USA


Jemstep the right roboadvisor step for KeyBank

When roboadvisor firm Jemstep was acquired by investment management company Invesco a year and a half ago, Invesco CEO Martin Flanagan highlighted the importance of combining technology and human insight to produce better investment outcomes for customers. Now Jemstep has partnered with KeyBank’s Key Investment Services (KIS), to provide another opportunity for Invesco’s roboadvisor to […]

US Senator questions big banks on CFPB arbitration

As expected, US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) is not going to let the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) final rule on arbitration agreements go down without a fight. The ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protections wants big banks – not just their lobbyists – to address the […]

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.

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.

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).

NBPCA requests more changes and time to comply with CFPB’s prepaid accounts rule

US-based Network Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA) submitted its comment letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) on the bureau’s proposed changes to the final prepaid accounts rule. The trade group is calling for additional revisions to the rule as well as an extended implementation period.

Strands lands digital money management deal with US bank

Personal financial management (PFM) firm Strands has secured a deal with Ohio-based Huntington National Bank. The bank will use Strands’ PFM and business finance management (BFM) solutions. Banking Technology understands that the solutions will integrate with the core banking system, Hogan, provided by DXC Technology (formerly Computer Science Corporation or CSC). Mark Sheehan, payments and […]

USAA links with Clinc for conversational AI banking

Banking and insurance provider USAA has opted for Clinc’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform to provide human-like conversations for its customers’ bank accounts. Available as a pilot programme at USAA Labs, its members, who consist of 12 million current and former members of the US military and their families, can use the “non-chatbot AI” to talk […]

Mobile identity firm Juvo scores with $40m in new funding

In a round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Wing Venture Capital, mobile identity scoring specialist Juvo has raised $40 million in new funding, reports Finovate (Banking Technology‘s sister company). The Series B, which featured participation from SignalFire and other existing investors, takes the company’s total funding to $54 million. Juvo will use the […]

xPressTap wants to eliminate payment card readers

With the launch of its Tap2App merchant payment solution and pilot programme, xPressTap is enabling micro-retailers and small business owners to use their smartphones to accept card payments without a dongle or a portable card reader, reports Paybefore, Banking Technology’s sister publication. The California-based start-up says its patented technology turns any NFC-enabled smartphone or tablet […]

LogMeIn buys AI and chatbot provider Nanorep for $45m

Massachusetts-based software provider LogMeIn has acquired Nanorep, a chatbot and virtual assistant company, for $45 million to boost its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered ambitions in customer engagement. Headquartered in Herzliya, Israel, Nanorep uses AI and patented natural language processing technologies for self-service solutions. A number of companies, such as financial software firm Intuit, Vodafone, and non-fintech […]

New investment boosts Betterment valuation to $800m

Robo advisor Betterment is now that much closer to achieving unicorn status – courtesy of a $70 million investment from Sweden’s Kinnevik. The investment takes Betterment’s total capital to $275 million, and gives the robo advisor a valuation estimated at $800 million, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). Praising the “strong partnership” between his firm and Kinnevik, Betterment CEO […]

DoubleNet Pay garners $4m investment

Financial wellness company DoubleNet Pay has closed $4 million in seed funding. The investment, which marks the Atlanta-based company’s first round of funding since it was founded in 2013, comes from TTV Capital and Fuqua Investments, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). The 12-person company will use the funds to boost product development and bolster sales. […]

Fintech earnings round-up: 24 July 2017

It’s been a busy time for second- and fiscal third-quarter earnings reports. Features Bank of America, Amex, Blackhawk Network and Visa. Banking Technology’s sister publication Paybefore reports. Bank of America (BofA) has beaten analyst expectations with earnings per share of 46 cents on revenue of $22.829 billion for the second quarter ended 30 June 2017. […]

LendKey raises $13m in equity and debt financing

Lending-as-a-Service (LaaS) specialist LendKey raised $13 million in Series C funding this week, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). The round consisted of both equity and debt financing ($8 million of the former, $5 million of the latter) and was led by Maine-based North Atlantic Capital. Also participating in the investment were existing investors DFJ, Gotham […]

Meta taps Melissa for KYC and AML initiatives

Melissa Global Intelligence, a provider of global contact data quality and identity-verification solutions, announced that its technology is fueling know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) initiatives for Meta Payment Systems, one of the largest prepaid card issuers in the US. Meta relies on Melissa to provide “a 360-degree view” of the customer, including […]

Urban FT buys iParse to speed up mobile app onboarding for FIs

Mobile banking technology provider Urban FT has completed its acquisition of US software firm iParse, which, CEO Richard Steggall tells Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore, will help the company provide a “mobile plug-in” for financial institutions. Steggall says the quicker, cheaper option compared with core processing integration will open up feature-rich mobile banking apps to […]

BNP Paribas fined $246m for FX misdemeanours

BNP Paribas has been hit with a $246 million fine by the US Federal Reserve System relating to past misconduct in its foreign exchange (FX) business. The Paris-based bank says it will pay the fine and has settled Federal Reserve allegations that it failed to keep its FX traders from using electronic chatrooms to manipulate […]

PayPal teams with Samsung Pay

The partnerships keep coming for PayPal. Following recent news that the company is partnering with Apple for payments on iTunes and in the App Store, among other places, the company is now expanding its partnership with Samsung to enable PayPal as a payment method in any channel Samsung Pay is accepted, according to the PayPal blog. Banking […]