Latest Innovation News: Finextra Research

Vilnius street fair to use bluetooth beacons and QR codes to test mobile payments

More than 250 merchants at the annual Vilnius City Fiesta will be offering discounts to customers who pay for their goods with mobile phones, in an event billed as the world's first 'smart street fair'.

08 August 2014

News/Innovation

Rocket Internet scores EUR333m investment for emerging markets payments push

German Internet-focused VC and incubator Rocket Internet has sold a 10% stake to Philippines-based telco PLDT for EUR333 million in a deal that will also see the two firms team on building online and mobile payments services in emerging markets.

07 August 2014

News/Innovation

IndusInd Bank opens 'Video Branch'

IndusInd Bank has taken a novel approach to the 'branch of the future' concept with the launch of a purely video-based channel connecting customers on mobiles and desktops to staff representatives for face-to-face communications.

07 August 2014

News/Innovation

Rakuten launches Transfer by Facebook

Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten has launched a money transfer service for friends using Facebook.

07 August 2014

News/Innovation

UK fintech industry bands together to push innovation agenda

An industry body promising to be the 'voice of UK fintech' launched today, with more than 50 founding members onboard and the backing of government.

06 August 2014

News/Innovation

Osborne looks to virtual currencies in bid to make UK world fintech capital

The UK government is setting up a review into the potential of virtual currencies, and whether they should be regulated, as part of a wider push to make the country the fintech capital of the world.

06 August 2014

News/Innovation

Paym sees over one million users and £6.5 million spend in first 100 days

More than one million people have registered with their bank or building society for Paym, the UK bank-backed mobile number payment service that was launched in late April.

06 August 2014

News/Innovation

Google UK MD to run new fintech investment fund

Google UK managing director Dan Cobley is quitting his job with the search giant to set up a fintech incubator and investment fund in partnership with Blenheim Chalcot and QED Investors.

06 August 2014

News/Innovation

Boosting customer experience is top IT priority for UK and Ireland FS firms

Improving customer experience has overtaken cost-cutting as the main priority for IT decision makers at British and Irish financial services firms, according to a survey commissioned by Fujitsu.

06 August 2014

News/Innovation

Westpac NZ preps augmented reality mobile app

Westpac New Zealand is preparing to launch an app that uses augmented reality to let customers get account information on their screens simply by viewing their cards through their phones' cameras.

05 August 2014

News/Innovation

Stripe backs Ripple founder's latest digital currency project

Mt. Gox and Ripple founder Jed McCaleb has unveiled Stellar, his latest stab at a decentralised payment network and digital currency. Payments firm Stripe has backed the project to the tune of $3 million.

01 August 2014

News/Innovation

Finextra Leadership: Life in the fast lane

Finextra talks to David Watson, global head of client access products for Deutsche Bank's global transaction banking business, about how the giant German bank is remodelling its technology platform to address the needs of a younger generation of digitally-savvy corporate treasury managers.

01 August 2014

News/Innovation

TD Bank scores viral hit with Automated Thanking Machine campaign

A marketing campaign in which Canada's TD Bank turned its ATMs into 'Automated Thanking Machines' that distributed gifts to customers has proved a viral hit, racking up more than two million YouTube views in less than a week.

30 July 2014

News/Innovation

Why Google Bank won't happen

Google won't launch a traditional bank because of the associated costs and regulation, but these hurdles won't stop the firm from redefining the future of financial services, according to a new Forrester report.

30 July 2014

News/Innovation

Nintendo brings NFC payments to Wii U in Japan

Japanese gamers can now buy the latest titles on Nintendo's eShop by tapping their contactless payment cards against their Wii U controllers.

29 July 2014

News/Innovation

PayPal brings Start Tank programme to London

PayPal is bringing its Start Tank programme to the UK, inviting the country's tech startups to apply for one of five chances to win a six month stint at its London offices.

29 July 2014

News/Innovation

New fintech fund targets emerging markets

Anthemis Group's Udayan Goyal has teamed up with private equity veteran Matteo Stefanel in a bid to raise $250 million for a growth fund targeting fintech startups in the developing world. Finextra spoke to Goyal about the fund.

28 July 2014

News/Innovation

Doom on an ATM

A team of Australian geeks have rigged up an ATM to play popular shoot-'em-up action game Doom.

28 July 2014

News/Innovation

Dancing with Unicorns: Top VCs ramp up fintech investment activity

Fintech deal activity by the world's biggest venture capital firms has grown 61% from 2010 to 2013, according to data from CB Insights.

28 July 2014

News/Innovation

Digital bank Holvi preps Irish launch

Holvi, the Finnish digital banking startup targeting small businesses, has hired former SumUp exec Thomas O'Reilly as it prepares to enter the Irish market next month.

25 July 2014