FinTech


Finleap and Mohan launch Burnmark

Berlin-based fintech incubator FinLeap has teamed up with fintech analyst Devie Mohan to launch Burnmark, an independent research company focusing on trends in the financial technology industry. Finleap will support Burnmark with network, knowhow and research capabilities. Mohan works closely with traditional banks, consulting firms, innovation teams, start-up accelerators and investors, advising them on fintech […]

Thomson Reuters launches new blockchain tech for developers

Thomson Reuters has launched BlockOne ID to let developers build applications in a controlled environment with blockchain. BlockOne ID (for Ethereum) is an experimental user-entitlement framework through which decentralised app (DApp) owners can manage access to their blockchain contracts. Thomson Reuters says it uses traditional methods to authenticate users and provides a mechanism for DApp […]

Swift smart modules seek stronger security

Swift has published a series of eLearning modules as it ramps up its cybersecurity defences in the face of hacking threats. The SwiftSmart modules will help its customers operate their Swift environment “securely and in-line with best practice”. The move is also a “critical part” of its Customer Security Programme launched in May 2016. That […]

HSBC hits $100bn mobile payments mark for corporates

There’s glee and a spending spree for HSBC as over $100 billion in mobile payments have been made by its corporate customers. The bank says the $100 billion sum was authorised globally through the HSBCnet mobile corporate banking platform since its launch in 2011. The total transaction value of mobile payments has more than doubled […]

Can banking “catch” the Pokémon bug?

Pokémon Go has taken the globe by storm, capturing the hearts and minds of adults and children alike in their endeavours to “catch ‘em all” in the latest version of the popular computer game, which builds cutting edge augmented reality (AR) technology into its original gameplay. What can banks learn from it?

IBM Watson learns compliance in Promontory purchase

IBM plans to acquire Promontory Financial Group, a risk management and regulatory compliance consulting firm, to boost IBM Watson’s cognitive technology. Upon close of the deal, Promontory’s employees will train Watson, which will learn by “continuously ingesting regulatory information as it is created and through interaction in real-world applications”. Bridget van Kralingen, senior vice-president, IBM […]

Top fintech stories this week – 30 September 2016

Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place – and all with a Sibos touch! Blockchain: be ready to ‘fail fast and fail cheap’ Wouldn’t it be better to succeed in the first place? Innotribe plots rise of new fintech hubs A tribe calling for a […]

Daily News at Sibos 2016 – Day 4

Read our fourth and final 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. Free to read online or pick up a complimentary print copy if you are at Sibos!

Ericsson rolls out mobile remittance in emerging markets

Ericsson has joined forces with HomeSend, a joint venture between Mastercard, eServGlobal and Bics that focuses on mobile money remittances in emerging markets. Ericsson’s digital wallet, Ericsson Wallet Platform, is now HomeSend Certified. The product has access to HomeSend’s network of money transfer operators, cash agents and banks in more than 200 countries. Peter Heuman, […]

Sberbank goes blockchain with Hyperledger Project

Sberbank and the Linux Foundation have entered into an agreement on the bank’s participation in the Hyperledger Project. The deal was signed at the Sibos conference in Geneva and Lev Khasis, first deputy chairman of the executive board of Sberbank, said the new development with Hyperledger, and its open source platform based on blockchain, offered “access to […]

Digitising Azerbaijan

The International Bank of Azerbaijan has partnered with Backbase to implement its omnichannel digital banking platform. With the platform, the bank will be able to provide its products and services to customers through multiple channels synchronously, creating a single multimodal touch point. The contract was signed yesterday onsite at Sibos at Backbone’s booth, between Jouk […]

Sibos 2016: collaboration will energise ISO 20022

To drive ISO 20022 adoption, the industry is calling for collaboration and for those with the ‘right stuff’ to lead the way. A panel yesterday, ISO 20022 market practice developments, gave a global view of the status of ISO 20022 in the payments and securities markets. Gerard Smith, director collateral services at LCH.Clearnet, said the […]

Blockchain: be ready to ‘fail fast and fail cheap’

Correspondent bankers have been advised to “fail fast and fail cheap” when it comes to blockchain technology. During the Blockchain and correspondent banking – The way to go? session yesterday, a panel explored the possible use cases and barriers to adoption of blockchain technology – one of the most talked about technologies at this year’s […]

Meeting hackers head-on

Online hacks are rapidly replacing the bank heists of old. With banks increasingly at risk, early threat detection is imperative. Eleonore Fournier-Tombs* explains how banks can protect themselves. In a climactic conclusion to an insider threat story that has been developing since 2015, Morgan Stanley agreed to pay a fine of $1 million to the […]

Innotribe plots rise of new fintech hubs

A decade ago, cities fought to be financial hubs; today they fight to be financial technology (fintech) hubs. While London, New York and Silicon Valley claim strong status as fintech hubs, Sibos has proved that there are plenty of emergent centres snapping at their heels. Innotribe’s Startup Challenge, which brings fintech companies to the attention […]

Financial technology: gathering speed

Financial regulators globally are putting pressure on financial institutions to move to real-time solutions in both retail and wholesale banking. Advances in technology and a desire by regulators to reduce risks in the financial system are driving the trend. Discussions about real time technology and solutions span the banking world at this year’s Sibos. While […]

Blockchain and DLT a slow burn for CSDs

Blockchain innovation for central securities depositories (CSDs) is a slow burn and one that can divide opinion. During the Innovation in CSD space: What about distributed ledger technology? session yesterday, some panellists argued that the technology would hail the end of CSDs while others said there would be no revolution, just a “natural evolution” of […]

Sibos 2016 & innovation: crossing the next frontier

There has been a huge amount of hype at this year’s Sibos about financial technology and its role in financial services. Devie Mohan* looks at the technologies that will help financial institutions cross the next frontier of innovation. The world of financial technology has seen a clear and significant shift in the past year – […]

‘People-centric’ Palestine Bank debuts

Bank of Palestine debuted at Sibos this year with a colourful booth and much interest from Sibos delegates. “We have been attending Sibos for many years as delegates and as our delegation grew from two or three people to bigger numbers, we decided to have a stand,” said Hashim Shawa, chairman and general manager of […]

Sibos 2016: central banks must innovate to stay relevant

If central banks want to retain a large share of payments in central bank money, they must innovate, said Andrew Hauser, executive director for banking, payments and financial resilience, Bank of England (BOE). Speaking during the Towards a single platform for all payments session, he said BOE consultation on a refresh of its real time […]

Seize the ‘cognitive business model’ to win the digital race

An era of “unprecedented change” is happening, driven by new regulation and technology, Ginni Rometty, chief executive of IBM, said during a plenary address, Cognitive Business and the Future of Financial Services. “There is a moment of opportunity if you choose to seize it,” she said, referencing artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, big data and […]

Daily News at Sibos 2016 – Day 3

Read our third 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. Free to read online or pick up a complimentary print copy if you are at Sibos!

Lower cost is key benefit of blockchain

Blockchain technology has the potential to help ease banks’ profitability pressures, particularly in Europe’s negative interest rate environment, an audience was told at an offsite briefing yesterday morning. Patrick Laurent, a partner at Deloitte, told delegates at a breakfast meeting organised by Temenos that companies such as Ripple had already developed blockchain solutions that could […]

Blockchain: the theme for 2016

Blockchain and distributed technology have been hot topics at Sibos this year, with a raft of announcements from banks and fintechs alike. One of the areas identified as of most promise is trade finance – an area of banking that is rife with paper-based processes.

CMB inks Obor deal with Standard Chartered

Standard Chartered Bank has entered into a One Belt One Road (Obor) strategic alliance with China Merchants Bank (CMB) to accelerate the Belt and Road initiative and help promote economic growth and regional cooperation for countries along the Road. Obor is a development strategy and framework that focuses on connectivity and cooperation among countries, primarily […]

Sibos 2016: Innotribe Industry Challenge – results

Innotribe’s Industry Challenge – the results of which have been just unveiled – was all about blockchain and disruptive technologies. Three star-ups won the challenge to introduce blockchain to the securities sector: SmartContract, Rise and Coin Sciences.

Swift GPI hailed a success by trial banks

A pilot project to prove the concept of Swift’s Global Payments Innovation (GPI) initiative has been hailed a success and has cleared the way for a go-live of the service in early 2017. Swift has been piloting the GPI with 21 banks, including Nordea, Citi, Bank of China and Intesa Sanpaolo since February – all […]

Artificial intelligence: mind games

Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t new but the rise of mobile and cloud computing, combined with big data and cheap computing power, is driving a resurgence. Convergent technologies mean AI is finding new uses in financial services.

Swift issues plea to collaborate in fight against cybercrime

It is vital that the Swift community learns from cyber attacks and strengthens cooperation, delegates were told yesterday. Chief technology officer (CTO) of Swift, Craig Young, said such attacks were increasing in number and sophistication across all industries. Marco Gercke, director of the Cybercrime Research Institute, said: “The financial industry is lacking co-operation. I know […]

Equiniti launches new solutions

It’s a fintech double as Equiniti has developed a digital banking platform and launched a mobile biometric authentication and identity lifecycle solution.

Digitising the transaction banking world

In the aftermath of the financial crisis, transaction banking was considered a reliable source of income for global banking groups. But nearly a decade on, multiple factors are putting pressure on transaction banks’ revenues. This year’s World Payments Report suggests banks increase their investments in digital solutions to offer more compelling propositions to their corporate treasury clients.

Research energises the modernisation journey in Canada

Canada is one of many countries around the world striving to make payments fast, frictionless and data rich. The country’s approach to payments system modernisation is rooted in collaboration and research, with an eye to the international experience and a deep dive into the needs and capabilities of the Canadian market, including an investigation into blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

ACI Worldwide and Vocalink team up for real-time payments push

ACI Worldwide and Vocalink have joined forces “to offer a complete end-to-end immediate payments solution to launch a domestic or regional immediate payments network”. The partnership will combine Vocalink’s Immediate Payments System (IPS) offering for central payment infrastructures and ACI’s UP Immediate Payments solution for banks and financial institutions.

Cyber challenge can be met, says Swift

Swift has committed to help its members combat the cyber threat “in challenging times”, delegates heard during yesterday’s opening plenary session. Security will be a feature every day of the conference because “the cyber threat is here to stay”, said Swift chief executive, Gottfried Leibbrandt.