USAmeriBank in “next generation” payment hub move
USAmeriBank (formerly Aliant Bank), a $3.8 billion bank operating in the US states of Alabama and Florida, is building a new payments hub for its domestic and international wire transfers.
FinTech
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, […]
The Monday mindset: 24 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 looks at whether Japan’s rules rule. If you’re a billionaire (which I assume isn’t all of […]
Fintech funding round-up: 24 April 2017
The latest fintech funding round-up featuring Token, Ongo, National Bank of Canada (NBC) and a bunch of venture capitalist firms.
Game’s on for Sovcombank credit scoring
Russia-based Sovcombank hopes to attract more young people looking to get their first credit card by “gamifying” the credit application process. The project has been carried out with Entrepreneurial Finance Lab (EFL), which developed a new survey-based credit scoring model, and FICO, which handles marketing.
Avaloq under attack as Temenos starts year strongly
Banking software vendor Temenos has reported a strong start to 2017 with total software licensing revenues up 19% – and it takes a swipe at rival Avaloq in the process. In its Q1 2017 financial results, its non-IFRS total revenues were $142.7 million compared to $129.4 million for the same period last year. Non-IFRS EBIT […]
Innovation spotlight: North American FIs going social
As banking continues to go digital, online innovators and niche players in North America are getting personal by adding social activities to their customer services.
Banking Technology Awards 2017 – date announced!
Save the date! 18th Annual Banking Technology Awards will take place on 6 December 2017 at the elegant Millennium Hotel London Mayfair. Visit our newly updated awards website for more info.
Payments start-up Plastc goes bust
Plastc, a US fintech start-up that created a card that could digitally hold 20 credit or debit cards, is filing for bankruptcy.
BBVA and Ripple complete blockchain cross-border money transfer pilot
BBVA has announced the completion of “the first real-life implementation of an international money transfer using Ripple’s new distributed ledger technology (DLT)”. The transaction, which ran on BBVA infrastructures with real money, resulted in money moved between Spain and Mexio “in a matter of seconds”.
Profile Software’s tech gets new live site in UK, Dolfin
London-based investment management firm Dolfin has gone live with Profile Software’s IMSplus and Axia systems.
Fintech start-up for SMEs Hufsy teams with SolarisBank for German launch
Hufsy, a Denmark-based fintech start-up focused on SMEs, is expanding into Germany. Its banking partner in Germany is SolarisBank.
White paper: preparing for PSD2 – the role for data and the future for banking
The implementation of the updated Payment Services Directive (PSD2) will affect banking institutions of all sizes, opening up financial services and payments markets to new competitors and service providers. Download this free white paper to be ready!
Top fintech stories this week – 21 April 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Central Bank of Lesotho overhauls tech with Intellect Design Arena
The Central Bank of Lesotho has gone live on Intellect Design Arena’s Quantum Central Banking Solution (QCBS). According to India-based Intellect, the “key highlight was an accelerated implementation with zero errors during migration despite complex integration with multiple external interfaces”. Mothetsi Sekoati, head of business solution at Central Bank of Lesotho, says the project is […]
The feeling’s Crédit Mutuel for IBM Watson
Following a pilot, IBM says its Watson cognitive technology will be extended to Crédit Mutuel’s 20,000 employees and 5,000 branches in France to help with the bank’s operations. This marks the “first commercial use” of Watson by a financial institution in France to assist its staff. The bank’s customer advisors have been using Watson services […]
Kid me not fraud with GoHenry digital deal
GoHenry, a UK-based digital banking solution to help young people manage their money, has appointed fraud prevention firm Featurespace to safeguard customers’ accounts. GoHenry was founded by a group of parents to help young people aged six to 18 “learn good money habits”. It is a subscription service, which offers a prepaid debit card and […]
Thumbs up for Mastercard’s new biometric card
Mastercard has launched its latest biometric card, combining chip technology with fingerprints to verify the cardholder’s identity for in-store purchases. South Africa is the first market to test the evolved technology, with two separate trails recently concluded with Pick n Pay, a supermarket retailer, and Absa Bank, a subsidiary of Barclays Africa. According to Mastercard, […]
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 […]
IBM promise in the cloud threatens to become false dawn
IBM has reported a mixed bag of results for the first quarter of 2017, with the strategic imperatives offerings up but overall revenues down 2% to $18.2 billion, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). While another quarter of decline is nothing new to report for Big Blue, what might be worrying for the team is […]
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 […]
Nasdaq goes on attack with fintech investment programme
Nasdaq has unveiled its venture investment programme, Nasdaq Ventures, as it seeks out new fintech firms to work with in the global capital markets. Adena Friedman, president and CEO, Nasdaq, says it plans to “accelerate the pace of innovation”. The minority stake investments made by Nasdaq Ventures are expected to range from less than $1 […]
SouthEast Bank in front-to-back office tech revamp with Fiserv
SouthEast Bank, a $1.2 billion financial institution in the US state of Tennessee, is implementing Fiserv’s DNA core banking system and a range of auxiliary solutions from the vendor.
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 […]
Unauthorised transactions vex US prepaid consumers – CFPB’s latest report
Prepaid complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in the US hit 2,500 in 2016, accounting for about 0.9% of the 291,400 complaints in agency’s latest Consumer Response Annual Report.
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 […]
HelloPay merges with Ant Financial for AliPay boost
HelloPay Group, which runs the HelloPay payment platform and online shopping and selling site Lazada, has merged with China’s Ant Financial. Ant Financial, part of Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group, runs Alipay and so HelloPay has now been rebranded as Alipay Singapore, Alipay Malaysia, Alipay Indonesia and Alipay Philippines in its respective markets. Douglas Feagin, SVP […]
Fund times with BNP Paribas blockchain-powered platform
BNP Paribas Securities Services is partnering with AXA Investment Managers for the creation of a new digital fund distribution platform. Called BNP Paribas Fund Link, it aims to make the fund distribution process better by improving the flow of information between fund buyers and sellers via blockchain and smart contract technology. Jean Devambez, head of […]
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, […]
Bank ABC revamps digital channels with Backbase
Bahrain-based Bank ABC (Arab Banking Corporation) is modernising its digital channels for retail and wholesale banking customers with Backbase’s tech.
Zelle makes its presence known in P2P payments arena
The recent performance of Zelle Network, the peer-to-peer (P2P) payments platform with the funny name, is no laughing matter for competing P2P providers.
Fintech in the US: where is regulation headed?
Aaron Cutler, partner, and Loyal Horsley, associate at Hogan Lovells, examine the state-level fintech regulation, proposed legislative solutions, and provides a brief overview of international regulation.
Piraeus Bank e-branches go Greece lightning
Piraeus Bank has launched three fully automated e-branches, across the region of Attiki – the first of their kind in Greece. Services on offer include a “remote cashier”, where customers can perform 90% of the transactions provided via a video call with a cashier; remote registration of internet banking through a phone service point; a […]
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: […]
HSBC France revamps core banking software with SAB
HSBC France is in the process of replacing its legacy core banking system with SAB AT, provided by local vendor SAB.
Intesa Sanpaolo and EBA Clearing complete first pan-European instant payment test
Italy’s largest retail bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, and EBA Clearing have successfully completed their first user testing activities on Dovetail’s solution for EBA’s pan-European real-time payment platform. Among the institutions funding the new EBA infrastructure, Intesa Sanpaolo is the first one to connect to the test system. The new infrastructure will provide a real-time payment processing […]
Dubai International Financial Centre calls for fintech start-ups
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is seeking applications for its FinTech Hive at DIFC accelerator programme. The 12-week programme is designed to help early and growth-stage firms accelerate product and business development by gaining exposure to financial institution executives. Successful applicants will be offered the opportunity to develop, test and modify their innovations in collaboration […]
Silicon Valley Bank opens up throttle for API banking
US-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has launched new APIs to let its clients programmatically open bank accounts, and send payments using a credit card network and via the automated clearing house (ACH) network. Dan Kimmerling, director, API banking at SVB, says its goal this year is to “develop a broad array of APIs” and wants […]
Lloyds says Hello to Microsoft Windows 10 biometrics
Lloyds is working with Microsoft to test biometric authentication for customers logging into their Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland internet banking sites. The three organisations will use Windows Hello to get access to Windows 10 devices using a fingerprint or facial recognition. Devices will recognise the user, “rather than having to remember an assortment […]
