Banking

Banks nowadays are in stiff competition for human resources with fintech. The financial technology sector often offers higher pay. Still, the prospects of many such start-ups are difficult to forecast – they are as likely to occupy a solid niche as they are to go bust. Stable companies in Latvia are only a handful. Primarily, fintech players active in Latvia are headquartered in foreign countries – the United Kingdom, to name one – despite maintaining offices in Riga and employing staff in Latvia

Cliff Bunting Director at PurplePatch Broking Ltd

FCA's revamped returns put pressure on bureaux and the credit providers they serve.

In May 2025, the FCA introduced PS25/3, a new regulatory return for firms with permissions for credit broking, debt counselling, and credit information services. It replaces the returns process introduced in 2014, which the regulator had concluded was no longer delivering the level of clarity needed to monitor risk in the market. The updated retu...

04 August 2025 /regulation /retail

Alexey Reshko Chief Operating Officer at Transferra UN Limited

Cut the Fat: The Real Cost of Cross-Border Payments

In today’s globalised world, cross-border payments are essential for freelancers, small businesses, and multinational corporations alike. Whether you're paying overseas vendors or remote employees, understanding the true cost of sending international payments is vital to protecting your margins. Yet, most companies are paying far more than they re...

30 July 2025 /payments

Cliff Bunting Director at PurplePatch Broking Ltd

The Bureau billing errors costing firms millions

What if the rates you're paying for bureau data aren’t just high, but inaccurate? Over the past five years, many credit bureaux have upgraded their billing systems. But these upgrades have inadvertently revealed a deeper issue: long-standing billing errors that often go unnoticed, particularly within complex tiered pricing agreements. In many cas

03 July 2025 /regulation /retail

Siobhan Byron EVP, Universal Banking at Finastra

Banking ecosystems (part 2): Cultivating people power through strong leadership and partnerships

In part one of this blog series, I explored how banks can embrace ecosystems to drive innovation while maintaining strategic control - highlighting the importance of governance, partner alignment, and risk management. In this second part, while its clear technology underpins a successful ecosystem, I’ll discuss the crucial role that people and

01 July 2025

Cliff Bunting Director at PurplePatch Broking Ltd

Bureau benchmarking for better decisions: Improve governance and meet regulatory expectations

Benchmarking is often associated with cost control. And for good reason — many firms uncover significant pricing variation in their bureau contracts, even when services appear identical. But the value of benchmarking doesn’t stop at commercial savings. It can reveal where your current data configuration might be introducing risk: from outdated inp...

26 June 2025 /regulation /retail

Kyrylo Reitor Chief Marketing Officer at International Fintech Business

Ukraine approaches SEPA: what this means for Ukrainian Fintech and Business

The new initiative by the Ministry of Finance regarding the creation of a bank account registry and approaching SEPA is undoubtedly a positive step for the Ukrainian financial sector. But let's understand what this actually means and what challenges await us. The initiative represents more than technical compliance — it's a comprehensive transform...

25 June 2025 /payments /retail

Frank Moreno CMO at Entersekt

Issuers must take urgent action against fraud as chargebacks escalate

Recent data shows that issuers and merchants are struggling with rising chargeback abuse. With all indicators pointing to the already considerable problem growing by a further 24% by 2028, financial institutions (FIs) must act or risk losing both customers and profits. According to the Mastercard's 2025 State of Chargebacks report, abuse of cha...

18 June 2025 /security /retail

Alex Pinto VP of Products - core banking at Pismo

How to Evaluate a Core Banking System

As digital transformation accelerates across financial services, for many banks, the foundation of innovation increasingly rests on a critical component: its core banking system. No longer just a back-office engine, as per what we have seen in the market, the core has become central to competitiveness, customer experience, and regulatory complianc...

18 June 2025 /retail /wholesale

Siobhan Byron EVP, Universal Banking at Finastra

Banking ecosystems (part 1): balancing innovation and control

Imagine a world where your bank operates like a financial services marketplace, providing a limitless supply of products and services to your customers, even those not crafted by your organization. Envision being able to deliver your products to any customer, in any location, at any time - unlocking immense value and reach. This is the promise of ...

16 June 2025 /markets

Martin Bradbury Regional Director, Financial Services UK&I at Dynatrace

Banking on resilience: How UK banks can strengthen their IT systems to avoid outages

In February 2025, the UK Parliament’s Treasury Committee launched an inquiry into IT failures across major banks. The inquiry uncovered over 803 hours – equivalent to more than 33 days – of unplanned system outages in just two years. This unusual government intervention into the affairs of private enterprises reinforces the urgency for financial ...

19 May 2025 /regulation /retail