The most important FinTech Innovations that will change our lives in the near future
Technology is affecting the topography of workflow and processes in the financial services industry. What was once handled with the assistance of human hands, physical currency and bulky computers has now been completely digitalized. It is an undeniable expanse of financial services globally and that has bred a fertile ground for FinTech startups. Start ups are reimagining every kind of financial activity including wealth management, banking, payments and more. And these innovations have attracted massive investment too. This financial technology or FinTech revolution has left the traditional financial industry with a poignant question – how to stay relevant in this digital age and avoid being history? The advantage lies with […]
Paris is city of Fintech love for startups seeking hookups
The fintech dating game is on in Paris. Entrepreneurs in Europe’s financial-technology sector are pushing low-cost payments solutions to steal market share from banks, hoping the challenge they pose will spur the lenders to buy them or seek partnerships with them. Many startups are eyeing deals or potential backing as they converge on Paris this week to meet with the top executives of French finance, from BNP Paribas SA’s Jean-Laurent Bonnafe to Societe Generale SA’s Frederic Oudea, at the city’s annual Fintech Forum. How fintechs defy incumbents is a prime theme of discussion there, with payments an area of focus, as banking alternatives from Alipay to M-Pesa already dominate in […]
Indonesia’s fintech lending boom exploits shortfall in bank loans
Fintech firms, offering loans of as little as a few hundred dollars, are seeing a spike in lending in Indonesia where tens of millions of people have little or no access to bank credit – helping alleviate a financing shortfall estimated at more than $73 billion. The emergence of these peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms has so far been welcomed by Indonesia’s financial regulators which see them as offering a much needed service to cash-strapped businesses and consumers at a time when Southeast Asia’s biggest economy has been hobbled by sluggish bank lending. Wimboh Santoso, head of Indonesia’s financial regulator (OJK), said while the trend was still a drop in the […]
Fintech start-ups continue to disrupt the established order
Fintech start-ups are developing innovative new solutions to shake-up the financial services sector; established banks are having to decide whether to collaborate or compete. Banks have been the dominant force in the financial sector for decades, but it is very possible that this is about to change. Emerging financial technology start-ups are challenging this authority, demonstrating levels of commitment to innovation and agility that long-established financial institutions cannot compete with. According to a recent report by PwC, more than 80 percent of existing fintech firms believe they are losing revenue to more innovative rivals. Much of the fintech-related discussion concerns how banks can compete with the new kids on the […]
Banks and Fintechs are duelling in a ‘War For Talent’
Banks may be losing the talent battle to London’s financial-technology industry, but the war for the customer is still to come. Europe’s financial technology startups are on hiring mode, fighting each other – and the incumbents — in what one executive described as a “war for talent.” Payments company GoCardless Ltd., which employs 170 people in London, will open a Paris office in February, said chief product and technology officer Carlos Gonzalez-Cadenas. Online lender LendInvest Ltd. said it will make a “concerted effort” to hire additional engineers in London this year, while Salesforce.com Inc.-backed software company Anaplan Inc. says hiring engineering talent is its current priority. “Last year, we went […]
UnionPay International signs long-term partner agreement with global payment innovator Verrency
Verrency today signed a long-term agreement with UnionPay International (UPI), a wholly owned subsidiary of China UnionPay (CUP), to offer Verrency’s innovative value-added services to Union Pay’s issuing banks across Asia. Verrency’s services will be delivered via the UPI Wallet, Union Pay’s innovative API service. Signing the formal agreement were David C. Link, Chief Executive Officer/ Executive Chairman, Verrency, and Shuan Ghaidan, Product Director, UnionPay International. Shuan Ghaidan said: “We are very glad to be working with Verrency to offer further control, service, convenience and security to our customers. Verrency’s innovative services will further enhance the value of the UPI Wallet and the value that Union Pay enables for its issuers. […]
Standard Chartered creates fintech investment unit
Standard Chartered said on Wednesday it had established a business unit to invest in financial technology and promote innovation. Dubbed SC Ventures, it will include internal consultants to help the rest of the group solve problems with technology and a team to sponsor and oversee new disruptive technology ventures owned by StanChart. Another part of the new unit will focus on managing the bank’s minority investments in ‘fintech’ and seeking new ones to back. “As new technology continues to play an ever more important role in banking, there is a huge opportunity for us to promote more innovation,” said Michael Gorriz, group chief information officer. StanChart already backs Ripple, a […]
PCF Bank partners with Sandstone Technology to launch a digital origination and servicing platform
PCF Bank has launched a new digital platform to facilitate the origination and servicing of savings deposit products online. The service uses the latest responsive device platform from Sandstone Technology supporting mobile, tablet and traditional PC channels. The launch of deposit products by the bank complements its established consumer motor finance and SME asset finance businesses. The bank obtained its banking licence from the regulator in December 2016. The collaboration with Sandstone was predicated on having a flexible digital platform that can be extended to meet PCF Bank’s future requirements and the digital banking needs of the bank’s ever-demanding client base. The service uses BankFast, Sandstone’s global direct banking platform […]
