Financial Services/Finserv


‘Mythbusting’ Payroll Cards

To coincide with its just released and first “Payroll Industry Scorecard,” CFSI is separating fact from fiction when it comes to payroll cards, which continue to face scrutiny by state regulators and the media.

Allied Irish Banks hit with €2.3m fine for AML fails

Allied Irish Banks (AIB) has been fined €2.3 million by Ireland’s central bank for compliance failures over anti-money laundering (AML) and terrorist financing laws. AIB was reprimanded for six breaches of the law – which occurred between July 2010 and July 2014. It has admitted to these breaches. The central bank says AIB failed to […]

Ripple’s blockchain network going places with ten new faces

Ten more financial institutions have jumped onboard Ripple’s blockchain network for cross-border payments. The new faces are MUFG, BBVA, SEB, Akbank, Axis Bank, YES Bank, SBI Remit, Cambridge Global Payments, Star One Credit Union and eZforex.com – representing a mix of banks and payment service providers (PSPs). “The world’s largest banks have been the first […]

Interview: Oliver Hughes, Tinkoff Bank

In an exclusive interview, Oliver Hughes, CEO of Russia’s Tinkoff Bank, talks about its online financial supermarket, maintaining momentum, and how US and UK banks can be occasionally underwhelming.

Certua to launch robo life insurance service in UK

UK-based start-up Certua plans to launch a robo life insurance service in Q3 of this year – with the aim to create products and services that can auto adjust based on customer need. Using open data, it will provide real-time personalisation of financial solutions, and “ongoing recommendations” for its customers. This means one insurance policy […]

Put a SocGen in it for Euronext’s new fund investment model

Societe Generale Securities Services (SGSS) is contributing to a new model, Euronext Fund Service, to help investments in funds for domestic and international investors. Launched by Euronext and available from 15 May 2017, this new service will enable institutional and retail investors to place subscription/redemption orders, in a “simplified and automated manner”, through their brokers […]

Myanmar’s First Private Bank in tech revamp with Misys

Myanmar’s First Private Bank (FPB) has chosen the Misys FusionBanking Essence core banking system for a major tech revamp. The bank, which received the first banking licence in Myanmar in 1992, will upgrade its retail, corporate and digital offerings. FusionBanking will replace the bank’s “partially computerised distributed branch system”. Dr Sein Maung, chairman at FPB, […]

Swift Business Forum London 2017: Thrive or survive for UK financial services?

Despite the drama of Brexit the UK finserv industry has the “critical mass” to stay in its pole position – was one view from the Swift Business Forum London 2017. At Tobacco Dock in the East End of London, blockchain didn’t dominate like last year, but the spectre of the UK’s divorce from Europe did. […]

Spring Edition of Pay Magazine Has Sprung

The digital edition of the spring 2017 issue of Pay Magazine is now available and it’s full of insights and information to help move your company forward. A theme of the spring issue is game-changing technology—and the innovators, products and companies behind it. This edition of Pay Magazine includes an interview with The Bancorp’s Jeremy Kuiper, who discusses some of the major shifts occurring in the industry.

Societe Generale calls for Indian fintech start-ups

Societe Generale is calling for Indian start-ups with the launch of Catalyst 2.0 – its accelerator programme to promote innovation. This is its second edition, and Societe Generale Global Solution Centre (SG GSC), an innovation hub of the banking group in India, will run Catalyst 2.0 from May to August 2017. During the ten-week programme, […]

Capriza powers Yorkshire Building Society mobile move

UK-based Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) has chosen Capriza’s platform to help improve its digital and mobile capabilities. The society will use the platform to let its customers connect and apply for its mortgages and savings accounts through mobile devices. Nick Mortimer, head of marketing and e-commerce, Yorkshire Building Society, says Capriza’s platform offers “very little […]

Malaysia’s central bank seeks fintech start-ups

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the nation’s central bank, is calling out to fintech start-ups for ideas to improve the financial services sector. The bank’s Financial Technology Enabler Group (FTEG) is now open to concepts through its “Fintech Hacks” initiative which aims to “identify pain points in the delivery and consumption of financial services, and solicit […]

Nomura turns fintech Voyager in India

Asian investment bank Nomura plans to tap into India’s lively fintech scene with the launch of its “Voyager – Nomura Fintech Partnership” – including a new JPY 10 billion ($91.7 million) fund to provide support to start-ups. Nomura is inviting entrepreneurs to participate in the programme to build solutions for capital markets and investment banking […]

Accenture calls for Asia-Pacific fintech start-ups

Applications will soon open for Accenture’s fourth annual Asia-Pacific Fintech Innovation Lab, a 12-week programme to help start-ups speed up product and business development. According to the firm, investments in Asia-Pacific fintech companies are on the rise. During the first quarter of 2017, investments totalled $1.1 billion, representing 21% of the $5.1 billion invested into […]

Report: accelerators speed up UK fintech growth

We’re travelling at the speed of light, that’s why we’re on a news site. The UK’s fintech scene is chock-full of sweet accelerators and incubators – powering the industry ever onwards. In their 76-page report, “Business incubators and accelerators: the national picture”, the UK Government and innovation foundation Nesta paint a pleasant portrait of energy […]

Singapore regulator and UN team up for ASEAN financial inclusion

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) have teamed up to improve access to digital financial services in the ASEAN region. The partnership is under the ongoing UNCDF’s Shift (Shaping Inclusive Finance Transformations) programme for development in this part of the world. Sopnendu Mohanty, chief fintech officer, MAS, […]

UK’s Financial Conduct Authority champions consumer

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is calling for an end to consumer vulnerability and more access to financial services in its plans for 2017. In a speech today (18 April) by Andrew Bailey, chief executive of the FCA, the publication of its corporate documents and its role and goals were all outlined. Bailey says: […]

Top fintech stories this week – 14 April 2017

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Mastercard gets approval to buy VocaLink for $920m Deal expected to close in coming weeks. Bank of England implicated in Libor rigging by secret recording Well, it was secret. FIS sheds Ambit Private Banking business FIS inherited it […]

UK regulators call for PSD2 feedback

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) are calling for input on their approach to applying the second EU Payment Services Directive (PSD2). PSD2 is required to be in place in the UK by 13 January 2018, and the nation’s HM Treasury will transpose PSD2 into UK legislation in the Payment […]

Aegon is Ohpen to savings and investment tech overhaul

Financial services provider Aegon is partnering with core banking engine provider Ohpen to develop a new platform for its Dutch services. The platform will be used for the administration and distribution of its savings, pension and investment products. The firms say they are merging their domain knowledge within pensions and technology. Aegon will plug into […]

Fintech boosts UK economy by £6.6bn

Oh UK fintech firms, you pretty things. The industry brings £6.6 billion to the nation’s economy, employs 61,000 people, and was showered with praise at the UK government’s inaugural International Fintech Conference in London. At yesterday’s event (12 April), Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, like any smart politician, latched himself like a limpet onto […]

R3 and Acord launch DLT-ful insurtech centre

Consortium R3 has partnered with Acord (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development) to launch a virtual “centre of excellence” for distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the insurance industry. R3 counts a number of insurance companies amongst its member base, including MetLife, AIA and Suncorp Group, as well as other financial services members that have […]

Standard Chartered supercharges two Asian start-ups

Standard Chartered has given a big boost to two Asian start-ups with two proof of concept (PoC) projects. Bambu, a Singapore-based robo-advisory for wealth management firm, and KYC Chain, a Hong Kong-based digital identity management firm using distributed ledger technology, were selected from SuperCharger FinTech Accelerator 2.0 – a 12-week accelerator programme in Hong Kong […]

CFSI, Chase Seek Fintech Startups for Financial Health Awards

Fintech entrepreneurs still have a few weeks left to win financial backing from two big players in the payment space. The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) and JPMorgan Chase’s Financial Solutions Lab (FinLab) plan to award $250,000 to programs that help consumers build financial health, “with a special focus on those communities that are frequently underserved, such as older Americans, communities of color, people with disabilities and products that address the gender wealth gap.”

UK regulator plays sheriff to fight “Wild West” sandboxes

As fintech regulators across the world begin to set up their own sandboxes, with different models and standards, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority says a “Wild West” version could emerge. But hang on folks, we got a new sheriff in town. Speaking at the Innovate Finance Global Summit in London, Christopher Woolard, executive director of […]

DeVere delves deeper into fintech space with e-money app launch

Financial consultancy firm DeVere Group has launched an app-only e-money service as it pushes deeper into the banking and fintech sector. As Banking Technology reported last month, the group took advantage of Lithuania’s ambitions to attract fintech firms and set up a new office in the capital Vilnius. This was preceded by the unveiling of […]

UK’s Financial Conduct Authority calls for blockchain feedback

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is calling for feedback on the potential for future development of distributed ledger technology (DLT) / blockchain in the markets it regulates. It says it is “particularly interested to explore where the balance of risk and opportunities may lie” for DLT and wants to boost innovation that advances it […]

UK challenger Redwood gets banking licence

Redwood Bank, a new UK-based SME challenger, has secured a banking licence following approval from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). As Banking Technology reported in October last year, Acorn Financial Partners (AFP) submitted a banking licence application. Now that it has authorisation, AFP is called Redwood Bank. Redwood says it […]

The Monday mindset: 10 April 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, Banking Technology’s deputy editor Antony Peyton briefly reflects on last week’s visit to Morocco for HPS Worldwide’s PowerCARD Users Meeting 2017. At […]

Bank of England implicated in Libor rigging by secret recording

A secret recording that implicates the Bank of England (BoE) in Libor rigging has been uncovered by the current affairs programme, BBC Panorama. Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate) is used by banks to set prices of financial products. Last year, several ex-Barclays workers were found guilty of manipulating the Libor interest rate between 2005 and […]

Woes for Wonga with data breach

UK-based payday loan company Wonga says there may have been illegal and unauthorised access to the personal data of some of its 270,000 customers. In a statement, the firm says information stolen may have included one or more of the following: name, e-mail address, home address, phone number, the last four digits of a card […]

R3, HQLAX and five banks build collateral lending solution on blockchain

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) consortium R3, together with five of its members and financial resource management specialist HQLAX have built a collateral lending solution for liquidity transfers. The solution is based on R3’s flagship platform, Corda, and is “an operating model for a digital collateral receipt (DCR) lending marketplace”.