FinTech


Getting personal: banks must brace for change

Major global banks need to grasp social networks, cloud computing, user-generated content, personalisation, contextual information and gamification if they are to maintain a competitive edge and stay connected with customers. But they also need to ensure their innovations are transmitted thoroughly to all employees, according to panellists at the BAFT IFSA conference in London on Monday.

More mobile please – but make it relevant

The likes and dislikes of mobile banking customers around the world suggest that there is an opportunity to expand mobile services globally – but providers need to be careful they are targeting the right information to the right people, according to a new survey by analytics firm FICO.

MasterCard takes controlling stake in mobile remittance service

MasterCard has teamed up with mobile payment solutions provider eServGlobal and Belgacom’s carrier services unit BICS to extend the capabilities of their international mobile remittance platform HomeSend. The three firms have set up a joint venture which uses the HomeSend platform, in which MasterCard will have a controlling share.

2014: a good year for the fraudsters

2014 looks to be a good year for fraudsters as government and law enforcement struggle to come to terms with the issues and the continuing spread of mobile continues to offer them poorly-protected targets.

Global exchanges get together to address cyber threat

The World Federation of Exchanges has set up a Cyber Security Working Group with a “mission to aid in the protection of the global capital markets” in the wake of a number of attacks on international exchanges over the past few years.

BIAN adds first Middle East member

The Banking Industry Architecture Network has gained its first member in the Middle East with the addition of Commercial Bank of Qatar to its roster.

A brave new world for CIOs?

A new role for CIOs in the banking sector was highlighted at the recent Gartner Symposium: to maintain their future relevance and position, they need to be seen as consultants in the technology space, not just providers.

White paper: Banking on Tech City

Tech City is the name given to the hub of high growth technology companies in East London and is lauded as the engine room of British innovation. In November 2010, Prime minister David Cameron launched his Tech City Initiative, saying “We’ve also asked some of the world’s biggest businesses and banks to help provide the […]

Second IT glitch “unacceptable” says RBS

An IT problem that left customers of RBS and its Natwest and Ulster Bank subsidiaries unable to use their accounts yesterday evening was described as “unacceptable” by a bank spokeswoman. For three hours – on what was expected to by the largest online shopping day of the year, dubbed “Cyber Monday” – the banks’ customers […]

Is it safe to trust the machines?

Bank algos may superficially appear to be well-tested – but the process may be open to any number of unexpected flaws, according to Steve Wilcockson, industry manager at big data specialist firm MathWorks.

Voxsmart prepares cloud mobile voice recording service for banks

A new mobile voice recording service is being developed by UK tech company Voxsmart, which it claims is the first to automatically capture every type of communication on a mobile device so that it can be used for trading compliance purposes, including the FCA in the UK and Dodd-Frank in the US.

FIS: making a mark in mobile

Financial software giant FIS is sitting in the middle of the move to mobile, with its customers serving 21 million users. Doug Brown, senior vice president, e-banking, says that’s just the beginning.

Skrill goes global with mobile

Mobile payments company Skrill has launched a mobile app that it says can send money to anyone, anywhere in the world at any time. The app has several uses, including cross-border remittance payments to various countries in eastern Europe and around the world.

Who are you? Identity in a mobile world

Cover story: Who are you? Identity in a mobile world Biometric technologies are becoming mainstream in for ID, with voice recognition taking a fundamental role. Also in this issue: Going Mobile:  FIS’s plans for mobile technology. Bargain: investing in customer loyalty Anyway, Anywhere, Anyhow: Will mobile money kill the cash machine? Join Together: Big banks, Bitcoin, […]

Global mobile money transfer to top $10 billion in 2013

The value of international money transfers made via mobile phones will exceed $10bn for the first time this year, according to Juniper Research. However, the cost and complexity of regulating cash transfer has led many service providers to focus exclusively on airtime top ups, the research firm reported.

Trade Finance – keeping the wheels of commerce turning

Cover story: Trade Finance – keeping the wheels of commerce turning Economic expansion in Asia, Africa and the Middle East is creating new trade corridors, and new opportunities for banks   Also in this issue: Ready or not, here it comes:  The first wave of full SEPA compliance is set for February 2014 . Keeping the […]

Lessons on living in a real-time payments world

Coming to the US to tell an audience of payments specialists about how the UK has transformed its national infrastructure over the past five years with the introduction of an effectively real-time payment system might have been considered a rough assignment – what can the Brits teach the wider world, particularly the US, about payments […]

PayPal points to global reach

Don Kingsborough, vice president of retail and prepaid products at PayPal, had a clear message for Money2020 delegates in Las Vegas yesterday: “The future is actually now.”

Mobile payments – the tipping point

There comes a tipping point when market readiness, social behaviour and technology combine to create a sudden, ubiquitous change of behaviour. For mobile payments the tipping point may have arrived – but will there be a dominant solution?

Visa Europe adopts BT’s managed network

Visa Europe’s decision to place its internal and external communications networks into the hands of BT will help the firm to realise economies of scale and offer a more efficient service to customers, according to Chris Pickles, Head of industry initiatives at BT.

More collaboration ahead, says Swift’s Leibbrandt

Front and centre of the agenda that Swift set out at the beginning of this week’s Sibos is the concept of collaboration and cooperation – a perennial theme for Swift, but Leibbrandt told Daily News at Sibos there is a change in the air.

Retail banking: underwriting the revolution

New technologies are transforming the consumer experience in retailing and in banking. For banks to remain relevant, they need to work with innovators, writes Paul Skeldon

Barclays builds on Pingit head start

Barclays is making a determined effort to capitalise on the two-year lead it has built up with its Pingit mobile payments application with two new applications intended to allow retailers to integrate mobile payments into their services.

Standard Chartered backs mobile wallets

Standard Chartered has launched a mobile wallet service targeted at corporate clients in Kenya. The service has been developed in partnership with Safaricom, which operates the mobile money transfer service M-Pesa. The bank hopes the deal will herald the start of a major drive to open up financial inclusion in emerging markets.

Yorkshire paves a path in shared services with HP alliance

The UK’s second largest building society is being moved to a modern delivery platform managed by HP, with the establishment of a Shared Services Alliance with HP Enterprise Services UK to offer the platform to a wider range of UK financial services institutions.

Cyberspace: beyond the rule of law?

Cover story: It’s not just the criminals who are trying to get into your systems – banks need to look at the bigger picture to create an effective cyber defence Also in this issue: Where worlds collide:  In Turkey’s dynamic financial services markets minarets mix with mobile  masts and ATMs with ancient monuments . Swift […]

Bricks or clicks? The choice isn’t yours

The challenging ongoing economic climate and the resulting shrinking markets have created an environment of greatly increased competition. In order to deal with the pressures of recession, retail banks are increasingly being forced into a strategic transformation of business structure, culture and practice. How they interact with customers is a prime focus during these transformations, writes Mike Davies, Regional Vice President Sales EMEA North at GMC Software Technology.

Life beyond legacy: exploring the options

The payment industry has never seen so much change or opportunity. It continues to be reshaped by shifts in the economic landscape, new technologies and customer needs and this is set to continue.

Demystifying m-commerce

Payments made via mobile devices are fast becoming de rigueur as tablet sales are expected to overtake personal computers by 2017. Shane Fitzpatrick  addresses five common myths about m-commerce and how to capture online revenues. Smartphones are already more popular globally than desktop PCs and of the 1.875 billion phones to be sold in 2013, […]

Stand by for light speed: high performance computing in financial services

Most debates about High Performance Computing in financial services quickly turn into conversations about high frequency trading, but there are many more reasons for getting the best of out of systems. Electronics and computer technology have always been pushing the boundaries of smaller, faster, cheaper (or at least, ‘more affordable’) and financial services firms have always been quick to take advantage of the latest advances.