Banking


Santander employs IBM for employee digital boost

IBM’s MobileFirst for iOS apps will be used by Santander as the bank looks to revamp its digital banking services and help its employees work better. The custom-built, native apps made for iOS will be rolled out across more than 11,000 iOS devices, and will be used by Santander’s commercial network employees, including those supporting […]

Three US FIs in tech revamps

Credit Union of Southern California, Brazosport Teachers Federal Credit Union and Rosedale Federal Savings & Loan Association are undergoing tech modernisation.

Hiccup for HSBC online banking

HSBC’s online banking went down for several hours today (27 February) – with its business customers particularly affected. The bank tweeted about the issues earlier today. We're experiencing some issues with our online services, we're working to resolve this. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. — HSBC UK (@HSBC_UK) February 27, 2017 Customers trying to access […]

The Monday mindset: 27 February 2017

Fintech zeitgeist! Every Monday, we might look back at last week; look ahead to this week; share a few thoughts (our own or others); or discuss anything that catches our eye. This week, our editor Tanya Andreasyan and deputy editor Antony Peyton look at what’s happened since they joined in February 2016. Like two Hollywood […]

Barclays’ banking takes weekend off

Customers at Barclays Bank suffered a worrying weekend due to problems with cash machines, debit cards and phone banking. At 2pm (UK time) on 25 February, Barclays become aware of the issues and advised customers to use other banks’ cash machines. The customers would probably have worked that out for themselves. Technical issues are affecting […]

Goldfields Money signs for tech overhaul with Rubik

Australia-based banking tech provider Rubik (soon to be acquired by Temenos) has signed a new client, Goldfields Money. Rubik’s CEO Iain Dunstan says one more new customer will be announced “imminently”.

Cybersecurity: computers or humans – where does the threat lie?

Digitalisation plays a key role in the fight against payment fraud. Yet Commerzbank’s cybercrime specialists in cash services show that even in this technologically advanced environment, security threats persist. Companies must take steps to ensure that human beings – as well as computers – are protected against crime.

RBS financial mess seeks digital redress

The Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) poor financial results have led to its CEO calling for more cost reductions and a faster digital transformation. The bank reported an operating loss before tax of £4.08 billion for 2016 and an attributable loss of £6.95 billion, which included litigation and conduct costs of £5.86 billion, restructuring costs […]

Top fintech stories this week – 24 February 2017

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! IBM and Northern Trust debut blockchain for private equity Uses the Hyperledger Fabric. Visa opens new innovation centre in London It’s the latest and largest one. Digital gets a spurt with Natwest and RBS experts Every branch gets […]

Brightstarr shines for Eurobank digital workplace dream

Eurobank, Greece’s third largest bank, has selected Brightstarr’s Unily hub as its digital workplace solution for that famous fintech trinity of innovation, communication and collaboration. Sotiris Sirmakezis, group chief digital and technology officer, says: “Unily’s combination of experience design and Microsoft expertise will help ensure Eurobank provides a great user experience that will ultimately improve […]

Bank of America zooms in on Zelle for mobile banking

Bank of America has chosen the person-to-person (P2P) Zelle service within its mobile banking app as part of its digital drive. Zelle will let clients send, receive and request money, allowing them to use the existing contacts on their mobile device to transfer money to (or request money from) “almost anyone within minutes, regardless of […]

UK’s Community Savings Bank Association selects TCS Bancs core banking system

New challenger Community Savings Bank Association (CSBA) has chosen TCS Financial Services’ Bancs core banking system on the cloud for its member banks across the UK. Last year, Banking Technology was the first publication to report on CSBA joining the British banking market. The association, which is registered as a co-operative society plans to set […]

Starling Bank launches open banking hackathon

UK challenger bank Starling is to host its first hackathon, opening up its API to outside developers. According to Starling, the hackathon makes it the first UK licenced bank to launch a public API in keeping with the ambitions of the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and the open banking initiative. Megan Caywood, chief platform […]

APRA’s EFS Form Review consultation: first stage of a long road

On 16 January 2017, the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) released for public consultation its Economic and Financial Statistics (EFS) Form Review. Notably, this consultation package represents a major overhaul of many of the financial and statistical returns currently prepared by the Australian authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) as well as introducing a new set of returns to be submitted. We examine what’s at stake.

Digital gets a spurt with Natwest and RBS experts

To raise awareness about online and mobile banking and help customers use digital platforms, NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) say they aim to deploy a “TechXpert” at every branch in England, Scotland, and Wales. NatWest is part of the RBS group, and at 1,000 NatWest and 2,000 RBS branches, these experts will help […]

ING and Société Générale oil up on blockchain

ING and Société Générale have used blockchain to carry out a live oil trade between parties with Mercuria, the global commodity trading group. The platform, called “Easy Trading Connect”, is designed for paperless trading and aims to digitalise and standardise commodity transactions in order to “increase speed and efficiencies” in the trade process. The prototype […]

Fintech journalist thrilled to receive glossy brochure

A fintech journalist has reached the pinnacle of his career after being given a glossy brochure at the conference “Blockchain and Brexit – tenuously linked over four days”. Jaded hack and scarecrow impersonator Eugene Egmont, reporter at Flabbergasted by Fintech, approached a firm’s stand at the event with good intentions – a quick and lively […]

Valiant Bank chooses Backbase for digital banking overhaul

Switzerland’s Valiant Bank has selected the Backbase Omnichannel Banking Platform for its banking systems upgrade. The platform will help the bank drive “customer engagement” and “increase manageability across its different channels”. Matthias Häfner, head of digital banking at Valiant, says it chose Backbase “due to its expertise in providing a single omnichannel platform, which will […]

Accenture in German digital and US innovation drives

Accenture will acquire German digital agency SinnerSchrader to boost its Accenture Interactive services in the country. Also, the company plans to launch ten new innovation hubs in the US in the next three years. Accenture has agreed to purchase a 62% majority of SinnerSchrader shares from co-founder and CEO Matthias Schrader, CFO Thomas Dyckhoff, and […]

The Monday mindset: 20 February 2017

Fintech zeitgeist! Every Monday, we might look back at last week; look ahead to this week; share a few thoughts (our own or others); or discuss anything that catches our eye. This week we welcome the views of Richard Stevenson, CEO, Red Box Recorders, on the future of banking. Real-time converge, capture and analyse! This […]

Bank of Khyber selects Autosoft’s treasury solution

Pakistan’s Bank of Khyber (BOK) has chosen Autosoft Dynamics’ Islamic treasury management system, Adams, and its RTGS STP utility (real-time gross settlement system straight-through processing), AutoRTGS. The government-owned bank will use Adams (automatic deal, money market and securities trading system) for conventional and Islamic treasuries, while AutoRTGS will be used for processing fund transfers between […]

How to make a success out of blockchain

There is pressure for CEOs to decide how distributed ledger technology (DLT) fits into their business strategy. Regulators also recognise that blockchain could advance their own processes. So what is all the excitement about? Blockchain is an exciting innovation but the technology has flaws…

Standard Chartered China teams with Tencent FiT for e-commerce solution

Standard Chartered China is partnering with Tencent Financial Technology Group (Tencent FiT) to launch a new e-commerce solution for corporates. The deal makes Standard Chartered the “first global bank to offer a one-stop online collection solution with WeChat Pay” and combines its cash management offering with the online payment gateway. The bank says it can […]

Mobile payments in the age of the customer

The mobile payment market is getting more congested every day. For banks, it’s the most frequent touchpoint – one that can help (re) establish everyday relevance and drive engagement. How can banks develop their strategy and prioritise the capabilities that will help them remain valuable to their customers?

Joy for Bankjoy as three credit unions sign contracts

Fintech start-up Bankjoy has signed three credit unions for its digital banking software: CommunityWide Federal Credit Union in Indiana; Advantage Plus Federal Credit Union in Idaho, and One Detroit Credit Union in Illinois.

IBM in major IoT drive with new partners

IBM has unveiled a large ecosystem initiative as it opens the doors of its new $200 million global headquarters for its Watson Internet of Things (IoT) business in Munich, Germany. BNP Paribas, Capgemini and Tech Mahindra are some of the firms who will place development teams at the IBM centre. Harriet Green, general manager, IBM […]

Amazon looking to buy Capital One?

Amazon is rumoured to be pondering the acquisition of Capital One. Banking Technology contacted both parties for a comment but received no response.

Mobile money: the state of play

With mobile money technology widely available, and so many citizens having access to a mobile phone, how many are actually banking in this way? What are the benefits available to them when using mobile money? And what does the future hold for this fintech innovation?

NatWest debuts digital platform for SME lending

NatWest (part of the RBS group) is set to launch a new digital platform to allow small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) to quickly obtain unsecured loans of up to £150,000. Called Esme Loans, it is in trial mode and the bank will offer fast decisions on lending applications “potentially within an hour”. There will […]