SAP invests €2bn for French fintech innovation ASAP
Its areas of interest include cloud, machine learning, blockchain, IoT and SaaS.
France
UK and France governments strike accord for fintech innovation
Tech sectors plan to get closer together with a digital conference to promote deeper integration.
BPCE targets revenue growth with €600m digital revamp
BPCE, the second largest banking group in France, is seeking revenue growth and expansion with a new €600 million “TEC 2020” digital transformation plan.
Moneythor supplies PFM tech to Orange Bank
Moneythor, a Singapore-based fintech firm, has deployed its digital banking toolkit and personalisation engine at France’s new mobile bank, Orange.
SocGen to cut jobs and close branches in 2020 plan
Société Générale has unveiled plans to cut costs and push itself forward towards digital banking – translation: the closure of branches and job cuts in France by 2020.
Wirecard provides paytech to Orange Bank
France’s latest mobile bank, Orange Bank, is getting its mobile payment and banking services underpinned by Wirecard. The paytech vendor says it is providing “all the technical components integrated into the Orange Bank platform to manage their mobile payments”.
Orange finally peels open mobile-only bank
French telecoms firm Orange has launched its delayed mobile-only bank as it looks to tap into its current customer base. As Banking Technology reported in January 2016, Orange outlined its plans for a new bank. While in April 2016, it made a significant stride in its mobile banking ambitions by acquiring a majority stake in […]
Infographic: the world’s most cashless countries
What countries among the 20 largest economies are adapting quickest to using cashless systems like phones and contactless cards? New research (and nifty infographics) from global trading site Forex Bonuses reveals that Canada takes the top spot, narrowly edging out Sweden for the top position.
Webhelp acquires regtech firm GreenPoint
Webhelp, a Paris-based customer experience and business process outsourcing (BPO) firm, has acquired fellow French tech company GreenPoint.
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 […]
Orange puts bank on hold as it struggles to get it right
Orange has put the brakes on its ambitious plans to venture into the world of mobile banking after finding the proposition doesn’t quite meet the standards.
mBank moves into fintech vendor space with new digital banking system
Poland-based mBank has started to license its mobile and online banking system to other financial institutions outside Poland. The first taker is La Banque Postale (LBP) in France. The implementation will be carried out with the help of Accenture, mBank’s “strategic partner”. Alice Holzman, director of digital at LBP and lead of the bank’s New […]
Natixis Asset Management to test blockchain with FundsDLT
Natixis Asset Management has started testing the FundsDLT blockchain-powered platform for fund managers. The FundsDLT concept, announced last December in Luxembourg, is a collaboration between Fundsquare, IT firm InTech and KPMG Luxembourg. The platform will enable asset managers to sell funds through a new distribution channel, while doing all the other usual blockchain stuff – […]
Moneythor at heart of Crédit Mutuel Arkéa’s fintech start-up
French bank Crédit Mutuel Arkéa has chosen Moneythor’s analytical engine to be at the heart of “Max”, a personal finance assistant app for its new start-up Nouvelle Vague. Max is a mobile-only initiative of Nouvelle Vague, which operates in several cities in France (Paris, Bordeaux, Brest, Rennes etc). It will be available on 1 September […]
Travelex preps new challenger bank Ditto for launch
New banks are appearing at the double – and Ditto, a France-based mobile-driven multi-currency bank, is the latest one getting ready to launch. Ditto, which is backed by foreign exchange company Travelex, has been built from scratch over the last two years and is “managed as a separate entity” from Travelex. Ditto is based on […]
Put a SocGen in it for Euronext’s new fund investment model
Societe Generale Securities Services (SGSS) is contributing to a new model, Euronext Fund Service, to help investments in funds for domestic and international investors. Launched by Euronext and available from 15 May 2017, this new service will enable institutional and retail investors to place subscription/redemption orders, in a “simplified and automated manner”, through their brokers […]
Al Khaliji France moves to new core banking system, Temenos’ T24
Al Khaliji France, a Paris-based subsidiary of Qatar’s Al Khaliji Bank, has gone live with a new core banking platform, Temenos’ T24, at its branches in the UAE.
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 […]
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.
BNP Paribas to buy 95% stake in French digital bank Compte-Nickel
BNP Paribas is buying a 95% stake in Financière des Paiements Électroniques (FPE), which provides the digital-only bank Compte-Nickel. BNP Paribas wants to tap into Compte-Nickel’s growth – citing its 540,000 accounts opened over the past three years and that a new account is being opened in France every 30 seconds. Compte-Nickel also offers real-time […]
Singapore and France boost fintech ties
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has signed agreements with France’s Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR) and the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) to enhance fintech co-operation between both countries. ACPR is responsible for supervising the banking and insurance sectors in France, while AMF is an independent public authority responsible for ensuring […]
Rakuten Europe Bank opens for business with Temenos front-to-back office tech
Luxembourg-based Rakuten Europe Bank, a subsidiary of Japan’s e-commerce and internet company, Rakuten, has gone live with Temenos’ T24 core banking system and Temenos Connect for digital channels.
AnaCap to acquire Barclays’ French retail banking & wealth management ops, complete IT overhaul planned
AnaCap Financial Partners, a UK-based private equity firm, is set to acquire Barclays’ French retail banking business, life insurance business, wealth and investment management and brokerage operations.
Banque de France to modernise payments tech with Sopra Banking Software
Banque de France’s banking services department has embarked on a major technology overhaul programme. It will work with a domestic software provider on this project, Sopra Banking Software, which is part of the Sopra Steria group.
Macif Group in major IT overhaul with NeoXam
Macif Group is revamping its investment administration and accounting tech, and has selected NeoXam to assist with the project. It will help implement the new software and will also host it.
Apple Pay launches in France
Apple Pay is now available in France – with Visa debit and credit cardholders from Banque Populaire et Caisse d’Epargne (BPCE group) getting immediate access. Apple Pay can be used to touch and pay wherever Visa contactless payment is accepted. Visa says France already has over 400,000 merchant locations live with contactless payment today (19 […]
Exane signs for Simcorp Dimension investment management platform
Simcorp is implementing its flagship investment management system, Simcorp Dimension, at Exane to support its middle and back office ops for listed and OTC derivatives. Paris-based Exane is an independent investment firm that focuses on asset management, derivatives and brokerage in cash equities. Exane has been running a number of disparate systems and decided to […]
Central banks of Spain and France late with Calypso tech project
Banque de France and Banco de España are running late with their implementation of a new treasury and capital markets (TCM) system, Banking Technology understands. The two banks jointly opted for a new solution in 2013/14. It is understood that Calypso was chosen to replace a host of legacy technology, including Wallstreet Suite from Wall […]
Rudi Collin named head of Digital Transformation at BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas Corporate and Institutional Banking (CIB) has announced that it has appointed Rudi Collin as Head of Digital Transformation for CIB. Previously Collin was head of Electronic Business and Markets for the Global Markets business and prior to this, was chief operating officer for the fixed income division of the bank. In his new role, […]
Orange to launch mobile-only bank in 2017
French telecoms firm Orange is to create a new bank called Orange Bank together with French insurer Groupama, in a move the two firms say will help to break open the banking market using mobile phone technology.
Orange and Visa Europe launch Orange mobile wallet in France
Orange and Visa Europe have launched a new mobile wallet service called Orange cash in the French cities of Caen and Strasbourg, making Orange the first mobile network operator in France to offer mobile contactless payments to its customers.
Euronext launches foreign open-ended funds in Paris
European exchange group Euronext is planning to begin trading active open-end funds on its Paris market following a legislative decree in France allowing the funds to be traded on exchanges or MTFs.
France’s railway network adopts mobile payments
French railway operator SNCF has adopted a mobile payments system from Californian tech firm VeriFone Systems, which allows customers to pay for railway tickets using a mobile device.
Euroclear moves France, Netherlands and Belgium to T+2 settlement
Securities trading in France, the Netherlands and Belgium is to move to T+2 settlement in October 2014, following a decision by Euroclear to pre-empt Europe-wide settlement reforms.
SBP selects Avaloq Banking System for French operations
SwissLife Banque Privée is to implement the Avaloq Banking System at its French operation, which was established last year.
New research slams “cynical” financial transaction tax
The imposition of a financial transaction tax in Italy on Friday has prompted condemnation from senior financial market observers, who are warning that the new rules could tip Europe into a liquidity drought that will damage banks and asset managers, punish traditional market participants and encourage a slide away from equities towards other asset classes.
Sentenial poaches Logica CGI payment solutions chief Arens
Payments specialist Sentenial has hired former Logica CGI sales director Jean-Pierre Arens to head up its efforts in France, as the Irish firm expands its ambitions across Europe.
MiFID II faces national challenges
Proposals in Germany that would affect the country’s capital market structure could create problems of regulatory arbitrage when the European Commission’s MiFID II arrives in 2015-16, according to Mark Spanbroek, general secretary at the FIA European Principal Traders Association.
French regulator raises temperature of debate in London
A heated argument that erupted between panellists at an event in London yesterday signals deep divides in Europe over the role that financial regulators should take as France and Germany introduce their own national rules.
