Financial Services/Finserv


Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 2 October 2017

Blockchain-based commercial bonds on the Russian market, Bitcoin recognition in Japan and new digital currency in Dubai. Our latest blockchain and Bitcoin round-up features National Settlement Depository, bitFlyer and Dubai Economy. Starting off in Russia, the National Settlement Depository (NSD) has unveiled the first blockchain-based commercial bonds on the Russian market based on Hyperledger Fabric […]

Banco Santander makes Mioti move for IoT education

Banco Santander, through Santander Universities and Fundación Universia, will work with internet of things (IoT) institute Mioti to provide training grants and courses in the growing IoT sector. Madrid-based Mioti, “the first 100% IoT institute in Spain”, is a place for companies, entrepreneurs and start-ups to develop their ideas. Banco Santander becomes one of four […]

Why financial services should be terrified of dispensing wealth management robo-advice

Robo-advisors are software programmes that provide financial advice with minimal human intervention. Software has been providing advice for half a century, from portfolio management to trading strategies to currency management, and more. The novelty is providing robo-advice direct to consumers. Robo-advice costs less than “bricks & mortar & human” services, hopefully harvesting a bigger market. […]

Hong Kong’s SFC unveils regtech sandbox

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has launched its SFC Regulatory Sandbox to provide a place for firms to test out their ideas. Like other regulators, the SFC says: “For the sake of market integrity and better investor protection, the reliability of the delivery of such financial services as well as the firms’ internal […]

Banking Technology October 2017 issue out now

Oh brave new world! Where transparency reigns. The latest edition of our flagship magazine – Banking Technology – is out now, packed with news, analysis and insights, case studies, research and expert commentary.

Hong Kong regulator’s no phoney for banking plans

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has unveiled a number of initiatives as it looks to improve the region’s use of payments, APIs and innovation. In a speech delivered during the Annual Banking Conference of the Hong Kong Institute of Bankers, Norman Chan, chief executive of the HKMA, outlined its grand ambitions. Chan says: “The […]

UK regulator unleashes new hub for sweet asset management

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is setting up an asset management authorisation hub to support start-ups entering the lively market. In a speech at the “FT Investment Management Summit Europe 2017”, Megan Butler, executive director of supervision – investment, wholesale and specialist, FCA, says the hub will help start-ups as they move between pre-authorisation […]

Alexa’s footprints are starting to appear all over the place

While Google is doing its impression of a petulant child, storming home from the park with its football tucked under its arm by barring Amazon Echo Show access to YouTube, Amazon has drafted a host of reinforcements for its Alexa offensive, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). For the most part, the majority of the news […]

HSBC UK takes first step into open banking

HSBC UK is taking steps in a new direction with its first foray into open banking. Starting with the introduction of a new testing platform, HSBC Beta, this allows HSBC to get its feet wet before diving in with a fully fleshed out app for customers in 2018. Still, the testing platform won’t be no […]

Fintechs – friends or foes?

Visa employees have a saying that “cash is our biggest competitor.” Mightier threats, however, are looming.

Ayondo remains private company after reverse takeover bid lapses

Social trading company Ayondo may no longer be the first fintech company to go public on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX), reports Julie Muhn at Finovate (Banking Technology‘s sister company). That’s because the reverse takeover (RTO) bid offer from Singapore-based property developer, Starland Holdings, lapsed this week. The RTO bid, initiated in June of 2016, was for $117 […]

TCS makes Intel-ligent move for new AI centre

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will set up an artificial intelligence (AI) “Centre of Excellence” (CoE) with Intel as they join the horde hoping to prosper in this highly competitive market. The new AI CoE will be equipped with the usual technologies and experts to assist “Intel Nervana AI Academy” members – including developers, data scientists, […]

SCU launches AI service for customer queries

SCU (formerly Sydney Credit Union) has partnered with Australian fintech firm Epictenet to implement an artificial intelligence (AI) powered platform for customer queries. The new platform, called “Let’s Chat” (in its initial phase), is programmed to respond to general queries related to home loans, personal loans, credit cards and insurance products. At a later phase, […]

CFTE Supercharger-s fintech learning in Asia

The Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE) has teamed up with SuperCharger, a fintech accelerator in Asia with offices in Hong Kong and Malaysia, to help its students learning with CFTE. UK-based CFTE cites SuperCharger’s accelerator programmes – which offer a B2B sales focus, closing 14 commercial proofs of concept (PoCs) in 12 weeks […]

Journalist refuses to leave fintech conference

For probably the first time in the generic and platitude-drenched world of fintech, a journalist is refusing to leave a conference. In the charming city of Amsterdam, at the end of the inaugural four-day show “If You’re API And You Know It, Keep It to Yourself for Once – 2017”; delegates, security and organisers were […]

HSBC and friends team up for integrated SME accounting

HSBC is expanding its existing bank feed services with the launch of a new online tool that enables SMEs to establish a data feed from their bank account to their accounting software. Its customers can now connect their bank accounts to their choice of accounting package – namely Xero, Sage and Intuit. Nadya Hijazi, global […]

Intel unveils self-learning “neuromorphic” AI chip

It might not have totally nailed artificial intelligence (AI) yet, but with its new research project, Loihi, Intel claims to have crossed a bridge which many are still trying to build; on-chip learning, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). In its search for a new growth area, Intel has focused on the burgeoning world of […]

What’s hot and what’s not in US fintech

Finovate (Banking Technology‘s sister company) teamed up with the Fintech Cocktail Club earlier this month to play another game of Fintech Tinder (otherwise known as hot or not), writes Julie Muhn. Here are the rules – we shouted out a list of 20 fintech trends and our cocktail-fuelled audience shouted their opinion on whether the […]

White paper: From traditional bank to marketplace bank

Many industries have already been technologically disrupted. Financial services and banking won’t be any different. New digital banking platforms will emerge with an automated, compliant core and a connection layer for all kinds of third party services to tap into. This is API banking, or marketplace banking.

Fintech alliance round-up: 25 September 2017

Move closer, move your fintech body real close, until we feel like we’re really making innovation. Our latest super-friendly fintech alliance round-up features Switzerland and Hong Kong; Japan and Abu Dhabi Global Market; and the UAE loving itself. The State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) under the Swiss Federal Department of Finance and the […]

Tech dominates Interbrand global rankings

Interbrand has released its rankings of the most valuable brands in the world, and the technology sector has a lot to boast about, occupying six of the top ten spots, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). Every now and then we just need a reminder of how important technology is for today’s society. In previous […]

Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 25 September 2017

Exchange traded funds, certification, a rewards network and a new cryptocurrency. Our latest blockchain and Bitcoin round-up features Evolve Funds Group, DNV GL, Deloitte and Codemojo. Evolve Funds Group has filed a preliminary prospectus with the Canadian securities regulators for Canada’s first cryptocurrency exchange traded funds (ETFs), Evolve Bitcoin ETF (aka BITS). “Accessing Bitcoin is […]

Blue chips are down as Deloitte hit by cyberattack

Yet again, another fintech firm has been hit by a cyberattack. This time it’s Deloitte’s turn – with confidential emails and plans of some of its blue-chip clients compromised, according to the Guardian. The cybersecurity attack went unnoticed for months and the Guardian says it understands that Deloitte clients across all of its sectors – […]

Europe’s top venture capital investors by country – CB Insights

CB Insights has mapped the top venture capital (VC) investors in Europe by country, based on number of portfolio companies the investor had backed. The research company analysed the most active investors in the last five years (2012-2017), including VCs, corporate VCs, growth equity firms and super angels.

Japan embraces fintech’s hard-boiled wonderland

Banks and politicians in Japan are getting ever more energetic for fintech with grand plans for APIs, artificial intelligence (AI), digital currencies, blockchain, funding for start-ups and an easing of regulations. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU) will launch a website on Monday (25 September) for makers of smartphone […]

FinovateFall 2017: a look back at the four-day flow

Adding a pair of discussion days to Finovate’s traditional demo days format, has made it that much easier for FinovateFall attendees to answer the question perennial post-conference question: “So. What did you think?”

State Street unveils Quantextual Idea Lab for investment research

State Street has launched its Quantextual Idea Lab, a hybrid of machine learning and human knowledge, for improved investment research. According to the firm, investment professionals are inundated with research reports from the sell side, the buy side and academia. It reckons financial research teams can produce enough content to consume 24 reams or 12,000 […]

Bankart and Nets to deliver new payments infrastructure to Slovenian banking sector

Bankart and Nordic payments processor Nets will provide the Slovenian banking sector with a new payments central infrastructure to handle both SEPA Credit Transfers (SCT) non-urgent and SCT instant credit transfers. The duo has signed an agreement where Nets will deploy and operate an instant payments solution for Bankart via Nets’ RealTime24/7 solution. The latter […]

Game, FactSet and match for Banco Santander Totta’s new online broker

FactSet, a US-based provider of financial information and analytics software to the investment management industry, has developed a new online broker offering for Banco Santander Totta in Portugal. The broker portal comes with an embedded trading functionality and a portfolio application. According to FactSet, the bank’s new web presence offers a “clear design with intuitive […]

Are you data breach fatigued?

Data breaches are nothing new – quite the contrary – in fact their very frequency makes it likely that we’re fatigued to the point of indifference by the number of leaks which are surfacing, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). Knowing the value of money is a lesson parents have been teaching children for years, […]

European Commission plans reform to get fintech to perform

The European Commission (EC) is proposing reforms to pave the way for further financial integration and a full capital markets union – with a handy boost to fintech included. President Jean-Claude Juncker, in his State of the Union Address, underlined the importance of the capital markets union and the EC’s plan to “promote jobs, growth […]

Ex-Barclays CEO’s start-up gets backing from China’s Ping An

10X Future Technologies, the start-up founded by ex-Barclays CEO Antony Jenkins last year, will announce this week that it has raised more than £30 million in funding from ‎Ping An Insurance and management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, according to Sky News. The deal will speed up 10X’s expansion, and is good news for Jenkins’ ambitions. […]

Sun Life looks for life with fintech start-ups

With the unveiling of its new corporate headquarters at One York Street in Toronto, Sun Life Financial has made it loud and clear it’s on the prowl for fintech start-ups. The super-shiny, 35-storey, 800,000 square foot office tower, is a mighty site/sight and will offer connection to Toronto’s Union (railway) Station and PATH network (i.e. […]

Hitachi creates IoT focused big data company Vantara

When we hear Hitachi two things come to mind; 80s style radio and construction vehicles. This might be a perception the team will want to address as Hitachi enters the internet of things (IoT) world, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). Combining the capabilities of three separate brands, Hitachi Data Systems, Hitachi Insight Group, and […]

It looks like no-one cares about data protection regulations

It doesn’t matter if they were given more than two years to get ready, with six months to go until the EU GDPR deadline, it’s going to be a sprint finish for a worryingly large number of companies, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). That’s the view of law firm Blake Morgan. After conducting a […]