Europe


EU-US Privacy Shield faces its moment of truth

While you were tucking into your ham sarnie European Commission Věra Jourová touched down in the US to start the first annual review of the EU-US Privacy Shield, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). It’s the reason why the internet giants of Silicon Valley can do business in the European bloc, or at least the reason […]

Viber brings good vibes to Addiko Bank’s chat banking payments

Austrian banking group Addiko has unveiled chat banking for its customers – the “first ever” Viber-based financial transaction service available in Croatia. Called “Addiko Chat Banking”, it’s a digital banking service that, in partnership with Comtrade Digital Services and communication platform Viber, enables customers to directly communicate with the bank and make payments. Mario Žižek, […]

App it. The future of banking

This morning I was having breakfast with a colleague. I paid the bill, and he sent me his share of the bill using our Monzo app. Before we’d walked out of the café, the money was in my account. Simple!

Finastra goes on a job cutting spree

EXCLUSIVE: Finastra, which emerged earlier this year from the combination of two banking tech vendors, D+H Corporation and Misys, has made a number of job cuts across its operations.

Infographic: UK’s cloud computing job market

According to a study by the International Data Corporation (IDC), investment in cloud computing is expected to grow at over six times the rate of IT spending by 2020. Job meta-search engine Joblift has analyse the state of the UK’s cloud computing job market and found that, in line with the rise in investment, cloud computing vacancies have risen by over 7% on average monthly.

ING goes manic for Scalable wealth management dynamic

ING will start a partnership with online wealth manager Scalable Capital as the bank plans a digital investment solution for its retail customers in Germany. Customers of ING in Germany will be able to register in less than 15 minutes through a paperless process. With a minimum investment of €10,000 they can monitor their portfolios […]

Startupbootcamp InsurTech seeks storming start-ups

London-based accelerator Startupbootcamp InsurTech is on the search for the next wave of insurance-inspired start-ups to “take the industry by storm”. Startupbootcamp InsurTech says the process of searching for and purchasing something on Amazon or booking peer-reviewed accommodations in a different country at the touch of a finger, condition people to “expect this fluidity and […]

UK to get New Payment Systems Operator by year’s end

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) and Bank of England (BoE) have revealed that the UK will be getting the New Payment Systems Operator (NPSO) by the end of 2017. The duo says that the Payment System Operator Delivery Group (PSODG) has completed the necessary steps to deliver what was asked and so with the NPSO […]

UK banks simplify accounting for SMEs

We have a double delight as Sage and Lloyds, and Xero and Santander are making accounting simpler for UK SMEs. Sage, a cloud accounting, payroll and payments solutions software provider, says Lloyds Bank is the latest in a line of banks to go live with its Bank Feeds service. The service helps businesses by enabling […]

Fintech accelerator round-up: 13 September 2017

Around the world, the calls for start-ups ring loud and clear. Our fintech accelerator round-up features F10, Commerce.Innovated and Huge Thing. F10, a Swiss incubator and accelerator, is calling for applications from start-ups in fintech, regtech, and insurtech for its P2 programme. Applications close on 15 December. The P2 programme will start on 5 March […]

Rabobank turns Big Brother with Dynatrace

Digital performance management company Dynatrace is working with Rabobank “to monitor the real-time experience of every customer and user for all services” at the bank.

Moneyou moves on millennials with Bankable platform

Moneyou, the digital consumer subsidiary of Dutch bank ABN Amro, has implemented UK-based Bankable’s Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform. The service is now open to selected customers in the Netherlands. Moneyou provides savings accounts to more than half a million customers and says it is diversifying via Bankable’s multi-wallet and multi-card technology to launch a product portfolio […]

Infographic: banking in Europe 2017 – EBF facts and figures

European Banking Federation (EBF) has published its annual update on the banking sector in Europe. According to the EBF findings, staff numbers and branches in the European banking sector continued to shrink in 2016, while Eurozone deposits and loans grew slightly.

Facebook feels sharp end of Spanish privacy stick

Facebook has been slapped with a fine from the Spanish data protection watchdog for inappropriately collecting and using personal information on some of its Spanish users, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). The fine, although a bit of a meagre one, is for violating Spain’s Organic Law on Data Protection (LOPD), with the Spanish data […]

FCA ICO uh-oh

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority is warning consumers about the risks of initial coin offerings (ICOs). ICOs have proved very popular in the worlds of blockchain and cryptocurrency, which many funding stories flowing on a regular basis. However, last month, BBVA reckoned the fever for ICOs in blockchain must be cooled as the industry is […]

Come over to my Marketplace says Starling Bank

UK-based challenger bank Starling has gone live with its Marketplace, a new ecosystem of financial products accessible through its app. As reported in June, Starling said it would launch Marketplace at some point. This idea was first discussed back in April, when its developer portal went live. Now the marketplace is alive and kicking and […]

France is not making many friends with new tech tax idea

The French Finance Minister has put forward new proposals to shake-up the tax set-up for technology companies who are based outside of the European Union, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). Under the current rules, internet giants such as Google or Facebook are taxed on profits which are generated in Europe, though French Finance Minister […]

Instabank takes risk analytics to the cloud with Provenir

Instabank, a new digital bank in Norway, has implemented Provenir’s Risk Analytics and Decisioning solution. Delivered in the cloud, the system provides “a real-time, digital lending experience” for its Instabank’s customers, Provenir says.

Aegon Cofunds to oust IFDS and its tech

Pension, insurance and investment management firm Aegon has embarked on a large technology project with a number of specialist tech providers – to move the acquired Cofunds business from the International Financial Data Services (IFDS) platform.

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]