BBVA joins Fintonic’s lending platform
Crossing PFM functionality with a full lending platform.
Spain
CaixaBank Asset Management selects SimCorp Dimension
To automate investment management processes and workflows.
Banco BNI Europa invests €15m in auto financing start-up Lendrock
Portuguese bank rocks Spanish firm’s world.
First global corporate loan transaction on blockchain completed by BBVA and Indra
The pilot enabled the closing of a €75 million loan using a DLT-based solution.
Openbank extends Temenos deal to wealthtech
Openbank has extended its contract with Temenos to include the latter’s wealthtech offering.
Deutsche Bank Spain turns to FinReach for digital account switching
Who dares wins with SaaS.
Case study: BBVA – salute the speed
Talk and action – chatbots and artificial intelligence (AI) in practice.
Digital bank bunq launches Apple Pay; comes to Italy and Spain
bunq is expanding into Spain and Italy, and has also introduced Apple Pay, the first in the Netherlands.
CaixaBank and Visa take it up a watch with Garmin Pay
Watch out fintech folks, Spain gets a wearable look.
Santander and Ripple to launch blockchain-based consumer payments
Santander will launch DLT-based international payments for retail customers in Spain, Brazil, Poland and the UK.
Spanish fintech Finect raises capital as BME takes minority stake
Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME) bought a 9.7% stake in Spanish fintech Finect for under €1 million.
FinReach extends digital reach to Austria and Spain
German digital account exchange provider FinReach has expanded into Austria and Spain – meaning its service is now used by over 500 banks in three countries. In Austria, FinReach has partnered with, amongst others, banking group Raiffeisen Austria, which includes 434 banks and has 1.7 million customers. In terms of the Spanish market, Self Bank, […]
IberCaja turns to Meniga for personalised digital banking
Spanish bank IberCaja has implemented and integrated Meniga’s digital banking solution into its core systems for real-time customer data processing. According to Meniga, it is the first personal finance software provider that IberCaja has partnered with as part of its digital revamp. Victor Iglesias CEO at IberCaja, says the agreement is an “important milestone in […]
Alastria blockchain consortium springs up in Spain
A variety of Spanish banking, energy and telecommunications companies have established Alastria, the “world’s first regulated national network based on blockchain”. The non-profit consortium will develop distributed ledger technology (DLT), which it believes is “set to become the new data exchange ecosystem”. As reported in May, the group created Red Lyra, the “first multisector technology […]
Openbank goes for Temenos T24 core banking system
Openbank, a digital banking subsidiary of Santander, has made its new core banking system decision – the bank has opted for Temenos T24. Infosys with its Finacle offering lost out in the final.
Crowdfunding platform OurCrowd moves into Spain
Israeli equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd has furthered its global expansion by opening an office in Spain, reports Julie Muhn at Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). The company’s founder and CEO Jon Medved has identified Spain and the Iberian region as one of OurCrowd’s “priority markets” since Madrid is in the heart of Europe and a gateway […]
Banco Santander makes Mioti move for IoT education
Banco Santander, through Santander Universities and Fundación Universia, will work with internet of things (IoT) institute Mioti to provide training grants and courses in the growing IoT sector. Madrid-based Mioti, “the first 100% IoT institute in Spain”, is a place for companies, entrepreneurs and start-ups to develop their ideas. Banco Santander becomes one of four […]
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 […]
Openbank step closer to new core banking system decision
EXCLUSIVE: Openbank, a digital bank in Spain (and part of Santander) is believed to be in the concluding stages of its core banking system selection.
BBVA warns of “dangerous bubble” for blockchain ICOs
BBVA reckons the fever for initial coin offerings (ICOs) in blockchain must be cooled as the industry is facing a “dangerous bubble” driven by speculation. ICOs are a common story in fintech at present and they allow small businesses to reach a large audience via blockchain and cryptocurrencies. (And BBVA has its own interest in […]
Vipera acquires SoftTelecom for $1.5m
Mobile financial services company Vipera is acquiring SoftTelecom. The deal is expected to close for $1.5 million (€1.3 million).
Alipay comes to Spain with BBVA
BBVA has signed an agreement with Chinese tech giant Ant Financial to enable Chinese tourists to pay in Spanish stores using the Alipay mobile wallet. BBVA is the first Spanish financial institution to be working with Alipay.
Spain’s first fully digital bank Openbank in major transformation
Openbank, a subsidiary of Spain’s banking giant Santander, has undergone an enterprise-wide overhaul, from products and services, to technology, to corporate culture, to new branding.
Top fintech stories this week – 2 June 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Spain seeks fintech stardom with Red Lyra blockchain network
A consortium of Spanish companies has created Red Lyra, the “first multisector technology platform in the world based on blockchain”. Lyra comprises fintech and non-fintech companies, professionals, and experts in blockchain. Its founding members include Banco Sabadell, Banco Santander, Bankia, BBVA, Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME) and consulting firm Grant Thornton. In fact, just last […]
Cecabank and Grant Thornton create Spain’s first blockchain banking consortium
Spanish wholesale bank Cecabank and consulting firm Grant Thornton have created the first blockchain consortium in Spain. Called Blockchain Banking Consortium, the project intends to progressively develop the potential of blockchain in the financial sector, and according to the pair it presently comprises 33% of the Spanish banking sector. Luis Pastor, Grant Thornton technology and […]
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”.
Payments innovation reigns in Spain with CaixaBank hub
CaixaBank, Global Payments, Visa, Samsung and BNP Paribas’ subsidiary Arval have joined forces to set up Spain’s “first” payment innovation hub. The objective behind the hub is to “present society with the best possible user experiences in purchases and commerce, both online and offline”. The centre, which will be located in Barcelona, will specialise in […]
Banco Sabadell in regtech project with AxiomSL
Risk management and regulatory reporting software vendor AxiomSL has been selected by Banco Sabadell.
Bankia Fintech accelerator opens up for fintech start-ups
Bankia Fintech by Innsomnia, the “first” incubator and accelerator in Spain, is calling for start-ups to submit applications. Spanish bank Bankia and Valencia-based fintech firm Innsomnia have teamed up, and are looking for five ideas, start-ups or spin-offs of consolidated companies to develop their activities in almost every area of the fintech industry. Jose Ignacio […]
ING cans Twyp mobile payments app in the Netherlands, but keeps it going in Spain
ING is pulling a plug on its peer-to-peer (P2P) mobile payments app, Twyp, in the Netherlands due to the lack of customer uptake. However, the app will continue to function in Spain.
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 […]
Spain’s Caixa Bank launches mobile-only bank aimed at Millennials
CaixaBank is launching imaginBank, Spain’s first mobile-only bank providing banking services exclusively through mobile apps and social networks.
LCH. Clearnet expands to Spanish Equities on BATS Chi-X, Turquoise & Traiana
LCH. Clearnet is to begin offering clearing clearing services for Spanish securities executed on BATS Chi-X, Turquoise and Traiana from Monday 7 September 2015, subject to regulatory approval. The new service, which introduces interoperability for the market segment will operate under the existing Title V settlement framework until the revised dates have been published by Iberclear […]
EY focuses on Big Data in finance at Madrid innovation centre
A new global innovation centre in Madrid promises to illuminate the uses of Big Data for banks and financial institutions. Built by EY (formerly Ernst & Young), the centre is part of a $500 million investment in analytics by the company.
Spain’s BME opens high-speed London trading link
Spain’s BME is poised to open a new trading route from London to Madrid, which it says will increase the speed of access to the Spanish stock market for investors in London.
Spain braces for major post-trade overhaul
Dramatic reforms to the post-trade environment in Spain are poised to change the way trades are settled, as one of Europe’s top five markets prepares to open an equities CCP for the first time next year.
CaixaBank launches Gemalto-powered NFC mobile payment wristband
CaixaBank, one of Spain’s largest banks, has moved into the wearable payment technology space with the launch of an NFC-enabled wristband capable of making contactless payments. Security vendor Gemalto has supplied its Optelio Contactless MiniTag, which links the wristband to the user’s existing payment card.
Next Bank Europe plots disruptive ‘hackathon’ in Barcelona
Spanish start-up support organisation Finnovista is hosting a ‘hackathon’ in Barcelona next month which it says will bring together programmers, designers and business people to develop new software for retail banking, capital markets, payments and big data.
CaixaBank targets Brazilian payments market
Spain’s CaixaBank is planning to target Brazil’s payments industry via a new joint venture with US transaction processing firm Global Payments that builds on the bank’s experience of digital channels its home market.
