National Bank of Kenya in core banking system upgrade
National Bank of Kenya says it has upgraded to “the fifth and latest version” of its core banking platform, Fusionbanking Essense, supplied by Finastra (formerly Misys).
FinTech
Five steps, five minutes, €5 – KBC launches new mobile app for current accounts
KBC Bank Ireland has unveiled a new mobile app that allows customers to open, activate and use their bank account “at any time, within just five minutes”. The bank says this is “completely unique to the Irish market” and the app’s official launch follows months of development and testing with consumers. The app is available […]
Cyberattack on Equifax threatens 143m US consumers
Information specialist Equifax has revealed a cybersecurity incident potentially impacting approximately 143 million US consumers. It says criminals exploited a US website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files. Based on the company’s investigation, the unauthorised access occurred from mid-May through July 2017. The company has found “no evidence of unauthorised activity on Equifax’s […]
Top fintech stories this week – 8 September 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Square wants to be a bank, sort of
Mobile point-of-sale pioneer Square Inc. is applying for an Industrial Loan Company (ILC) charter to support the expansion of its lending business, the volume of which grew 68 percent year-over-year in Q2 to $318 million.
Fears about AI are a load of rubbish – Capgemini
Capgemini has roared into the artificial intelligence (AI) battle with new research which claims the human cost of automation is a myth, reports Banking Technology’s sister publication Telecoms.com. There might be a few people who will raise concern over such a claim, but in a survey of almost 1,000 organisations with revenues of more than […]
Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 7 September 2017
From immaturity to security, our latest blockchain and Bitcoin round-up features the European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, the People’s Bank of China, Bank Hapoalim and Microsoft. It’s happened before and it will happen again, but distributed ledger technology (DLT) has come into some criticisms in relation to payments. In a dark duet, the European […]
MoneyGram Expands MobilePass to 35,000+ Locations
The U.S.’s No. 2 remittance provider is expanding its MoneyGram MobilePass service to its entire U.S. network of 35,000 agent locations.
IBM and MIT team up for AI research
IBM will make a ten-year, $240 million investment to create the MIT–IBM Watson AI Lab as the duo seek to unlock the potential of artificial intelligence (AI). The collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) aims to advance AI hardware, software and algorithms related to deep learning and other areas, increase AI’s impact on industries, […]
Former Citi Vice Chairman Lewis Kaden Joins Baton Systems Advisory Board
Baton Systems, an on-demand platform for clearing, settling and managing payments between financial institutions, has appointed former Citigroup Vice Chairman Lewis B. Kaden to its advisory board.
Gambit acquisition offers BNP Paribas robo-advisory opening
France’s BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) has acquired a majority stake in Belgium-based robo-advisory company Gambit Financial Solutions. BNPP AM says via the deal it will look to improve its advisory-guided or autonomous interfaces. Gambit will maintain its independence and become the preferred partner for robo-advisory solutions for BNP Paribas’ retail and wealth management […]
Fintech funding round-up: 7 September 2017
The fintech funding is on fire. Following on from yesterday’s (6 September) action, here’s another round-up. Features ABN Amro, Cloud Lending Solutions, Dataiku, EY and Innovate Finance. Amsterdam-based ABN Amro has made an undisclosed investment in US-based Cloud Lending Solutions (CLS) – the second by the bank’s Digital Impact Fund (DIF) and in line with […]
Tech City UK calls for start-ups for financial inclusion challenge
Tech City UK is looking for start-ups for a competition to find the best products and services from the fintech sector that promote financial inclusion. As part of the UK Government’s Digital Strategy, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has asked it to hunt for the best across the country. The competition […]
Amazon’s Alexa speaks to US Bank customers
More than a year after Capital One unveiled the feature, US Bank customers still are among the first in the US to be able to complete banking tasks, such as checking an account balance or paying a credit card bill, by speaking a command to an Amazon Alexa device.
Mambu’s core banking tech supports challenger bank N26
Mambu has gone on the record about its core banking software project at N26, a German-based challenger bank. N26 is using Mambu’s flagship core system, provided on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) basis.
The future of cross-currency payments
The landscape of cross-currency (FX) payments is taking on a whole new look – creating challenges for corporate financial managers and the need for new banking solutions.
Most of us are worried about AI rules
With every technological breakthrough there needs to be updates to the rules, and the UK general public think the government needs to pull the finger out when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). That rules need to be changed in relation to everyday life is a given, but it would […]
SolarisBank selects SIA to launch contactless payment cards in Germany
Banking platform SolarisBank has chosen Italy-based SIA to support the launch of new contactless debit cards and to contribute to the development of electronic payment solutions in Germany. SIA’s technology platform will manage the processing of transactions made using payment cards issued by the bank for its clients. The infrastructure, supporting the launch of new […]
Atom Bank breaks into German retail savings market
UK challenger bank Atom has been granted permission to offer retail deposits in Germany via a partnership with Deposit Solutions. Atom says customers in the country will get access to a range of fixed term products and so it will be able to “gather deposit funding from Europe’s largest savings market onto its balance sheet, […]
HSBC makes a GT Nexus for digital trade
HSBC’s customers in the US can now access GT Nexus’s digital commerce platform for managing supply chain processes. Vinay Mendonca, global head of product and propositions, global trade and receivables finance at HSBC, says: “We, and a number of our customers, identified GT Nexus as a platform that could help our customers improve their financing […]
Fintech funding round-up: 6 September 2017
Wake me up when September sends a fintech funding round-up. Features Deutsche Börse, RegTek.Solutions, Finaeo and Now Money. Deutsche Börse and Illuminate Financial Management have co-led in a $5 million Series A funding round in RegTek.Solutions, a regulatory reporting solutions provider. As reported last month, the Regulatory Reporting Hub of Deutsche Börse launched a partnership […]
Lloyds Bank’s new bookkeeping service is a keeper
Lloyds Bank has launched a new service to help businesses manage their bookkeeping without manual intervention. Called Lloyds Bank Direct Bank Feed it allows clients to receive their statement information directly into their accounting software – “eliminating the need for businesses to manually input their bank statements and reduce the time spent reconciling accounts”. Steve […]
WhatsApp mulls business revenue stream
Facebook-owned IM service WhatsApp reckons it might finally be able to make some money by charging businesses for clever access to their punters, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). Apparently quite a lot of people already use WhatsApp around the world to interact with shopkeepers and other relatively simple business transactions such as placing orders, […]
Saffron Building Society swaps Sopra’s MSS for DPR Consulting’s new core banking system
EXCLUSIVE: UK-based Saffron Building Society is modernising its technology with DPR Consulting, Banking Technology understands. On the way out is the legacy MSS core processing solution, supplied by Sopra Banking Software.
Commercial Bank of Dubai in core banking platform upgrade
International Turnkey Systems (ITS) has upgraded its core banking system, Ethix, at Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD).
Nasdaq buys analytics provider eVestment for $705m
Nasdaq will acquire eVestment, a content and analytics provider used by asset managers and investment consultants, for $705 million funded through a mix of debt and cash on hand. According to Nasdaq, eVestment provides investors a database for both traditional and alternative strategies, including 2,800 individual data points on more than 74,000 investment vehicles. eVestment […]
Mashreq Bank revamps with NCR tablet and video banking tech
Dubai-based Mashreq Bank will revamp its banking services in the UAE with the help of NCR technology over the next six months. NCR says Mashreq will be the first in the region to deploy its tablet-based Interactive Banker, which lets tellers come out from behind their counters to help customer’s complete transactions. Sandeep Chauhan, head […]
Be honest about digital transformation, it’s a risky business – BT Security CEO
The risks are big, but the opportunities are even bigger; that’s why only the bravest are making the most of the digital economy to date.
Perseus start-up seeks to shield German SMEs from cyber threats
Berlin-based cybersecurity start-up Perseus is seeking to become a legend for the country’s SME market with a “one-stop solution”. According to fintech incubator FinLeap, which is behind the venture, more than 70% of German companies were affected by cybercrime activities within the last two years, but only one out of ten SMEs holds an insurance […]
Funding Circle Joins CFSI
Small-business lending platform Funding Circle has become a Financial Health Network member of the Center for Financial Services Innovation.
Fintech alliance round-up: 5 September 2017
What the world needs now is love, sweet love. And fintech is on hand to deliver with a pair of co-operation agreements. Features the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Chongqing; and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority and Israel. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the Chongqing Financial Affairs Office and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative […]
Winners’ Showcase: 2017 Pay Magazine – Awards Issue Is Here
The wait is over. The 2017 Pay Magazine – Awards Issue is here. In this special issue, you’ll find out more about the programs, companies and two individuals that walked away with top honors from this year’s competition.
Euro bureaucrats make M&A power play over frightening foreigners
We all knew Canadians were afraid of the dark and that Scots are not always fond of vegetables, but who knew the European Commissioners were wary of foreigners? Reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). In her latest speech, the European Commission’s chief Gaggler for competition Margrethe Vestager, has seemingly set the tone; foreign money isn’t as […]
Crealogix purchases AI and machine learning tech from Koemei
Swiss digital banking company Crealogix has bolstered its artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning capabilities with the acquisition of new technology from Koemei, reports Julie Muhn at Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). Crealogix will leverage Koemei’s technology that uses automated speech recognition (ASR) to convert audio, podcast, and video content into text data, which facilitates cross-media […]
Challenger bank Redwood takes tech to the cloud
EXCLUSIVE: Redwood Bank, a new SME-focused bank in the UK, has opted for a cloud-based banking platform. The front-to-back office solution is supplied by a local fintech firm, DPR Consulting, Banking Technology understands. It is hosted in a private cloud.
Top 5 Best Challenger Banks: Spotlight Profiles
Our Top 5 Challenger Bank spotlight series is complete. Get to know the challengers—Cashplus, Varo Money, Revolut, Capital on Tap and Fidor Bank—looking to shake up the status quo with tech and a superior customer experience.
Fern Software launches first of its kind API offering
Core banking software provider Fern Software has opened its Abacus HUB Cloud platform to third parties in the UK and Ireland.
The Monday mindset: 4 September 2017
Fintech zeitgeist! This week Loraine DeBonis, editor-in-chief of Banking Technology’s sister site Paybefore, muses on all the money changing hands in the payments industry.
BCBS ponders implications of fintech developments, calls for public feedback
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) has published a report, “Sound practices: implications of fintech developments for banks and bank supervisors”, and is asking for public feedback until 31 October 2017.
Kiwibank puts core banking tech overhaul under “strategic review”, writes off NZ$90 million
Kiwibank, New Zealand’s fifth largest bank, is conducting a “strategic review” of its implementation of SAP’s core banking and payment software – a large-scale project known as CoreMod.
