Finastra gains new digital banking tech project in Libya
Libya-based Bank of Commerce and Development (BCD) has signed for Finastra’s front-end software to launch a new online and mobile banking platform.
Africa
Warwyck Private Bank signs for ERI’s Olympic core banking system
Mauritius-based Warwyck Private Bank has signed a deal with Swiss banking software tech vendor ERI to implement its Olympic core banking system.
NDC to upgrade core banking tech at Farmers Commercial Bank
Farmers Commercial Bank (FCB) in Sudan is upgrading its core banking system, Temenos’ T24. The bank enlisted National Data Consultants (NDC), a Pakistan-based implementation partner of Temenos, to help with the project.
ITS gains first core banking system deal in Morocco
Morocco-based Al Akhdar Bank, a joint venture of Crédit Agricole and Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), has signed for a new core banking solution, Ethix, supplied by International Turnkey Systems (ITS).
Interview: Martin Grunewald, BankservAfrica – the African payments dream
In an exclusive interview with Daily News at Sibos, Martin Grunewald, chief payments officer at BankservAfrica, discusses its vision for a modern payments system in Africa and why replication is a good thing. “If we don’t start, we won’t get to the finish line”. There is a lot of planning and talking now, but South […]
Mauritius looks to blockchain for financial inclusion boost
The State Bank of Mauritius, SBM Group and SALT, creator of a blockchain-backed loan platform, have entered into an exploratory relationship to use blockchain assets as collateral for lending services. SALT, which stands for Secured Automated Lending Technology, says it offers risk mitigation software which allows financial entities, like SBM, to participate in this new […]
Ovamba and Microsoft team for first African language driven chatbot
Fintech firm Ovamba says it is working with Microsoft to create “the first African language driven chatbot designed to serve the millions of African SMEs who face exclusion from financial services due to the challenges of functional and business literacy”.
Cooperative Bank of Oromia live with new core banking system, Temenos T24
Ethiopia-based Cooperative Bank of Oromia (CBO), has gone live with new core banking software, Temenos’ T24.
Prime Tyme for South Africa’s newest bank
TymeDigital, a South African online money transfer business bought by Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) two years ago, has been granted a banking licence. The first licence issued to a new bank by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) since 1999. TymeDigital will enter a retail banking market dominated by South Africa’s five biggest banks: […]
BGFI Bank in group-wide upgrade of core banking software
BGFI Bank, a financial services group in Central Africa, is upgrading its core banking software group-wide. The bank is rolling out a new version of Sopra Banking Software’s Amplitude system, Amplitude Up.
South Africa Bettr get ready for new mobile banking service
South African start-up Bettr Finance is preparing to launch its mobile banking service – with the offer of no monthly account fees and no bricks and mortar branches. It’s early days at the moment, so timelines and specific details are not available. But on its website its alpha phase is limited to 10,000 users. The […]
Kenya leads Africa in financial inclusion innovation
Kenya is leading the way when it comes to digital innovation for financial inclusion in Africa, according to research by the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP). Earlier this year, CGAP says it invited firms and organisations to submit proposals for digital innovations they believe have the most potential to advance financial inclusion in […]
Path Solutions gains new core banking tech client in Sudan
Sudan Financial Services Company (SFSC) has signed to implement the iMAL solution from Path Solutions for its investment activities.
Atlas Finance signs for Nucleus Software’s lendtech
Atlas Finance, a microfinance lender in South Africa, has signed for Nucleus Lending Analytics from India-based lendtech vendor Nucleus Software.
Zambian start-up Zazu plans to be digitally true
Zambia-based Zazu is readying for launch – as it targets being “Africa’s first digital-only bank” and offering a “more personalised solution” than a traditional bank. In November, it will launch with 1,500 prepaid debit cards. It wants to give these out to people who regularly use cards to make payments, so it can improve and develop […]
Dar Al-Amane live with ITS Ethix core banking system
Dar Al-Amane, a participative finance window of Société Générale Maroc, is live with a new core banking system, Ethix, from International Turnkey Systems (ITS).
Providus Bank live with ICS Banks core banking system
ICS Financial Systems (ICSFS) has implemented its flagship core banking platform, ICS Banks, at Providus Bank in Nigeria.
ERI gains new core banking system deal in Burundi
Banque Burundaise pour le Commerce et l’Investissement (BBCI) has selected ERI’s Olympic core banking system.
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).
Why I believe the US State Department is wrong about mobile money in Africa
The US Department of State recently released a report that identified mobile money services as particularly susceptible to money laundering in Africa. It cites services like M-PESA and M-Shwari as “services [that] remain vulnerable to money laundering activities”.
TerraPay teams with Instant Cash for cross-border payments
Mobile payments switch TerraPay and money transfer company Instant Cash have teamed up to enable real-time cross border money transfers for migrants that want to send money back to Africa to recipients’ mobile wallets. Powered by TerraPay’s global clearing and settlement service for mobile wallets, the partnership “will make cross-border money transfer faster and convenient […]
DFCU in $20m upgrade of Infosys’ Finacle core banking system
Uganda-based DFCU Bank is also upgrading its core banking software to the tune of $20 million. DFCU is moving from version 7 of its Infosys’ Finacle core banking platform to version 10.
Skye Bank revamps omnichannel banking with Oracle FSS
Nigeria-based Skye Bank has launched a new digital banking platform, SkyeXperience, built on the Oracle FSS tech. The bank plans to enrol over two million clients on the new solution by the end of next year.
Faisal Islamic Bank signs for Path Solutions’ iMAL core banking system
Sudan-based Faisal Islamic Bank is modernising its core banking software with Path Solution’s iMAL. Path’s competitor for the deal was ICS Financial Systems (ICSFS) with its ICS Banks offering.
Haggai Mortgage Bank live with Finedge core banking system
Nigeria-based Haggai Mortgage Bank has gone live with new core banking software, Finedge. The system is supplied by local tech company CWG.
Failed bank in Uganda spent millions of dollars on non-existing tech
Crane Bank, a failed bank in Uganda, spent millions of dollars on IT services and software that was never supplied, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) into the bank’s mismanagement.
Top fintech stories this week – 4 August 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Barclays Africa looks for innovation heads-up with nine start-ups
Barclays Africa will collaborate with nine firms to explore new technology-based solutions to improve its banking services. The nifty nine are not just fintech but include Abe.ai and Kapitalwise from the US; FOMO Group and Byte Money from South Africa; and FlexPay, Spatialedge, Sun Exchange and Avenews-GT. Details below if you want the full show. […]
Absa gets real with virtual investor launch
South African heavyweight Absa Bank has unveiled its own artificial intelligence (AI)-powered online investment platform, Virtual Investor. The self-service platform uses AI and computer algorithms to recommend a product for customers based on their financial attitudes to risk. Armien Tyer, head of Absa Investments, says: “Individuals can either invest a once-off lump sum amount or […]
Abu Dhabi and Kenya form fintech bridge
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the International Financial Centre in Abu Dhabi, and the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) Kenya have signed a co-operation agreement for fintech innovation. The agreement provides a framework for information sharing; and keeping abreast of regulatory and relevant economic or commercial developments in the respective markets. They will also support fintech […]
New core banking system for Nigeria’s microfinance banks
Inlaks, a banking software provider in Nigeria and West Africa, has built a core banking solution together with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the country’s microfinance sector.
Absa targets African millennials with Hello Soda partnership
Absa Bank, a subsidiary of Barclays Africa, has partnered with multilingual text analytics and big data firm, Hello Soda, as it looks to tap into the millennial market. The bank says it wants to make sense of unstructured social data to better understand its consumer base. According to Absa, Hello Soda provides new ways for […]
Oromia International Bank moves into Islamic banking, selects new core system
Ethiopia-based Oromia International Bank (OIB) has opted for the ICS Banks core banking system, supplied by ICS Financial Systems (ICSFS), to underpin OIB’s Islamic banking operations.
EBank deploys Fiorano enterprise service bus
EBank, a new bank in Namibia, has implemented Fiorano ESB, an enterprise service bus to “seamlessly integrate” the bank’s core processing software – Temenos T24 – with other third-party systems and channels, with a major focus on digital banking.
Mastercard launches competition for African financial inclusion
The Mastercard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity (FRP) has launched a new competition to find financial products and services that improve the lives of poor people in rural areas of Africa. The 2017 competition will follow a rolling format and will be open throughout the year with applications submitted and evaluated periodically. The first submission […]
Ghana’s Premium Bank opts for NetGuardians’ anti-fraud solution
Ghana-based Premium Bank has selected NetGuardians’ anti-fraud solution FraudGuardian. FraudGuardian uses a “patented big data model to correlate and analyse human behaviours across the entire bank system including eBanking, service channels, IT systems and financial transactions”. The firm says it can help banks prevent fraud in a proactive manner. FraudGuardian will integrate with the Temenos […]
Path Solutions scores first core banking system deal in Morocco
Crédit du Maroc (CDM), a Morocco-based subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole group, has signed for Path Solutions’ iMAL core banking system to support its newly launched participative banking window.
InvestCloud wins deal with South African wealth manager
US-based InvestCloud has a spring(bok) in its step as it has been appointed by South Africa’s Anchor Private Clients to provide digital client communication and client reporting solutions. Johannesburg-headquartered Anchor Private Clients, the private client division of Anchor Group, specialises in investment management and advice for private clients across South Africa and internationally. Its parent […]
ICSFS signs National Bank of Yemen for ICS Banks core system, goes live at BOND Savings and Loans
ICS Financial Systems (ICSFS) has signed a core banking software deal with National Bank of Yemen, and has gone live at BOND Savings and Loans in Ghana.
Trio triumph in Innotribe’s African start-up challenge
Innotribe, Swift’s innovation arm, has revealed the three winners of its third 2017 Startup Challenge for Africa in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Each start-up receives a €10,000 cash prize and will share their insights about innovation in Africa at Sibos in Toronto. The trio are: IroFit Technologies – offers small businesses processing for in-store mobile/card payments […]
