Latest Innovation News: Finextra Research

Overstock preps blockchain public offering

In what it claims is a world first, online retailer Overstock is set to issue public shares using its proprietary blockchain technology.

16 March 2016

News/Innovation

Payment-enabled golf gloves and virtual reality shopping specs hit the PGA Tour

Virtual reality shopping glasses and payment-enabled golf gloves will tee off alongside the professionals at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida later this month, as MasterCard brings the future of payments to the PGA Tour.

16 March 2016

News/Innovation

Bankers fear loss of one-quarter of business to fintech firms

Top banking executives fear that up to a quarter of their business could be at risk from emerging fintech firms, according to research conducted by PwC.

16 March 2016

News/Innovation

Will bitcoin provide banks with their 'Kodak Moment'?

The world's banks are facing a 'Kodak Moment' if they continue to dismiss the virtual currency bitcoin as just the opening act for more revolutionary blockchain-based innovation, says Max Tannahill, a business change and implementation manager at ANZ

16 March 2016

News/Innovation

USAA adds bitcoin balance check feature to site and app

USAA has teamed up with Coinbase to enable members to check their bitcoin balances through the online army bank's website and mobile app.

15 March 2016

News/Innovation

Atom Bank to deploy 'intelligent software' to answer customer queries

Atom Bank is to augment its mobile banking service with machine learning technology from Xerox subsidiary WDS, to provide customers with answers to queries from an AI bot within the app.

15 March 2016

News/Innovation

Team behind predictive analytics firm Framed Data join Square Capital

Square is bringing on board the team at predictive analytics startup Framed Data, who will use their machine learning knowhow to expand the Square Capital financing business.

14 March 2016

News/Innovation

SolarisBank, a bank for digital and fintech startups, gets banking license

German regulatory body BaFin has granted a banking license to Berlin-based tech company solarisBank, which has built an API-based platform to power startups in the digital economy.

14 March 2016

News/Innovation

Capital One integrates with Amazon Alexa for voice-powered payments

Capital One customers can now check their balances and pay their bills by talking to Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant.

14 March 2016

News/Innovation

Esma expresses case for and against distributed ledgers in post-trade markets

The potential benefits of the application of distributed ledger technologies in the securities markets sit squarely in the post-trade environment, according to initial research findings from Esma (European Securities and Markets Authority) following a year-long review of the technology.

11 March 2016

News/Innovation

Banks no longer in control of their own destiny - EIU

By 2020, bankers expect the financial services industry to be shaped strongly by technology and non-traditional competitors who are expected to gain ground in key markets including payments, lending, and wealth management.

11 March 2016

News/Innovation

UK and Ireland's fintech funding scene lags

Is London's much-lauded fintech scene overhyped? New figures suggest that the value of UK and Ireland financial technology investments grew last year at a far slower rate that the general tech scene.

11 March 2016

News/Innovation

US Bank and Bank of America switch on real-time mobile P2P

US Bank and Bank of America have become the first banks to offer real-time peer-to-peer money transfers to consumer mobile phones over the clearXchange network.

09 March 2016

News/Innovation

Global funding for VC-backed fintech firms doubles to $13.8bn

2015 was the year that financial technology entered the mainstream, claims a new report from KPMG and CB Insights which estimates that VC-backed fintech firms around the world secured $13.8 billion in funding as they began having a serious impact in every area of banking and insurance.

09 March 2016

News/Innovation

Swift Nordics Regional Conference 2016 - Live Blog Day 2

The Swift Nordics Regional Conference 2016 in Oslo is focusing on how to effectively harness disruptive trends and deliver practical, real world change to the financial industry. Over the course of two days, the programme will examine challenges and opportunities in the Nordics and beyond, and assess how new technologies, changing business models and collaborative ways of working pave the way for the future.

09 March 2016

News/Innovation

RBS creates 'Open Experience' centre at Scottish HQ

Royal Bank of Scotland chief Simon McNamara says 2016 will be the year when "innovation moves out of a basement and into the heart of RBS", as the Scottish bank opens a new 'Open Experience Centre' at its Edinburgh HQ building.

09 March 2016

News/Innovation

Barclays opens Eagle Labs to help UK startups take flight

Barclays is vowing to back the UK's startups through a host of 'Eagle Labs' across the country where firms can access space, mentorship and technology.

09 March 2016

News/Innovation

Finextra’s NextGen Banking conference fills Level39 to maximum capacity

Senior executives from challengers and incumbents gathered together to debate market access, customer requirements, PSD2 implications, technology issues and collaboration opportunities in front of a packed crowd at Finextra's NextGen Banking conference at Level39.

08 March 2016

News/Innovation

Mizuho and Fujitsu complete blockchain trial

Japan's Mizuho Bank and Fujitsu say that they have carried out a trial using blockchain technology to streamline cross-border securities transaction settlements.

08 March 2016

News/Innovation

PayPal partners Village Capital to back financial inclusion startups

PayPal is teaming up with venture development organisation Village Capital to back fintech entrepreneurs working to boost access to financial services for low-wealth people and businesses.

08 March 2016