FinTech


Interview: Vijay Oddiraju, Volante Technologies

In an exclusive interview with Vijay Oddiraju, co-founder and CEO of payments processing software provider Volante Technologies, speaks on the topics of agility, automation and how the ambitious company intends to prosper in the fast moving and competitive world of payments.

IBM teams with big banks for blockchain-powered trade finance platform

Tech giant IBM has partnered with five banks – UBS, Bank of Montreal, CaixaBank, Commerzbank and Erste Group – to launch a blockchain-based trade finance platform. The new platform, called Batavia, is built to be accessed by organisations of all sizes anywhere in the world.

Use the Salesforce Luke… for your retail banking

Salesforce has unleashed “Financial Services Cloud for Retail Banking”, a new application that lets bank employees have a “complete view” of their customers and work collaboratively. New features in the application comprise a retail banking data model and console. This includes all customer data – such as bank accounts and personal identification documents – which […]

Truphone raises $339m to fuel global expansion

What would you do with $339 million? London-based mobile operator Truphone gets to answer that question today as it closes its $339 million (£255 million) private equity round.

What does the new iPhone X mean for mobile banking?

Mobile banking is nothing without mobiles, and as Apple leads the way in innovation it provides opportunities for banks to do things differently too. So, with the launch of the iPhone X, what is next for mobile banking in a world that can’t get enough of phone upgrades?

Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 2 October 2017

Blockchain-based commercial bonds on the Russian market, Bitcoin recognition in Japan and new digital currency in Dubai. Our latest blockchain and Bitcoin round-up features National Settlement Depository, bitFlyer and Dubai Economy. Starting off in Russia, the National Settlement Depository (NSD) has unveiled the first blockchain-based commercial bonds on the Russian market based on Hyperledger Fabric […]

Why financial services should be terrified of dispensing wealth management robo-advice

Robo-advisors are software programmes that provide financial advice with minimal human intervention. Software has been providing advice for half a century, from portfolio management to trading strategies to currency management, and more. The novelty is providing robo-advice direct to consumers. Robo-advice costs less than “bricks & mortar & human” services, hopefully harvesting a bigger market. […]

Wealthtech is coming to the High Street

For those in employed in financial services, technology has always been important – integrated systems for operations and execution have been with us for decades. But to the banking customer at a High Street branch the advances in technology may not be obvious. However, slowly and surely innovations from the fintech sector are filtering down to the mass-market.

Timex and Barclaycard collaborate to create contactless payment watch

Timex and Barclaycard have partnered in true style to produce a new range of contactless payment watches. The Fairfield Contactless promises to be a perfect fusion of style and smart functionality. Coming in at a retail price of £159, it’s all about the leather bPay embedded strap, which brings wearable technology to the wrist. bPay […]

Bring on the money drones

Following testing by Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, to deliver cash to clients using a custom-made drone, the arrival of more frequent cash deliveries by drones look to be just around the corner, with reports suggesting as early as the end of 2017.

Alexa’s footprints are starting to appear all over the place

While Google is doing its impression of a petulant child, storming home from the park with its football tucked under its arm by barring Amazon Echo Show access to YouTube, Amazon has drafted a host of reinforcements for its Alexa offensive, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). For the most part, the majority of the news […]

TCS makes Intel-ligent move for new AI centre

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will set up an artificial intelligence (AI) “Centre of Excellence” (CoE) with Intel as they join the horde hoping to prosper in this highly competitive market. The new AI CoE will be equipped with the usual technologies and experts to assist “Intel Nervana AI Academy” members – including developers, data scientists, […]

R3 and TradeIX plan open account trade finance DLT network

Enterprise software firm R3 and trade finance specialist TradeIX are developing an end-to-end open account trade finance business network which will be powered by TradeIX and R3’s Corda distributed ledger platform. The initiative is a joint undertaking between the duo, and 12 financial institutions including Bangkok Bank, Barclays, BBVA, Bladex, BNP Paribas, Commerzbank, CTBC Bank, […]

Intel unveils self-learning “neuromorphic” AI chip

It might not have totally nailed artificial intelligence (AI) yet, but with its new research project, Loihi, Intel claims to have crossed a bridge which many are still trying to build; on-chip learning, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). In its search for a new growth area, Intel has focused on the burgeoning world of […]

SunTec Xelerates its open banking ambitions

SunTec has unveiled its out-of-the-box open banking solution, offering preset configurations and definitions, through its Xelerate billing system. With the rise of open banking, SunTec wants to join the throng looking to prosper in a very competitive and crowded market. The firm says banks can use the layer to get business value from their APIs […]

White paper: From traditional bank to marketplace bank

Many industries have already been technologically disrupted. Financial services and banking won’t be any different. New digital banking platforms will emerge with an automated, compliant core and a connection layer for all kinds of third party services to tap into. This is API banking, or marketplace banking.

Fintech alliance round-up: 25 September 2017

Move closer, move your fintech body real close, until we feel like we’re really making innovation. Our latest super-friendly fintech alliance round-up features Switzerland and Hong Kong; Japan and Abu Dhabi Global Market; and the UAE loving itself. The State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) under the Swiss Federal Department of Finance and the […]

Tech dominates Interbrand global rankings

Interbrand has released its rankings of the most valuable brands in the world, and the technology sector has a lot to boast about, occupying six of the top ten spots, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). Every now and then we just need a reminder of how important technology is for today’s society. In previous […]

Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 25 September 2017

Exchange traded funds, certification, a rewards network and a new cryptocurrency. Our latest blockchain and Bitcoin round-up features Evolve Funds Group, DNV GL, Deloitte and Codemojo. Evolve Funds Group has filed a preliminary prospectus with the Canadian securities regulators for Canada’s first cryptocurrency exchange traded funds (ETFs), Evolve Bitcoin ETF (aka BITS). “Accessing Bitcoin is […]

Banks going Kodak

When was the last time you visited a bank branch? While the rise of the internet, banking shifted the customer interaction from the branch to the web, the business was still owned and run end-to-end by the bank and at lower cost. For a few years now, the landscape has altered significantly bringing Kodak to […]

How millennials are shaping the future of payments

For the millennial generation, paying for a latte using a contactless card, transferring money to a family member or friend online or buying a pair of trainers with “one click” has become the norm. This generation has not only shaped and driven the payments revolution, but is also playing an active role in developing a lot of the payment technologies emerging today.

State Street unveils Quantextual Idea Lab for investment research

State Street has launched its Quantextual Idea Lab, a hybrid of machine learning and human knowledge, for improved investment research. According to the firm, investment professionals are inundated with research reports from the sell side, the buy side and academia. It reckons financial research teams can produce enough content to consume 24 reams or 12,000 […]

Innovators’ Spotlight: SPENT Money

Rather than being top of wallet, SPENT Money wants to help consumers manage and earn rewards from what’s already there—at least for now.

Fintech funding round-up: 21 September 2017

Following swiftly on from the fintech funding round-up on 19 September, here’s more concise, cash-coated action. Features CivilisedBank, HighRadius, Swirlds and Luno. UK challenger CivilisedBank, which got its banking licence in May, has agreed terms for a further round of funding from current investor Warwick Capital Partners. No more details on that but the bank […]

Are you data breach fatigued?

Data breaches are nothing new – quite the contrary – in fact their very frequency makes it likely that we’re fatigued to the point of indifference by the number of leaks which are surfacing, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). Knowing the value of money is a lesson parents have been teaching children for years, […]

Can money buy friends? Intel is hoping so

Intel has shown its defensive side with a humble-brag that it has invested $1 billion in artificial intelligence (AI). We didn’t realise Intel had to use money to make friends, but each to their own, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). In an editorial piece by CEO Brian Krzanich, Intel has decided to shout at […]

Fintech funding round-up: 19 September 2017

Four stories in one for a fast fintech funding round-up. Features Ellevest, iZettle, GoCardless and MarketInvoice. New York-based fintech Ellevest, led by former Merrill Lynch CEO Sallie Krawcheck, has got itself $34.6 million funding. Ellevest is a bit different from the rest as it was founded to provide an investing experience to “help women meet […]