Daily News at Sibos 2016 – Day 1
Read our first Daily News at Sibos edition of the Sibos 2016 conference in Geneva – all the latest news and analysis from Swift’s premier event of the year.
Worldwide
PayCommerce launches instant cross-border payments, clearing and settlement scheme
Join the consortium. PayCommerce, an open cross-border payments network, has launched an instant cross-border payment, clearing and integrated settlement programme for global banks.
New SaaS tech delivery – Form3 Financial Cloud – launched for UK banks and FIs
Start-up Form3 Financial Cloud will offer payment and core banking solutions through a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model. These are the Dovetail payments system and a new core banking system recently launched by Thought Machine.
Clearing and settlement: a moving target
Momentum is building behind the T2S securities settlement system as it gains critical mass. While expected benefits and outcomes have not fully materialised, the unexpected benefits have captured the imagination of the post-trade industry.
Interview: Martin Coen, CEO of Dovetail
Payments software vendor Dovetail is one of the very few independent fintech beacons in the industry, having not fallen into the hands of a large tech conglomerate. The company pioneered the concept of a “payment services hub” – before analysts coined the term – and has maintained double digit growth over the last decade. So what’s next? Banking Technology talks to Martin Coen, Dovetail’s CEO.
Doing regtech right
Regulation is likely to be a hot topic at Sibos, both inside and outside of conference sessions. We assesses the main regulatory themes for this year’s event.
Security: survival of the fittest
The threat of cybercrime shows no sign of diminishing any time soon, but to what extent can market infrastructures and financial institutions protect themselves against hacking attacks?
Custodians urged to take up SSI challenge
Custodians are being urged to adopt a standardised utility model for the management of standing settlement instructions (SSIs) to resolve ongoing challenges such as high costs and risks for buy-side firms.
When the ground is moving, banks need to shift to a smarter platform
The tectonic plates of the banking sector are shifting faster than ever. High street banks are under stress from the massive competitive threats generated by their leaner, technology-driven fintech rivals and challenger banks. These fintech companies are finding success simply by being more efficient or by taking advantage of emerging and highly effective technologies such […]
Big banks swell Ripple’s new blockchain payments group
Ripple has created the “first” interbank group for global payments based on distributed financial technology – aka blockchain. Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML), Santander, UniCredit, Standard Chartered, Westpac Banking Corporation, and Royal Bank of Canada are the founding members of the network, known as the Global Payments Steering Group (GPSG). CIBC will also join […]
Webinar: Building Your Bank’s Mobile Payment Strategy
Apple Pay, Google Wallet, voice payment, payment in messaging apps, Bitcoin, merchant-led solutions, bank-owned solutions. Payment options — driven by a whirlwind of new technology and shifting consumer preferences — are changing. And banking executives are faced with sorting out if and how to respond with a mobile payment strategy that aligns to their banks […]
Nordic payments firm Nets to IPO
Nordic payments firm Nets has successfully IPO-ed on Nasdaq Copenhagen Exchange the tune of DKK 30 billion ($4.5 billion).
NAB completes successful international money transfer using blockchain
National Australia Bank (NAB) says it has successfully transferred AU$10 ($7.6) – using Ripple’s blockchain tech – from Australia to Canada. It took ten seconds to process.
Top fintech stories this week – 23 September 2016
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! Harrods Bank in search of new core banking system EXCLUSIVE. The FIS Profile project is dead. Long live a new project! Deutsche Bank GTB builds new payments platform EXCLUSIVE. Dovetail to deliver? Misys unveils Platform-as-a-Service strategy Opens up […]
Sibos 2016: entertainment guide
Sibos 2016 will be held in Geneva on 26-29 September. What to do in the city, where to eat and drink, and, importantly, how to get to and from the airport and around Geneva – Banking Technology has it all summed up for you. Useful links, contact details and to-the-point reviews. See you there! A conventional city […]
Viewpoint: Europe’s Startling Response to Interchange Regulation
Since the EU imposed interchange decreases in December, issuers have reduced rewards and increased fees. What might the future hold? Building ways to monetize the vast amounts of data at issuers’ disposal.
Viewpoint: What Tipping Means For EMV
As the U.S. payments industry marks the first year of the EMV rollout, questions abound about the spread and use of the technology. Among the concerns is how restaurants will handle tipping.
Viewpoint: Why Fintechs Want More Regulation
As regulators increase their focus on financial technology firms, some of those companies are eager to welcome more rules, which could lead to less expensive and complicated businesses. Much depends on one fintech’s application before U.S. regulators for a national charter.
Does the bank branch still matter?
The number of branches operated by major banking groups in the UK has halved over the last 20 years. In fact, Britain’s banks closed more than 600 branches across the UK between April 2015 and April 2016. This is hardly surprising as more and more people move online, often mobile-first, to complete most of their […]
Readers’ Choice Awards 2016 shortlist unveiled
We are pleased to unveil our Readers’ Choice Awards shortlist, as voted by our broad international audience of bankers and financial services professionals.
Technology is galloping ahead. Time for IT to play catch up.
The technology era has come with its new aesthetic, economic models and philosophy about the meaning of value. It is not going away. And the people who thought economics was theirs to define and aesthetic and values were “hobbies” have a lot of catching up to do. That catching up is your hottest technology trend of 2017.
Fintech funding round-up: 21 September 2016
Too many words can be absurd. A round-up of some key events in fintech funding. UK payments start-up Curve has announced a further tranche of fundraising taking its total investment to $5 million. The firm says this puts it on a “trajectory for a sizeable” Series A round by the end of December ahead of […]
Visa Amps up Authentication Tools
Enhancements are coming to Visa’s Verified by Visa (VbV) online authentication service, and the 3-D Secure messaging protocol on which it’s based, the payment network announced Sept. 20.
Grab Nabs $750 Million in Latest Funding Round, Will Focus on Indonesia
Singapore-based ride-hailing platform Grab has raised U.S. $750 million in financing, increasing its total capital to more than $1 billion, and will use the funds to expand its transportation services throughout Southeast Asia, the company announced Sept. 20. Grab, which offers private car, motorbike, taxi and carpooling services in six countries and 31 cities in Southeast Asia, also will also use the capital to invest in its GrabPay mobile payments platform.
Mastercard Litigation Could Provide Example for Future U.K. Class Actions
One of the U.K.’s first-ever class action lawsuits is targeting Mastercard, providing a potential preview of future class actions in the country. The case stems from a 2007 finding by the European Union (EU) Commission that the network’s interchange fees were too high, in breach of EU rules.
Samsung Offers Payments via Consumers’ Eyes
Samsung wants to enable consumers to pay with their eyes. The latest update to the company’s Samsung Pay mobile wallet will include a feature that will allow payments via iris scans of consumers’ eyes, according to a Samsung spokesman.
Report: Contactless POS Terminal Transactions to Reach $500 billion in 2017
Contactless POS terminal transactions made in-store using cards, mobile devices or wearables will total approximately $500 billion annually by next year, an increase from roughly $321 billion in 2016, according to a recent study by Juniper Research.
JP Morgan Chase invests in InvestCloud for digital wealth management
JP Morgan Chase and InvestCloud, a California-based fintech firm, are partnering to develop digital capabilities for individual investors at both the JP Morgan and Chase franchises. JP Morgan has also made an equity investment in InvestCloud, but hasn’t revealed the figures. This investment is just one part of JP Morgan’s three-year $300 million digital strategy […]
Computer Scientist Cracks Security of Phone Model Used in San Bernardino Shooting
A computer scientist appears to have broken Apple’s iPhone security by simply opening the phone and replacing the main memory chip with a cloned version. As long as the researcher kept switching the chips, it allowed an unlimited number of password attempts. The researcher said that the technique, which is known and referred to as Nand mirroring, cracked a 4-digit code in 40 hours and a 6-digit code in “hundreds of hours.”
Mastercard and Stripe Enable Quicker Payments
Mastercard on Sept. 19 revealed a deal with Stripe to speed up payments via Mastercard Send, a platform enabling the rapid transfer and receipt of funds by businesses, merchants, governments, nonprofits, card issuers and consumers.
New Cybersecurity Rules on the Way in New York
The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has proposed new regulations designed to protect against the rising threat of cybercrime targeting financial systems and consumer data. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled the plan, which would require banks, insurance companies and other financial services providers regulated by the NYDFS to establish a cybersecurity plan that meets standards set by the agency.
Manhattan Judge Latest to Rule that Bitcoin Is Money
In a Sept. 19 ruling in a case over a cyberattacks against JPMorgan Chase and others, a federal judge became the latest to declare that bitcoin qualifies as legal tender. Manhattan District Court Judge Alison Nathan rejected an attempt by Anthony Murgio to dismiss charges that the bitcoin exchange he operated was an unlicensed money transmitting business.
New banking platform for MFIs in Nepal
34 microfinance entities in Nepal have joined forces to set up a fintech company – Nepal Finsoft – to build and maintain a shared core banking platform.
New cash and liquidity management system at Bank Mendes Gans
A Dutch international cash management services specialist, Bank Mendes Gans (BMG), is implementing a new cash and liquidity management system, SmartStream’s Corona. It will go live in Q4 2016, managing BMG’s 500,000 transactions per month.
Misys unveils Platform-as-a-Service strategy, opens up core platforms for third parties
Following the launch of Misys’ applications in the cloud – FinCloud – earlier this year, the banking software vendor has unveiled its new Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) strategy, FusionFabric.cloud. It will be commercially available next year.
Synechron launches cloud-based blockchain accelerator programme
Financial services IT consultancy Synechron has launched six blockchain applications in the cloud, enabling financial institutions “to be up-and-running on a blockchain network or in a ‘sandbox’ environment within weeks”. Synechron says its offering comes with consulting services on the functional and technical side, training programmes as well as the UX design. The applications use […]
Deutsche Bank has an Axel Springer in its step for start-ups
Deutsche Bank is partnering with start-up accelerator Axel Springer Plug and Play to select, develop and finance up-and-coming firms from sectors such as banking and insurance. Deutsche Bank will be an exclusive Axel Springer Plug and Play partner – the latter a joint venture between the media company Axel Springer and California-based Plug and Play […]
MIT Project Indicates Bitcoin Unpopular Form of Payment with Students
If the student body at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is any indication, it will be some time before bitcoin becomes a common form of payment. A study that began more than two years ago indicates that students preferred to pay with cash, payment cards or mobile wallet apps over the decentralized virtual currency.
Bank of England to Update Settlement Technology
The Bank of England, hoping to better fend off cyber-attacks and better serve smaller financial services providers, will upgrade its Real-Time Gross Settlement system. The system, which handles transactions worth about $659 billion per day, will undergo a “comprehensive rebuild” by 2020, according to a provisional goal issued by the bank.
Curve Nets Investment to Fuel Growth
London-based finech startup Curve continues to ramp up toward a full launch, landing £2 million (roughly U.S. $2.6 million) in post-seed investment, which the company said it’s hoping will lead to a larger Series A round later this year. Curve offers a physical smart card equipped with chip-and-PIN, magstripe and NFC technology.
