Start-up


Nordea to launch crowdfunding service in Finland

Nordea says it will be the “first” bank in Finland to offer its customers an equity-based crowdfunding service. It has developed an online crowdfunding platform that will match entrepreneurs seeking financing with investors; and will be linked to a book-entry system. The service will be launched in the next few months. The bank says the […]

ING adds some zing to start-up ring

Dutch bank ING has revealed it’s working with 45 fintech start-ups on banking innovation, such as money management, payments, lending and mobile on-boarding. Ralph Hamers, CEO of ING Group, says of the 45 fintech firms, these include seven start-ups working on their proof-of-concept through the ING Fintech Village initiative in Belgium, and four through the […]

RBS and RocketSpace to open London campus for tech start-ups

San-Francisco based RocketSpace, with the support of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), plans to open a campus in London, designed specifically for “high-growth” tech start-ups. The campus, located near Angel tube station, will initially hold up to 1,500 members at its opening in early 2017. Duncan Logan, RocketSpace’s founder and CEO, says: “Creating a physical […]

Dwolla offers FiSync platform to US Fed’s faster payments plan

US payments start-up Dwolla has submitted its FiSync platform as part of its faster payments proposal to the Federal Reserve-chartered Faster Payment Task Force. The Fed-chartered initiative, comprised of over 500 Faster and Secure Payments Task Force members, has been tasked with representing, addressing, and assessing “improved” payments systems. Dwolla is offering FiSync, a communication […]

Perception brings to market new core platform for UK credit unions, lenders and start-up banks

UK-based financial services vendor Perception is building a new comprehensive platform for credit unions, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), loan companies and start-up banks. The solution aims to cover loans, savings, mortgages and current account business lines, front-to-back office. Be different, make a difference Perception has identified the gap in the market that it feels […]

Blockchain and bitcoin round-up: 9 May 2016

With news on blockchain and bitcoin appearing thick and fast, here’s a round-up of key events to save you time. The Swift Institute has published new research on the practical application of blockchain (or mutual distributed ledger) in securities markets. The paper, “The Impact and Potential of Blockchain on the Securities Transaction Lifecycle”, is based […]

New bank gearing up for launch in the UK

First Global Trust Bank (FGTB) is a new name on the UK banking scene. The bank has recently been granted an “authorisation with restriction” licence to take deposits by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). The London-based company was originally set up under the name of Llamabrook in 2011. It became FGTB in March this year […]

DZ Bank invests in receivables auction platform TrustBills

Frankfurt-based DZ Bank has acquired a 25% share interest in the Hamburg receivables auction platform TrustBills. This is the bank’s first strategic investment in fintech within the corporate customer business. The amount invested has not been disclosed. TrustBills, a start-up founded in 2015, is an electronic marketplace for selling international receivables of companies to institutional […]

Atom Bank adds another system to its tech set-up; readies mobile app

UK challenger bank, Atom Bank, has added another solution to its burgeoning IT architecture. This is a lending system from domestic specialist provider Phoebus Software, Banking Technology understands. The bank has just launched, but is yet to launch a fully-fledged mobile app. The app is yet to be available on Android. Meanwhile, the iOS app […]

Paytm partners with Wipro for new payments bank

India-based Paytm has teamed with IT services integrator Wipro for its new payments bank, as it gets ready for an August launch. Wipro will be implementing the new core banking system, and Banking Technology understands that Infosys, Oracle FSS and TCS Financial Solutions were in the running to provide their core banking solutions to Paytm. […]

Deutsche Börse opens fintech hub in Frankfurt

Deutsche Börse has opened its fintech hub in Frankfurt to promote Germany’s start-up and investment culture. This launch is part of the Hessian State Government’s fintech initiative, and Carsten Kengeter, CEO of Deutsche Börse, first presented the details and facilities back in February. Kengeter says Deutsche Börse wants to give start-ups in the financial sector […]

LzLabs partners with Cobol-IT for world’s “first” software-defined mainframe

Swiss software start-up LzLabs is collaborating with Cobol-IT to deliver the world’s “first” software-defined mainframe, designed to move legacy mainframe applications and data to open Linux server and cloud platforms. Cobol-IT will act as an integrated software provider for the solution as it is implemented for LzLabs’ customers across the world. Announced at CeBIT 2016, […]

New mobile banking service, Lunar Way, to launch in Denmark

A new mobile banking service in Denmark, Lunar Way, is gearing up for launch as it has secured a local partner, Københavns Andelskasse (Copenhagen Cooperative Bank). Lunar Way is itself not a bank, but is a provider of digital financial services, similar to Simple or Moven. Its model is to partner with established banks (that have […]

Building consumer trust – a major challenge for newcomer banks

The challengers aiming to take on the traditional high street banks are themselves facing an enormous obstacle if they are to disrupt the banking market significantly, observes Zehra Chudry, organiser of the “Challengers versus Legacy Banks” debate at PayExpo Europe 2016. This hurdle is building consumer trust. Not only must they offer powerfully attractive alternatives and improvements, they must also convince consumers […]

Banking Technology April 2016 issue out now

The latest edition of our flagship magazine – Banking Technology – is out now, packed with news, analysis and insights, case studies, research and expert commentary.

Top fintech stories this week – 1 April 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Samsung Pay launches in China Big market, big appeal. FIS and Vocalink first to supply access to Faster Payments A number of banks are also lined up to connect directly this year. UK credit unions busy with tech […]

Infographics: global fintech landscape

Want to see the global fintech landscape summed up in an easy on the eye and effortless to digest infographics? You have come to the right place – this excellent infographics has it all, from the hottest start-ups today and those to watch in 2016 to the most supportive countries and governments as well as top investors. […]

Neat trick as Hong Kong start-up uses selfies to verify payments

Hong Kong start-up Neat is setting its sights on the millennials’ market and will let customers open a payment account with a selfie. Neat founder David Rosa, a former MD at Citi, says the app and payment card will use facial recognition technology to confirm the holder’s Hong Kong identification card is correct. It’s not […]

Storming the banks

Traditional banking has taken quite a beating in recent years as more and more customers prefer to handle their banking needs digitally rather than be bogged down by paperwork or wait in lines at a physical bank. In a bid to meet developing customer expectations, many banks have begun offering web-related services such as e-deposits, […]

Mondo signs with Thames Card Technology for debit cards; has problems with mobile app

A UK-based challenger bank, Mondo, has partnered with Thames Card Technology for debit card production and personalisation. Beta test cards will be issued to consumers this year. Mondo, which positions itself as a “mobile first” bank, will be offering a contactless debit card paired with a mobile banking app to its customers. The mobile app’s […]

“Intelligent software” to answer customer queries at Atom Bank

A UK-based challenger bank, Atom Bank, has added another system to its bulging IT set-up. This is WDS Virtual Agent, which will answer customer queries from an AI bot within the bank’s mobile app. The solution is supplied by WDS, a subsidiary of Xerox. The vendor says it will “give the customers the power to […]

Microsoft selects Capitalise for latest tech accelerator

Microsoft has chosen Capitalise to join its latest accelerator, the fifth cohort of its 16-week programme for “high growth” technology companies. Capitalise officially launched at Finovate last month and is the “first” online marketplace using behavioural analytics to match lenders with SMEs seeking finance. The start-up says it features more than 50 institutional lenders, enabling […]

Labs’ labour lost: forget fin, forget tech, focus on the client

Not a day seems to go by without another innovation of fintech announcement from a bank. While most have now dabbled in an incubator, accelerator or a lab here, and a fintech investment there, they all have one thing in common, argues Leda Glyptis, director at Sapient Global Markets. And that is a lack of tangible […]

Challenger banks must strike the right balance between mobile and card

NFC mobile payments continue to grab headlines, but to really drive uptake and ensure full market coverage, combining contactless cards with next-gen mobile banking apps is surely the right way to go for 2016’s challenger banks, says Paul Underwood, MD of Thames Card Technology. Much has already been said about the opportunity for challenger banks to […]

Ulster Bank and KPMG launch start-up hub in Northern Ireland

Ulster Bank and KPMG have launched the “world’s largest free business accelerator” for entrepreneurs – Entrepreneurial Spark – in Belfast in Northern Ireland. The new hub, or “Hatchery”, can host up to 80 businesses and early stage entrepreneurs. Also involved in the launch were Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and NatWest (all three are part […]

Infographics: the state of fintech industry as we know it

Who, what, where, when of the fintech industry today – this excellent infographics pulls together plenty of useful data, from top specialists, unicorns and start-ups to geographies and M&As.   Created by Savvy Beaver and Call Levels.

From challenger to winner: how new entrant banks can succeed in the UK

Kevin Mountford, CEO of PBF Solutions, examines the key steps that new entrants to the UK banking sector need to take to attract customers and drive deposits. Challenging is one thing, but gaining a firm foothold in the UK banking sector is another, especially as the number of new entrants grows. From 2013 to mid-2015, the […]

Top fintech stories this week – 26 February 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Fiserv’s CUnify core processing system bags 25 US credit unions More good news for the US software vendor. IBM delivers blockchain-as-a-service for developers Code to joy… nearly 44,000 lines made available. Potential “merger of equals” between Deutsche Börse […]

Deutsche Börse launches fintech initiative in Frankfurt

Deutsche Börse has launched a fintech initiative for new companies and start-ups in Frankfurt. From April onwards, it will make “fully equipped rooms available as a suitable environment to further develop new ideas and entrepreneurial concepts”. The start-ups will also receive on-site support from employees of the Deutsche Börse Venture Network. These will use their […]

Swift to launch global payment innovation project

Swift is planning to launch a global payment innovation initiative, which it says will dramatically improve the customer experience in correspondent banking by increasing the speed, transparency and predictability of cross-border payments. The platform is due to launch early next year.

Swift expands Innotribe to emerging markets, adds Industry Challenge

Swift’s Innotribe initiative is to expand its programme to support innovation in emerging fintech ecosystems, including Africa and Latin America. It has also announced a new Industry Challenge programme under which the Innotribe team will work with Swift members to identify business areas that could benefit from collaborative solutions.

Swift selects finalists for Innotribe Startup Challenge 2015

Swift has named the 20 finalists for the 2015 Innotribe Startup Challenge finale, which will take place at Sibos in Singapore this October. The finalists include companies focused on personal finance, foreign exchange, data protection, mobile banking and e-commerce as well as social media, big data, payments and many other areas.

Barclays opens startup accelerator programme in London

Barclays and startup accelerator company Techstars have opened the application process for the third cohort of their Accelerator programme in London, which will give ten businesses a chance to “shape the future” of financial services, the bank has said.

Innotribe names South African Start-up Challenge finalists

The Innotribe Start-up Challenge attendees selected the five finalists from the African leg of the Start-up Challenge to compete at Sibos Singapore in October. The showcase was held yesterday alongside Swift’s African Regional Conference.

Citi Mobile Challenge demos ‘disruptive’ finalists in London

Mobile startups are changing the way customers interact with financial services around the world. Tier one banks know this, and are keen to get a piece of the action. This week, companies from EMEA demoed at the Citi mobile challenge in London in the final stage of an annual event that takes in hundreds of financial startups around the globe.

BBVA names Next Bank Europe startup finalists

Spanish bank BBVA has named the 20 finalists for the European leg of its financial services startup challenge, BBVA Open Talent, which will feed into the Next Bank Europe conference in Barcelona next month.

Swift Innotribe Startup Challenge names European finalists

Swift’s Innotribe Startup Challenge has named the five European finalists for its annual competition, which seeks to find the best new companies in financial services and bring them to compete in the final at Sibos Boston in October.