rent, I’ll pay the utilities, etc).

Russia’s CSD develops blockchain platform with Waves

National Settlement Depository (NSD), Russia’s central securities depository (CSD), and Waves, a decentralised platform for launching crowdfunding campaigns and issuing digital assets, have embarked on a blockchain project.

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.

WhatsApp to introduce payments feature

Facebook-owned messenger app WhatsApp submitted a new update through the Google Play Beta Programme, which will make payments available in the app’s new version.

HSBC digitises global trade with IBM

HSBC and IBM are working on a project “to develop a cognitive intelligence solution combining optical character recognition with advanced robotics to make global trade safer and more efficient”.

CFTE brings fintech education initiative to Asia with MAS

UK-based Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE) is looking to expand to Asia and plans to set up its first international hub in Singapore. The newly launched organisation says it “has been working closely with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to formalise plans to expand CFTE’s education initiative to ASEAN”.

Banking Technology Awards: how to write a winning entry?

With less than one month left to nominate for the Banking Technology Awards, now is the time to polish up on your entry. The question we get asked often is how to write a winning entry. Well wonder no more, we have a few tips for you on what to include. The more detail the better! Dates […]

Payments: Australia gives Swift instant results

Off the back of its involvement in Australia’s New Payments Platform (NPP), Swift has entered the instant payments market in Europe, with plans to launch a gateway solution in November 2018. The solution will enable instant payments to be made over the Swift network using a single gateway to connect to multiple instant payments systems across Europe.

Efigence designs interface for Emirates NBD’s new digital banking platform

Emirates NBD has launched a new digital banking platform with interface design developed by Efigence Group, a Poland-based customer experience (CX) specialist. Efigence, through its Artegence business, worked on “enhanced information architecture, re-designing user experience with a new graphical user interface (GUI) and supporting the implementation of front-end technology”.