Latest Innovation News: Finextra Research

Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank launch digital challenger bank B

UK regionals Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank are joining the digital revolution in banking with the launch of an online and mobile-only bank dubbed B.

03 May 2016

News/Innovation

Tandem to kickstart £1 million crowdfunding campaign

Tandem is following in the footsteps of rival UK startup Mondo by launching a £1 million crowdfunding campaign, enabling future customers to own shares in the mobile-first challenger bank.

03 May 2016

News/Innovation

Legacy banking vendors in fintech firing line

It's not just creaky old incumbent banks that face a threat from emerging digital startups; the established vendor community that has grown to serve these banks may also be facing a bleaker future, according to new research from Gartner.

03 May 2016

News/Innovation

Neobank Varo Money raises $27m

Varo Money, a mobile-only neobank startup founded by a former American Express and Wells Fargo executive, has raised more than $27 million in a funding round led by private equity giant Warburg Pincus.

02 May 2016

News/Innovation

Australian claims he is Bitcoin creator

Australian entrepreneur and academic Craig Wright has outed himself as Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, although many within the cryptocurrency community have raised doubts about the claims.

02 May 2016

News/Innovation

CIB goes back in time with steampunk cash machines

Hungary's CIB Bank marked the capital's annual celebration of its historic buildings by installing two steampunk-style cash machines designed to look like they were 120-years old.

29 April 2016

News/Innovation

Finextra Community goes from strength to strength

The Finextra Community has posted its 10,000th blog post, marking a major milestone in the growth and maturity of the financial technology industry's most enduring social network.

29 April 2016

News/Innovation

Fifth Third appoints Proctor & Gamble veteran to lead innovation team

Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bancorp has appointed Steve D’Amico, a 24-year Procter & Gamble veteran who most recently served as its director of design innovation to lead a new pioneering team at the US bank.

29 April 2016

News/Innovation

ABN Amro's blockchain journey

ABN Amro has formed a 30-strong team to investigate the possible applications of blockchain technology across the bank. Arjan van OS, head of the Dutch bank's innovation centre, and Marjan van der Plas, one of the leaders of ABN Amro's 'Blockchain Community' run through some potential use cases.

29 April 2016

News/Innovation

Tramonex gets £250K UK govt grant for blockchain-based cross-currency payments

London-based forex startup Tramonex has scored a £250,000 grant from the UK government to develop a prototype for cross currency payments using blockchain technology.

28 April 2016

News/Innovation

Deutsche Bank prepares for digital future

Deutsche Bank is creating a 'digital factory', bringing together some 400 software developers, IT specialists and banking experts to develop new products and services as it struggles to reposition the bank for a digital future in the face of challenging market conditions.

28 April 2016

News/Innovation

Visa opens first Asian innovation centre

Visa has opened its first purpose-built innovation centre in Asia-Pacific, using the Singapore destination as the springboard for the advance of next-generation payment technologies across the region.

28 April 2016

News/Innovation

SETL and Computershare to apply blockchain tech to share ownership records

SETL, the post-trade blockchain startup founded by former Chi-X chief Peter Randall, is to work with Computershare on a joint initiative to establish securities ownership registers using distributed ledger technology.

28 April 2016

News/Innovation

Citi Ventures make strategic investment in alternative lender Blue Vine

Citibank's Silicon Valley-based venture arm has made an undisclosed strategic investment in working capital firm BlueVine.

27 April 2016

News/Innovation

Tangerine Bank rebuilds mobile app for biometric authentication

Tangerine Bank in Canada has rebuilt its mobile app to include eye-scanning technology, voice activated biometrics, and in-app secure chat.

27 April 2016

News/Innovation

Mobey Forum sets up 'Banking Disruption' work group

Bank-backed mobile policy group the Mobey Forum is to extend its remit to cover the profound shifts shaking up the dynamics of modern banking through a new 'Banking Disruption' work group.

27 April 2016

News/Innovation

UK government looks to blockchain tech to track taxpayer money

The UK government could use distributed ledger technology to track student loans and aid money, according to Minister for the Cabinet Office Matt Hancock.

26 April 2016

News/Innovation

Trov raises $25.5m for on-demand insurance app

After raising $25.5 million in a Series C funding round, mobile-based on-demand insurance platform Trov is gearing up to launch in its first market, Australia.

26 April 2016

News/Innovation

Stripe invites teams of collaborators to apply for jobs

Fast-growing payments outfit Stripe is experimenting with a new recruitment policy, inviting teams, rather than individuals, to apply for jobs.

26 April 2016

News/Innovation

Absa to trial AI-driven chatbots to answer customer queries

Barclays' South African subsidiary Absa is to embark on a trial of chatbots, using artificial intelligence to answer simple customer queries posted over popular smart messaging apps.

26 April 2016