Europe


The UK gets new coins, but why?

As of March this year, UK’s one-pound, two-pound and 50p coins have all been upgraded to become “the most secure coins in the world”. However, with the rise in cashless payments, online transactions and mobile banking, is there any point?

EquensWorldline bags Degussa Bank payments processing deal

Payments firm EquensWorldline, a subsidiary of Worldline, has secured a long-term contract to process all payments for Degussa Bank in Germany, starting Q2 2017. Degussa Bank will outsource its end-to-end payments processing to EquensWorldline. This includes SEPA processing, cross-border payments, high value payments, compliances services, investigations, archiving and a full channel service suite including Swift […]

Lloyds in £1.3bn tech outsourcing deal with IBM

UK-based banking group Lloyds is to outsource its tech to IBM in a seven-year deal worth £1.3 billion. More than 1,900 jobs will be shifted to IBM and £760 million of costs will be cut as a result.

KBC Asset Management in technology modernisation

KBC Asset Management, Belgium’s largest investment manager, is implementing a new investment book of record (IBOR) platform, Simcorp Dimension, and Axioma’s risk management engine.

UK and Japan regulators partner for innovation

The Financial Services Agency of Japan (JFSA) and the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have exchanged letters on a co-operation framework to support fintech companies. This deal will provide a regulatory referral system for “innovator businesses” from Japan and the UK seeking to enter the other’s market. The authority that receives such a referral will […]

Fidor’s digital banking right shot for Van Lanschot

Dutch wealth management firm Van Lanschot has chosen Fidor’s digital banking solution for an upgrade of its payments software and infrastructure. As part of the agreement, Fidor will manage user and account data and will process Van Lanschot’s payments flows within its fidorOS (fOS) platform, which is built using open APIs. It will also modernise […]

Robo-advice case study: Munnypot

Robo-advice has captured a lot of attention in the financial services sector of late, so it is great to find an institution that is putting it firmly into practice. Banking Technology talks to Munnypot, a recent arrival on the UK market.

Android Pay heads down Belgium way

Android Pay is now available in Belgium – becoming the tenth country in the world to get it. It can be used at more than 85,000 retail locations throughout Belgium that accept contactless payments. Its purchase button can also be seen in apps like Deliveroo, TransferWise and Vueling, with other unspecified apps on the way. […]

Accenture opens innovation studio in Latvia

Accenture has opened a “liquid studio” in Riga, Latvia to help its clients with innovation and software development cycles. At the studio, its clients don’t get wet or drunk but work alongside Accenture engineers to turn concepts into products, “taking days to achieve what used to take months”. Maksims Jegorovs, Accenture Latvia lead, says clients […]

Austria’s Raiffeisen revamps trade finance tech with Intellect

Five Austrian Raiffeisen regional banks and Raiffeisen Bank International will implement Intellect Design Arena’s digital trade finance platform as the group looks to standardise its operations. Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien, Raiffeisen-Landesbank Steiermark, Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich, Raiffeisen-Landesbank Tirol and Raiffeisenlandesbank Vorarlberg Waren- und Revisionsverband regristrierte Genossenschaft mit beschränkter Haftung and Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI, a large banking group in […]

Seconds out for Monzo tech

Mobile-only challenger bank Monzo has been hit by tech issues for the second time this week. As Banking Technology reported on 6 March, payment outages caused major problems to cardholders and fintech services provides in the UK and internationally – and Monzo was one of the affected firms reporting issues with their payment processor. Today […]

Wirecard brings mobile payment app boon to Apple Pay in Ireland

Wirecard has launched its mobile payment app boon with Apple Pay in Ireland – and the app is “independent from any bank or telecom operator”. After the initial launch to the UK, France and Switzerland, Ireland is the fourth market where people can use boon with Apple Pay. Georg von Waldenfels, EVP consumer solutions with […]

Payments: looking down the regulatory pipeline

In the immediate aftermath of the 2007/8 financial crisis, measures to promote better conduct and improve customer protection and the resilience of the financial system dominated the regulatory agenda. More recently, regulators in many countries have added competition and innovation objectives to their agenda.

Banking Technology March 2017 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.

Atom Bank goes atomic with £113m funding plan

UK challenger bank Atom plans to raise almost £113 million in equity investment to support its ambitions for growth. As Banking Technology reported late last year, Atom opened for all customers in the UK. Its “invitation only” phase is over and people can download the Atom App, both in IoS and Android, and open an […]

DeVere enters international fintech space with Lithuania launch

Financial consultancy firm DeVere Group has taken advantage of Lithuania’s ambitions to attract fintech firms and set up a new office in the capital Vilnius. The Bank of Lithuania, the country’s central bank and regulator, recently issued an electronic money institution licence which made it possible for DeVere to establish its new subsidiary DeVere E-Money. […]

Bots and biometrics: The Mobile World Congress shows the future of payments

Bots, biometrics and wristbands stood out as examples of payments innovation this week at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Judging by the product releases and displays, the future promises to involve more use of fingerprints in payments, and technology that allows quick purchasing from social media, reports Paybefore (Banking Technology‘s sister publication). Payment bots […]

PwC blockchain aims to win Oscar for London insurtech

PwC has created a working blockchain prototype for the London Market Target Operating Model (TOM) Innovation Exchange, as it seeks to use the tech for payments in the specialist insurance market. Completed over a six-week period, the proof of concept (PoC) focuses on “enhancing” interactions between multiple different London Market parties involved in a claims […]

Nordea preps for PSD2 with open banking portal

Nordea has released the first version of its open banking portal targeted towards external developers, as it gets ready for the Payment Services Directive (PSD2) requirements. Currently the site has “limited functionality” but unspecified pilot activities will be conducted through the portal during 2017, in advance of a full launch in Q1 2018. Jarkko Turunen, […]

Crypto Valley launch breathes life into blockchain and cryptography

Switzerland-based Crypto Valley Association has launched as the nation looks to boost its blockchain and cryptographic ecosystem. Headquartered in the Swiss canton of Zug, Crypto Valley is an independent, government-supported association which aims to foster the development of digital technologies in Switzerland and internationally. The association will support start-ups and established enterprises through policy recommendations, […]

INTL FCStone launches world’s first web-based gold trading platform

INTL FCStone Inc’s London-based subsidiary has unveiled its physical trading platform for the global bullion market, PMXecute+. The precious metals division of INTL FCStone Ltd says PMXecute+ allows customers access to its global inventory and network of supply partners. It is also claimed to be the world’s first web-based gold trading platform. Barry Canham, global […]

WIR Bank launches new payment card for SMEs in Switzerland

Switzerland-based WIR Bank has launched a new payment card for domestic SMEs, with tech provided by SIX Payment Services. It combines the existing functions of the proprietary WIRcard and internationally accepted Visa’s V PAY debit card.

First new clearing bank in 250 years enters UK market, ClearBank

As first reported by Banking Technology, there is a newcomer on the UK challenger bank scene, ClearBank. The bank has now gone on the record about its focus and strategy. ClearBank will be a bank for banks, FIs and fintechs, i.e. a clearing bank, offering customers access to UK payment systems and core banking technology to support current account capabilities.

Hiccup for HSBC online banking

HSBC’s online banking went down for several hours today (27 February) – with its business customers particularly affected. The bank tweeted about the issues earlier today. We're experiencing some issues with our online services, we're working to resolve this. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. — HSBC UK (@HSBC_UK) February 27, 2017 Customers trying to access […]

The Monday mindset: 27 February 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, our editor Tanya Andreasyan and deputy editor Antony Peyton look at what’s happened since they joined in February 2016. Like two Hollywood […]

RBS financial mess seeks digital redress

The Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) poor financial results have led to its CEO calling for more cost reductions and a faster digital transformation. The bank reported an operating loss before tax of £4.08 billion for 2016 and an attributable loss of £6.95 billion, which included litigation and conduct costs of £5.86 billion, restructuring costs […]

Input Output goes to uni for blockchain lab

Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK), a blockchain architecture and development start-up, and the UK’s University of Edinburgh, have set up a blockchain technology laboratory within the university’s School of Informatics. The lab will bring together academics and students to collaborate on blockchain research and development with a focus on “industry inspired problems”. IOHK CEO and […]