BankingTech


Consumer payments: the contactless landscape

Nick Kerigan, managing director of future payments at Barclaycard, lends his expert view on the changing consumer payment landscape and maps the journey to contactless card payments and beyond. Kerigan leads the team that looks at payment and competitor intelligence, and is responsible for driving innovation across Barclaycard. Last year was a milestone in UK […]

Western Union launches digital B2B payments platform for SMEs worldwide, WU EDGE

Western Union Business Solutions has unveiled a brand new payments platform for SMEs, WU EDGE. The project has been 18 months in the making and is available to new and existing customers for free. WU EDGE is cloud-based, and is designed to be a single global payments tool for businesses worldwide. It will go live […]

Santander and Kabbage team for SME funding innovation

Santander and Kabbage are piloting an online tool to give UK small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) access to same day funding. Announced today (4 April) at Money 20/20 in Copenhagen, SMEs can get access to new working capital of between £500 and £100,000 via an online process. At a media briefing, Sigga Sigurdardottir, chief […]

Reference data management: utility is the future

So here is a major headache for the treasury and capital markets industry: the cost line remains dead flat but the revenue line has dropped off the cliff. Utility is the answer to the market woes, strongly believes Philippe Chambadal, CEO of SmartStream Technologies. He talks to Tanya Andreasyan about SmartStream’s initiative in this space. […]

Keeping up in a Faster Payments world

Faster payments is one of the more pervasive topics in almost any global payments conversation. And if you look at key countries like Singapore, the US, and Australia, it may seem to be more than just talking. Additionally, many countries are improving their infrastructure to clear payments in the same day or already have domestic […]

Banking Technology April 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.

New competition or new regulation: which is the bigger challenge for banks?

One of the most talked about issues in retail banking today is the emergence of the new entrant, or “challenger”, bank. “New” banks are being spun off from existing institutions and more than twenty organisations having applied for, or received, a banking licence over the past twelve months or so. Banking is becoming an ever […]

Blockchain: why smart contracts need shrewder people

“I’ve forgotten – woe is me! What the magic word may be.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (1797) How smart is your code? So-called “smart contracts” are science fiction realised. Executable pieces of code stored on a mutual distributed ledger for future execution bind people and payments to actions and outcomes. Computer scientist […]

Online banking 2.0 with API

When you think of the new era in banking — let’s call it “Banking 2.0” — what do you see? Is there something revolutionary such as totally virtual branches or no paper money at all? It’s hard to tell how Banking 2.0 will exactly look like, especially with virtual reality (VR) sets going mainstream, but […]

Harrods Bank gets new CIO, but core banking overhaul in question

Will Simon Bateman, the new CIO of London-based Harrods Bank, restart the bank’s long-suffering core banking software overhaul? Bateman moves from another UK-based bank, Aldermore, where he spent around three years, first as transformation and change director and then as head of IT for the savings business line. Aldermore, a small domestic bank focused on […]

Three US credit unions live with Fiserv’s DNA core processing platform

Three credit unions in the US have converted to the DNA core account processing platform provided by Fiserv. The projects were a couple of years in the making. Texas Dow Employees Credit Union The largest of the three is Texas Dow Employees Credit Union, with $2.7 billion in assets. The DNA platform supports all main […]

KeyCorp and First Niagara merger – software revamp on the cards?

As US-based KeyCorp prepares to take over its rival First Niagara to create the country’s 13th largest bank, Banking Technology muses what this might mean for the fintech market. A major system selection perhaps, as both banks are currently using dated systems? KeyCorp and its banking subsidiary, KeyBank, hope to finish acquiring First Niagara by […]

Top fintech stories this week – 1 April 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Samsung Pay launches in China Big market, big appeal. FIS and Vocalink first to supply access to Faster Payments A number of banks are also lined up to connect directly this year. UK credit unions busy with tech […]

Virtual account management: time to reap SEPA

Virtual account management (VAM) holds great promise for corporates to centralise and reduce bank accounts. Banking Technology‘s payments expert, Heather McKenzie, explains. One of the promises of the single euro payments area (SEPA) was that it would enable more efficient cash management infrastructures for the euro. In a 2014 study, Economic analysis of SEPA, PWC predicted a […]

Bank of Ceylon upgrades front-to-back office systems with Fiserv

Bank of Ceylon, the largest bank in Sri Lanka, has continued its long-term relationship with Fiserv, and upgraded to the recent versions of Signature (retail core banking) and Teller (a front-end teller system). The bank has also chosen Fiserv’s Communicator to provide integration between Signature and third-party solutions. Luxaman Perera, head of IT, Bank of […]

FATCA and CRS survey: how ready are you?

With the new era in global tax reporting, Thomson Reuters is conducting a survey to gauge the level of the industry’s readiness for FATCA and CRS. Evolving global regulations around tax transparency are challenging organisations around the world to implement new procedures. Are you ready? We are calling on you to help us create a […]

FIS and Vocalink first to supply access to Faster Payments

FIS and Vocalink’s PayPort have become the first to gain accreditation to supply access to Faster Payments through its New Access Model. Both have been awarded the new certificate of technical accreditation “trust mark”, after passing all the required technical tests covering the origination and receipt of payments by a direct participant of Faster Payments. […]

Splitska Banka live with Comarch’s SB SmartNet banking system

Croatia’s Splitska Banka has gone live with SB SmartNet, a new internet and mobile banking system provided by Polish IT specialist Comarch. SB SmartNet, based on Comarch’s Smart Finance solution, will give Splitska’s retail customers access to account information as well as a multitude of transactional services. The mobile version is designed for iOS and […]

Infographics: global fintech landscape

Want to see the global fintech landscape summed up in an easy on the eye and effortless to digest infographics? You have come to the right place – this excellent infographics has it all, from the hottest start-ups today and those to watch in 2016 to the most supportive countries and governments as well as top investors. […]

What can we learn from Sweden’s domestic payment system quandary?

The Nordics have a unique model for domestic payment processing, but some of the upheavals in the system provide a lesson for other countries debating faster, upgraded payments initiatives. Owned by the eight largest banks in Sweden, Bankgirot is the clearing house for domestic payments in Sweden, and provides the banks with payment product and […]

Swift and China’s CIPS partner for cross-border payments

Swift has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China International Payment Service (CIPS Co.) to develop China’s cross-border payments infrastructure. The agreement sets out plans to use Swift to connect China’s Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) with its global user community. Alain Raes, Swift chief executive of Asia Pacific and EMEA, says there are […]

Smartphones? Credit cards are the most mobile payment method!

The world has been talking about “mobile payments” for years, but the phrase means different things to different people. So what exactly are mobile payments? And how much more mobile than cash or cards can payments actually get, asks Philipp Nieland, co-founder and CTO of PPRO Group. Some people believe that mobile payments are those […]

UK credit unions busy with tech modernisation

There is a lot of activity going on in the UK’s credit union space, as the participants realise they have no choice but to modernise. So who is doing what? Which technology providers are set to gain and who might be a loser? London Mutual Credit Union and TCS Financial Solutions London Mutual credit union […]

What is your view on real-time payments? Take our survey and win an iPad!

Banking Technology is conducting a brief survey to find out the industry view on real-time payments and their implications for all parties involved. How ready are you? What are the key drivers for your organisation to embrace real-time payments? Will they displace the existing types of payments? And what are your main concerns when it […]

Top fintech stories this week – 24 March 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! As it’s Easter holidays in the UK, this time it’s published on Thursday. Deutsche Bank reduces branch network in Germany Rise of digital banking drives change. Polymer notes pose £45m problem for UK cash machines Slippery when plastic. […]

Payments shake-up in the UK: the baby and the bathwater

Since the introduction of the Faster Payments Service (FPS) the best part of a decade ago the UK has been rather proud of its payments system – industry body Payments UK uses the phrase “world class payments” in its development plans, and successive politicians have trumpeted the country’s prowess in this field, much as their […]

Commerzbank live on SAP HANA for finance and risk management

Commerzbank is now live with an integrated set of finance and risk solutions powered by the SAP HANA platform. SAP says the bank has more than 70% of its balance sheet running on SAP Bank Analyzer and SAP Accounting for Financial Instruments. It adds that Commerzbank is able to close its monthly books “significantly faster”, […]

Vibrant Community Credit Union completes core software overhaul

US-based Vibrant Community Credit Union (formerly DHCU) has completed its tech overhaul, with Fiserv’s DNA now supporting its core operations and Alkami’s ORB supporting digital banking activity at the front-end. The project was over a year in the making, and coincided with the brand overhaul at the credit union. It was formerly known as DHCU […]

Temenos software licensing grows by 45% in 2015

Temenos has reported a total software licensing growth of 45% for 2015 on the back of new deals and acquisitions. In its 152-page “Annual Report and Accounts 2015”, the Swiss software vendor also revealed a rise in non-IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) revenue of 19.2% – moving from $468.7 million in 2014 to $559 million. […]

Digital drives DNB to cut branches and staff numbers

DNB will close more than half its branch offices and lay off 600 employees as the rise of digital banking takes its toll on the physical world. The Norwegian bank says “almost all” of its customers have become digital and points to the success of its Vipps app – the number one downloaded app in […]

NIB Bank “first” to upgrade to latest Temenos T24 core banking system

Pakistan-based NIB Bank is the first to upgrade to the latest release of Temenos’ T24 core banking system – making a big leap from R7 to R15. National Data Consultants (NDC), Temenos’ regional partner and integrator, worked on the project. Ammara Masood, president and CEO at NDC, says the bank is the “first client” to […]

Swift launches global reference data platform for SEPA IBAN in UK

Swiftref, Swift’s global reference data utility, has delivered the IBAN/BIC reference platform for the UK community under the guidance of Payments UK. The project was initiated in early 2015, with Swift commissioned to design and build the platform. Swift says this new Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) International Bank Account Number (IBAN) Only (Sepaio) central […]

Digital banking software vendor QTS goes bust

QTS, a UK-based digital banking systems provider, has gone bust. Based on Companies House data (the UK’s registrar of companies), QTS’s accounts are long overdue and it has entered liquidation. Yesterday (21 March), Companies House announced an “extraordinary resolution to wind up on 26 February 2016” and the appointment of a voluntary liquidator. Calls and […]

Storming the banks

Traditional banking has taken quite a beating in recent years as more and more customers prefer to handle their banking needs digitally rather than be bogged down by paperwork or wait in lines at a physical bank. In a bid to meet developing customer expectations, many banks have begun offering web-related services such as e-deposits, […]

Deutsche Bank reduces branch network in Germany

Deutsche Bank is cutting its retail outlets in Germany from 700 to 500 as it looks to lower costs and adapt to digital banking. Christian Sewing, head of private, wealth and commercial clients and member of management board, Deutsche Bank, says the cuts are “necessary as the retail bank’s profitability has decreased over the last […]

QIB goes live on Temenos’ T24 core banking system

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) has finally gone live with a new core banking system, Temenos’ T24, nearly six years after signing the original contract. Gopi Krishnan, CIO at QIB, describes the implementation as the “fastest and most complex transformation programme in the Middle East region in the recent past”. Despite this, it actually was a […]

Rise of the megabanks

A great visual of how four US-based conglomerates – JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) – have grown to be the megabanks we know today. Source: American Banker

Dear banks, social media doesn’t have to be scary

Dear Banks, how’s it going? If you’re reading this, you must be on social media, or you’re at least checking the internet. That’s great. I’ve been meaning to write this letter for a long time. The first thing you should know is that I think you’re really important. Sure, I might like to joke about […]