Innovation


BBVA picks its 56 for innovation start-up contest

BBVA has revealed the 56 finalists for the 8th edition of its Open Talent contest to compete in three separate finals in Mexico, London and New York in September. The start-ups come from 17 different countries, and BBVA says “one of the most noteworthy points” of its 8th edition is the “high number” of finalists […]

Top fintech stories this week – 5 August 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! RBS scraps Williams & Glyn banking platform plans, writes off £345m Defeated by the IT challenges. W&G is now likely to be sold to Santander. Azimo “industry first” to enable money transfers via Facebook Messenger Sending money should […]

Interview: Rivi Varghese, CEO of CustomerXPs Software

Banking is going digital and instantaneous, which is great news for customers. But it is also a great headache for banks, as fraud is going that way too – the money can disappear into fraudsters’ virtual pockets with a blink of an eye, anytime, anywhere. At the same time, the real-time capabilities of new solutions […]

The future of banking is here: cognitive banking

Since the 2008 financial crisis, the sector has looked to repair reputational damage, lock down compliance in the system and rapidly innovate to serve a new generation. During this period of change, banks must redefine the value they want to provide for their customers. For example, do they want to finance the future dreams a […]

Azimo “industry first” to enable money transfers via Facebook Messenger

Azimo says it has become the first money transfer operator to enable money transfers worldwide via Facebook Messenger. “Money transfer is now social,” Azimo states. It describes its new functionality as “revolutionary”. It connects senders and receivers through their Facebook friend list, enabling them to exchange details immediately and links them to the Azimo app […]

Elliptic and LexisNexis team up for Bitcoin risk management

Blockchain intelligence firm Elliptic and LexisNexis Risk Solutions have partnered for the “first” use of “bank-grade” risk management for Bitcoin. Elliptic has integrated LexisNexis’s anti-money laundering (AML) risk management data into its Bitcoin transaction monitoring and compliance products. The two firms have built a proof-of-concept that uses financial intelligence data from LexisNexis and presents it […]

UNICEF wants blockchain developer for humanitarian innovation

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is looking for a developer to work on humanitarian projects, including the use of blockchain for innovation. The role will be based in New York and the UNICEF Innovation Unit wants the developer to create products that solve problems in the developing world. The individual will also work […]

Banks and social media case study: Avidia Bank

Can social media really drive adoption of financial products? Yes, states a Massachusetts-based community bank, Avidia Bank. Kate Cwieka, Avidia’s marketing specialist, shares the bank’s experience in embracing social media and the results. Oh, and practical advice on this “non-traditional” marketing channel. Want to know more on how to apply Hootsuite and Periscope (or find […]

Thomson Reuters joins R3 blockchain consortium

Thomson Reuters has joined R3’s partnership to design and apply distributed and shared ledger-inspired tech to global financial markets. Thomson Reuters will contribute insights from its work with customers to “drive product innovation and transformation in the financial sector using distributed ledger technologies”. David Rutter, CEO of R3, says the deal is “another significant milestone”. […]

Top fintech stories this week – 29 July 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Abcul slow on tech modernisation project Exclusive: First credit unions to go live before year-end. New mobile banking for SMEs readies for UK launch Tide will offer a “nimble small business current account”. Top ten retail banking sites […]

Can robo-advisors stand the test of time?

Robo-advisors are becoming increasingly commonplace in the UK’s financial sector. Over the last 18 months, high street banks such as Barclays, Lloyds, Santander and RBS have all launched robo-advice platforms, and it’s not only these well-known names that are competing to own the online investment space. Smaller challenger brands like Nutmeg and Wealthfront have also […]

Tech Leadership Award open for entries!

Do you know an outstanding Tech Leader? The Tech Leadership Award, part of our annual Banking Technology Awards, will go to an individual for leading and playing an instrumental role in devising and/or delivering the technology strategy to support the key business objectives of an organisation. The award is open to all industry participants worldwide […]

Banking Technology Awards 2016 issues call for entries

Entries are now open for the prestigious Banking Technology Awards – the premier event recognising excellence in the use of technology in banking and financial services, strive for innovation, and professional contribution to the industry’s betterment. Highlights A comprehensive list of categories to laud the best of the best across a broad range of IT […]

Top fintech stories this week – 22 July 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! BBA records dramatic increase in mobile banking usage Digital banking is in a “consumer-led revolution”. MasterCard buys VocaLink for $920 million Current owners Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and RBS will receive a handy windfall. Cidel Bank implementing ERI’S Olympic […]

Santander InnoVentures gets another $100m for fintech investment

Santander InnoVentures, the fintech venture capital fund of Santander Group, has secured a further $100 million in funding from the group’s balance sheet. Launched in 2014, Santander says the fund is now set to deploy a total of $200 million (up from the $100m originally allocated) in minority stakes in fintech start-ups. Santander says this […]

Top fintech stories this week – 15 July 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Swift seeks stronger network security Strikes back after hacks. IBM to open blockchain innovation centre in Singapore Big Blue stays true to blockchain. Starling Bank gets UK banking licence Aims to launch to customers by January 2017. Unibank […]

Fintech innovation: staying on fringes or time to become core?

In the face of an ever rising digital agenda in Europe, banks are jumping on the fintech bandwagon, hoping to jumpstart innovation. Technology stands today as a catalyst for change in established banking institutions, write Astrid Froidure, digital transformation lead at Open Reply, and Fausto Jori, owner of E-finance Reply. The spark comes in a […]

Visa says Europe open to biometrics for payments

According to new research from Visa, consumers across Europe are interested in using biometrics when making a payment – especially when integrated with other security measures. About 73% of the 14,000 European consumers surveyed see two-factor authentication, where a biometric is used in conjunction with a payment device, as a secure way to confirm an […]

Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 14 July 2016

With news on blockchain and Bitcoin appearing thick and fast, here’s a round-up of key events to save you time. Bitcoin has got some love in Russia when the centre-right Party of Growth says it is open to accepting donations in the digital currency. Boris Titov, head of the party, who also acts as an […]

DTCC’s Avox adopts Amazon Web Services cloud

Avox Data Services, a provider of legal entity reference data and a subsidiary of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), has migrated its data servers to Amazon Web Services (AWS). The move is part of a company-wide initiative to implement new technologies to “increase scalability, further enhance the security of the data and reduce […]

Nationwide launches new mobile banking app

Nationwide Building Society has launched a new mobile banking app – and users can now log on using Apple’s Touch ID biometric technology. Barnaby Davis, Nationwide’s divisional director group retail strategy, says: “As a mutual, Nationwide is owned by and run for the benefit of its members. This is why when designing our new mobile […]

Nordea’s new chief digital officer calls on fintechs to get in touch

Ewan MacLeod is heading to Nordea as co-head of its newly created “Group Digital” unit and is on the lookout for fintech companies, services and ideas to introduce to Nordea. MacLeod will be one of two chief digital officers at the Nordic banking group. The other one is Poul Raaholt, previously head of group IT […]

JP Morgan launches In-Residence start-up programme

JP Morgan has launched In-Residence, a new programme for fintech start-ups to use its facilities, systems and expertise. The company says it is inviting start-ups to sit “side by side” with its businesses to develop innovations that could “revolutionise” the sector. Sanoke Viswanathan, chief administrative officer of JP Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank, says this […]

Top fintech stories this week – 1 July 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Brexit threat to UK jobs at Visa Should I stay or should I go? Swift hackers steal $10m from Ukraine bank Massive attack. New challenger bank readies for launch in UK Atten-shun! UK military personnel, veterans and their […]

Swift’s global payments initiative gets boost from 73 banks

Swift has revealed 73 banks worldwide have now joined its global payments initiative for cross-border payments. The latest to join are Alfa-Bank, Axis Bank, Banco de Crédito del Peru, Banco do Brasil, Bangkok Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, Banque Européenne d’investissement, CaixaBank, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Credit Agricole, CTBC Bank, E.Sun Commercial Bank, Fifth […]

Amex teams with Facebook for Messenger bot

American Express is partnering with Facebook to provide an Amex bot for its card members in Messenger. The concept will allow Amex card members to sign up to receive real-time notifications about their purchases, and information about card benefits and services related to those purchases. For example, if a member purchases an airline ticket, the […]

Symitar’s Episys core system integrated with Amazon Echo; Baxter CU an early taker

Symitar, a credit union software subsidiary of Jack Henry, has teamed up with a think tank, BIG, for an initiative called Financial Innovations Voice Experience (FIVE). FIVE explores the possibilities that voice-based personal assistants such as Amazon’s Echo and Microsoft’s Cortana can bring to banking. Symitar’s Episys core processing system is being integrated with these […]

Challenger banks battle cry with AI

Challenger banks have turned their attention to artificial intelligence (AI) as they seek to provide a more personalised approach to banking. German digital bank Number26 has launched Pulse26, a new app that uses AI to provide updates based on the customer’s personal banking history. Number26 says the more a customer uses their account, the “more […]

Canada to Germany Ripple bank transfer breakthrough for banking industry

Canada’s ATB Financial sent €666.67 to ReiseBank in Germany using Ripple technology, with the transaction completing in eight seconds. The participants say this is the world’s first bank transfer using blockchain. SAP, which provides ATB with its core banking software, and Accenture (SAP’s partner and system integrator at ATB) were also involved in the project. […]

Fiserv launches real-time alerts solution for bank customers, Notifi

Fiserv has launched Notifi, a platform for the delivery of real-time alerts for retail and SME bank customers. Home Federal Bank and C&F Bank are among the first takers. The solution consolidates information from across a financial institution’s systems – including core account processing, online banking and mobile banking, lending software, debit and credit cards […]

Banks step closer to commercial production of Ripple’s cross-border payments platform

A host of major banks have adopted Ripple to improve their cross-border payments, the vendor says, and many have completed trial blockchain projects. The latest banks to join Ripple’s network are Santander, UniCredit, UBS, ReiseBank, CIBC, National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) and ATB Financial. Ripple says its network now includes 12 of the top […]

SIA and UBI Banca trial person-to-business Jiffy mobile payments

Jiffy – the instant mobile payments service developed by SIA – is coming to Italian stores. The person-to-business (P2B) project is piloted in Milan and Bergamo, allowing customers to pay via app at participating retail outlets authorised by UBI Banca. SIA says that “other major Italian banks have expressed interest in offering P2B the service […]

Evolution, not revolution – Robeco’s take on blockchain

Asset management firm Robeco has released its findings and views on the much-discussed subject of blockchain. The overall theme is to be sensible, study the facts and not fall for the hype when it comes to this emerging technology. The report, “Distributed ledger technology for the financial industry. Blockchain administration 3.0”, has been created by […]

SCT Inst scheme: instant payments Europe-wide – have your say!

Flexibility and transparency are key to the first pan-European instant payments scheme, states Javier Santamaria, chairman of the European Payments Council (EPC). Currently, instant payments in Europe operate only within the borders of individual countries or among customers of the same payment service providers (PSPs). To move away from this fragmentation, the EPC was invited […]

Top fintech stories this week – 17 June 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! UniCredit and Open Bank Project launch fintech start-up competition Top prize is €50,000 and a contract to work with UniCredit. BBA to merge with three trade associations to create major industry body British Bankers Association (BBA), Council of […]

uTrade unveils blockchain tech solution, GMEX the first taker

India-based uTrade Solutions has launched uClear, a blockchain tech solution for real-time clearing and settlement for financial markets. The first taker is Global Markets Exchange (GMEX) Group. It will integrate uClear next month through its GMEX Technologies subsidiary and with the support of its development partner, Forum Trading Solutions. Hirander Misra, CEO of GMEX Group […]

SDC and Signicat bring cross-border digital signing to 120 Scandinavian banks

SDC has signed a deal with Signicat for the latter’s cloud-based eID digital signing solution to be rolled out by SDC’s banking clients in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands. SDC supplies financial technology and data processing services to 120+ banks in Scandinavia. Signicat, the first and largest identity assurance provider in the world, […]

Micro is the biggest thing

Call it “innovation”, “transformation” or just “business”, banks are spending time and money in the pursuit of the gear shift that will protect margins and grow revenue in the digital era. The time for big, bold moves is upon us, yet it appears that the biggest move of all is tiny: the trend towards the […]