BNY Mellon sets up global innovation group
BNY Mellon’s treasury services business has created a global innovation group and appointed Christopher Mager to lead it.
Partnerships
Good Smartkarma for Société Générale’s investment research
Société Générale is partnering with Smartkarma, a curated online platform, for investment insight focused on the Asian markets. Under this global agreement, Société Générale will provide its institutional clients access to a “new form” of equity research based on “demand driven and customised content”. Société Générale says it is the first global investment bank to […]
Japan Exchange Group unveils blockchain consortium
Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), Osaka Exchange OSE) and Japan Securities Clearing Corporation (JSCC) will form a blockchain consortium of Japanese financial institutions. All three are part of Japan Exchange Group (JPX) and will continue to conduct proof-of-concept (PoC) testing based on past findings and discuss the possibility of applying blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) […]
Sweden to launch fintech hub
Stockholm Fintech Hub – an independent not-for-profit innovation hub – will open its doors in Q1 2017. Its aim is to promote and accelerate the development of fintech, insurtech and regtech start-ups.
It’s a no to collective bank bargaining on Apple Pay, says Australia’s antitrust regulator
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the country’s antitrust regulator, is likely to deny four domestic banks permission to jointly bargain with Apple over Apple Pay.
Deutsche Bundesbank and Deutsche Börse unveil blockchain prototype
Germany’s central bank Deutsche Bundesbank and Deutsche Börse have unveiled a functional prototype for the blockchain technology-based settlement of securities. It is, however, “purely a conceptual study” and “is far from being market-ready”.
More banks to opt out of R3 blockchain consortium
US Bancorp, Macquarie and JP Morgan are understood to be in the “leave” camp as they have opted out of the upcoming fundraising effort of the R3 blockchain consortium.
APIs: open for business
No longer are the mid-tier banks doomed to be extinct! The arrival of open application programming interfaces (APIs) will enable them not just to survive but to prosper, states Chris Truce, director of platform development at Saxo Bank.
Streamlining payments industry in Africa
The economy of the future will need a vastly different platform for making payments. Consumers and corporations will need access to easier, faster and flexible platforms. I have entered the market with the bold objective of bringing to South Africa and Africa, the revolutions underway in global payments infrastructure – and the necessity of re-design to keep up with the “payments Joneses”.
Goldman Sachs leaves R3 blockchain consortium
Goldman Sachs has dropped out of the R3 blockchain consortium, according to the Wall Street Journal. The bank was one of nine original members of R3, but let its membership lapse. A spokeswoman for Goldman Sachs told the Wall Street Journal that it will continue to work with blockchain. No other details were forthcoming. As […]
Bank of China launches new UnionPay Europe Card
SIX Payment Services, Bank of China and UnionPay International have joined forces for a new credit card, targeting Chinese travellers in Europe. The “Europe Card” card is aimed at Chinese consumers traveling to Europe for business or leisure purposes. SIX says as an incentive during the launch phase, cardholders are eligible for up to 5% […]
Move over, London and Berlin, Singapore’s fintech ecosystem is surging ahead
In her new column for Banking Technology, Devie Mohan, a fintech market strategist, looks at how Singapore has created a fintech ecosystem that is a major threat to the ones in London and Berlin.
Creating a hyperconnected corporate bank of the future
Banks are not competing with banks anymore, but against the ubiquitous, all pervading unified digital experience, which is driving the adoption of digital across the corporate banking value chain. Fintechs are a great example of how innovations in digital can deliver speed to market, a superior customer experience and better pricing.
Banking Technology and ISITC Europe team up for AGM
ISITC Europe, a voluntary, non-profit organisation promoting operational efficiency, harmonisation and education in the capital markets space, will turn 25 years old on 26th January 2017.
Three Finnish banks launch real-time mobile payments platform, Siirto
OP Bank, Nordea and Danske Bank have launched a new real-time, multibank mobile payments platform in Finland. The platform was built by Tieto and Automatia (the latter operates the three banks’ shared ATM network).
ClauseMatch and JWG develop new reg reporting solution at TechSprint
ClauseMatch and JWG have teamed up at the recent TechSprint event organised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to develop a new regulatory reporting solution.
FNZ to build new BPO centre for Kleinwort Benson, SG Hambros and Société Générale’s private banking business
FNZ, an investment management software specialist, is working on a major technology revamp at the UK-based private bank and wealth manager Kleinwort Benson, Banking Technology understands.
Monitise and MasterCard launch Finkit partner programme
UK-based payments vendor Monitise has launched its Finkit partner programme with founding partner MasterCard to speed up collaboration in banking and payments. For the “first time”, the founding partners – which also include BehavioSec, Currencycloud, Envestnet | Yodlee, Experian, Fastacash, FICO, HID, iGeolise, LivePerson, Mypinpad, Syniverse and WorldFirst – have agreed to make their capabilities […]
Fujitsu teams with fintech five to launch new customer onboarding tech
Fujitsu has launched its customer onboarding technology, Smart Origination, developed in partnership with ImageWare Systems, InAuth, Intelligent Environments, Mitek and Trunomi. The tech enables financial institutions to collect, process and verify documents and the identity of new applicants in “less than five minutes”. Gary Fegan, head of digital financial services solutions at Fujitsu, says Smart […]
Shinhan Bank and Streami to launch Bitcoin remittance service
South Korea’s Shinhan Bank is launching a Bitcoin remittance service between Korea and China, with Hong Kong as an intermediary. The service will be available in December.
Citi and Deutsche Bank join open-standard bond network, Neptune
Citi and Deutsche Bank have joined Neptune Networks, an open-standard network for bond pre-trade real-time AXE indications. The have also taken stakes in the venture and joined its board.
Ffrees, Wirecard, GPS and Bottomline Technologies team up for U Account
UK-based banking services challenger Ffrees Fiamily Finance has launched a new “digital agency banking solution” – U Account. The account is supported by Wirecard, Global Processing Services (GPS) and payments software vendor Bottomline Technologies.
Law firm Addleshaw Goddard launches £500,000 mentoring programme for UK fintechs
Law firm Addleshaw Goddard (AG) is launching the AG Elevate programme – worth up to £500,000 – to support the UK fintech firms. The application process will open on 17th November 2016 – more established firms as well as start-ups are welcome to take part, AG says.
Byte Academy partners with Standard Chartered and tech heavyweights for fintech campus in Singapore
Byte Academy has unveiled its first international campus with programmes in fintech, data science and Python full-stack development. The new campus is based in Singapore, supported by Standard Chartered Bank, IBM, Thomson Reuters, Microsoft and the Insead business school.
Kbank and IBM team up for blockchain in Thailand
Kasikornbank (Kbank), one of the largest banks in Thailand, is exploring blockchain with IBM, “to save costs and speed up transactions”, the two companies say. The services will be launched in H1 2017, to certify the letters of guarantee (LCs).
Euronext and Algomi to launch new MTF for corporate bond trading
Pan-European exchange Euronext will use Algomi’s fixed income technology for its new multilateral trading facility (MTF) in a ten-year partnership. With their joint venture (JV), capitalised by Euronext for $2.3 million, dealers will be able to access the trading interface either directly through their existing Algomi technology or through their stand-alone systems. The platform will […]
Four banks team up to standardise repackaging transactions
Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Nomura International and Societe Generale have teamed up to produce documentation for use in listed and unlisted repackaging transactions. According to the banks, repackaged products provide the investor exposure to the underlying credit of an issuer and are specifically designed for the investor’s risk-return needs. In addition, cash flows can be […]
Brave new Bitcoin for Tullett Prebon
Tullett Prebon Information (TPI), a provider of real-time price information from the global OTC financial and commodity markets, has signed a deal with Brave New Coin (BNC) to distribute its digital currency data. TPI says this is the “first time such a comprehensive view of the entire digital currency landscape has been made available to […]
The changing co-branded credit card landscape
As retailers across the country need to bring innovative customisation and convenience factors to their customers, credit cards are becoming an essential part of delivering value. Co-branded cards continue to play an important role in the retail landscape and can offer a unique point of distinction for retailers in today’s competitive environment.
SETL blockchain powers Cobalt’s FX post trade
London-based blockchain firm SETL and Cobalt DL, a private peer-to-peer network, have teamed up to use SETL’s OpenCSD within the Cobalt FX post trade platform. The service is set to launch in 2017, with 15 institutional FX participants “already committed” to the service. Earlier this year, SETL unveiled the OpenCSD platform, its first commercial offering, […]
BBVA favours Amazon Web Services for cloud drive
BBVA has reached a global agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as it looks to cloud computing to boost its digital banking services. The agreement, which is part of a series of accords that the group is making with providers, turns AWS into its “preferred” cloud infrastructure services provider. AWS will execute the migration of […]
Chinese tourism powers Verifone and Alipay payment partnership
Verifone is partnering with Alipay to enable retailers in North America and Europe to accept payments from Chinese tourists. According to Verifone, nearly 100 million Chinese consumers annually travel abroad and use Alipay to make purchases. This latest partnership follows quickly on Alipay’s deals with Zapper and Ingenico – both for the same reason as […]
Envestnet Yodlee extends tie-up with Backbase, unveils updates
Envestnet Yodlee has extended its partnership with omnichannel banking specialist Backbase. The two companies have been collaborating for some time. With the new agreement, Backbase will be providing its customers with integrations to the Envestnet Yodlee data aggregation platform.
Singapore and South Korea sign up for fintech co-operation
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Korean Financial Services Commission (KFSC) have signed an agreement to foster more co-operation in the fintech space. Under the agreement, MAS and KFSC will explore potential joint innovation projects on technologies such as big data and mobile payments. MAS and KFSC will also discuss issues of common […]
Configo launches site to aggregate banks’ API portals
Fintech start-up Configo has launched a project to aggregate the API portals launched by financial players around the world. It is not commercial driven but is “just a small project to put everything in order”, says Yosi Dahan, co-founder and CEO of Configo.
Trouble in the R3 paradise?
More than 60 of financial institutions around the world (including many top-tier banks) are involved in the R3 consortium, with considerable financial and resource commitments. The international consortium promises to build a common blockchain-based platform – called Corda – but the end-result is still a number of years away.
Klarna onboards new UK partners for its retail financing solution
Why limit getting in debt quickly only to the Arcadia Group shoppers? Payments provider Klarna onboards a raft of partners for its retail financing solution. These include Shopify, Worldpay, BigCommerce and CyberSource.
ISITC Europe and Oasis to define technical standards for blockchain
The International Securities Association for Institutional Trade Communication (ISITC) Europe and the Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (Oasis) are to jointly define technical standards for blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT).
Infosys blockchain powers ICICI Bank and Emirates NBD trade finance ops
ICICI Bank and Emirates NBD say they have successfully executed the “first” banking transactions using blockchain in international trade finance in India and the UAE respectively. The development saw the exchange and authentication of remittance transaction messages as well as original international trade documents related to purchase orders, invoices, shipping and insurance, among others, electronically […]
Chinese tourism fuels Alipay and Zapper payment partnership
Alipay has partnered with Zapper, the consumer insights and marketing platform, to grab a slice of the Chinese tourism market in the UK. Zapper says the partnership will allow over 250,000 Chinese tourists visiting the UK to pay using the Alipay app in over 1,000 locations nationwide. Rita Liu, head of Alipay EMEA, says merchants, […]
