Latest Innovation News: Finextra Research

Santander taps Ripple blockchain tech for international payments app

In what it claims is a UK bank first, Santander has begun piloting an app that uses blockchain technology from Ripple for international payments.

26 May 2016

News/Innovation

Blockchain tech could save cash equities market $6bn a year - Goldman Sachs

The use of blockchain technology for clearing and settlement in the cash equities market could save banks around the world $6 billion a year, mainly through lower headcounts and back office IT costs, according to a Goldman Sachs report.

26 May 2016

News/Innovation

Rich Ricci sings the praises of fintech

Far from slowing down, the fintech revolution has yet to scratch the surface of its disruptive potential, believes Rich Ricci, formerly CEO of Barclays Corporate and Investment Banking.

26 May 2016

News/Innovation

OakNorth moves core banking backbone to Amazon Web Services cloud

OakNorth, a new UK challenger bank targeting small- and medium-sized businesses, has moved its entire core infrastructure to Amazon's Web Services cloud.

26 May 2016

News/Innovation

Danish fintech startup Pleo scoops EUR500,000 seed investment

Pleo, a Danish fintech company that builds smart company cards to track spending and automatically fills in expenses, has pocketed a EUR500,000 seed investments after beating off competition from 3000 startups at the Pioneers Festival in Vienna.

26 May 2016

News/Innovation

Enterprise Ireland launches EUR500,000 fintech fund

Enterprise Ireland is inviting aspiring startups to apply for a slice of a new Eur500,000 fintech fund, open to early-stage companies providing innovative technology to the financial services market.

26 May 2016

News/Innovation

Global fintech funding bounces back but Europe stutters

After a tricky end to 2015, global fintech funding bounced back in the first quarter to hit $5.7 billion. However, the numbers are skewed by a couple of billion dollar-plus Chinese deals which mask a stagnant European scene.

25 May 2016

News/Innovation

Denmark's Nets partners Coinify to explore blockchain tech

Danish payments company Nets has set its sights on blockchain technology, teaming up with local specialist Coinify on a development lab that will work on developing distributed ledger-based products and services.

25 May 2016

News/Innovation

Selfie payments: Marketing stunt or the real deal?

An increasing number of companies are working on new biometric procedures that quickly and conveniently prove the identity of users making payments. Sascha Breite, head future payments at the payment specialist SIX Payment Services, takes a closer look at 'Selfie Payments' and examines other European initiatives.

25 May 2016

News/Innovation

Deloitte launches financial services blockchain lab

Business advisory firm Deloitte is setting up an Emea financial services blockchain centre in Dublin that will house a team of 50 developers and designers.

25 May 2016

News/Innovation

Pizza Hut partners MasterCard to trial robot cashiers

Spotty teenagers could soon be losing their jobs to robots thanks to a tie up between MasterCard, Pizza Hut and Softbank that will see humanoids take orders and mobile-based payments at some Asian fast food joints.

24 May 2016

News/Innovation

R3 consortium gets first Chinese member

Ping An Financial Services Group has become the first Chinese member of the R3 distributed ledger consortium.

24 May 2016

News/Innovation

DBS to roll out voice authentication; OCBC to take biometrics nationwide

Singapore's DBS is to introduce voice biometrics to authenticate customers ringing in to its call centres by the end of the year.

24 May 2016

News/Innovation

Barclays opens sandbox for gamification challenge

Barclays Bank is opening its sandbox banking APIs and mobile apps to coders and startups to explore the use of gamification techniques to improve its online and mobile services.

23 May 2016

News/Innovation

Banks set to maintain control of loans market as new entrants struggle

Non-bank alternative finance providers are unlikely to make any significant dent in the share of marketplace lending by the traditional banking establishment, according to an analysis by Deloitte.

23 May 2016

News/Innovation

NAB, Westpac and Qantas pump $10.5 million into Data Republic

National Australia Bank, Westpac and Qantas have invested $10.5 million in Sydney-based startup Data Republic, which is aiming to build a marketplace for data exchange between major corporations.

23 May 2016

News/Innovation

Lloyds runs Digital Expert Days for marketing staff

Lloyds Banking Group is looking to raise the bar in its digital marketing expertise by running a series of roadshows for over 300 staff located in Bristol, Edinburgh, Halifax and London.

23 May 2016

News/Innovation

Canada's Competition Bureau sets sights on fintech

Canada's Competition Bureau has launched a fintech market study, looking into the effect that technology-led innovation is having on the financial services industry and whether it could require regulatory changes.

20 May 2016

News/Innovation

Big banks to be chief beneficiaries of fintech craze - Greenwich Associates

Rather than wiping out traditional banks, the fintech phenomenon will lead to the creation of digital financial superstores as the world's leading banks hoover up the most promising ideas and firms and transform into technology companies, according to an analysis by Greenwich Associates.

20 May 2016

News/Innovation

Mobile banking moves out of online shadow

With half of Americans now banking through their smartphones and tablets, providers are finally taking steps to move the channel out of online banking's shadow, according to a report from Javelin, which has crowned USAA the mobile king.

19 May 2016