Latest Innovation News: Finextra Research

Bank of Ireland invites applications for New York startup space

Irish startups looking to break into the US market are being invited by Bank of Ireland to apply for a spot at a new incubation space in New York city.

16 March 2017

News/Innovation

BBVA opens fintech Olympics

BBVA has amassed a EUR200,000 prize pot for the ninth edition of its Open Talent innovation competition, which the Spanish bank is billing as the world's biggest fintech challenge.

15 March 2017

News/Innovation

New advertising contract exchange taps Nasdaq for blockchain tech

A new exchange for trading advertising contracts is entering its pilot phase, enlisting Nasdaq for a tech setup that will see it deployed in the cloud and run on blockchain technology.

14 March 2017

News/Innovation

Piraeus Bank opens automated 'e-branches'

Piraeus Bank in Greece has opened three fully-automated bank branches featuring an array of modern technology and remote cashiers beamed in to help customers perform routine transactions

14 March 2017

News/Innovation

SolarisBank raises EUR26.3 million

German banking-as-a-service platform solarisBank has confirmed a EUR26.3 million funding round from a cohort of international investors, including Arvato Financial Solutions - the financial services subsidiary of local media outfit Bertlesmann - and Japan's SBI Group.

14 March 2017

News/Innovation

Scotiabank to fund research into cyberattacks and risk modeling

Scotiabank is to fund a $2 million cybersecurity and financial risk initiative at the University of British Columbia.

14 March 2017

News/Innovation

Capital One unveils emoji-speaking SMS bot

Capital One is piloting a natural language SMS chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to respond to customer questions, and even emojis.

10 March 2017

News/Innovation

Startup trials POS palm payments

A Chicago startup has built a biometrics-based payments system that lets people make purchases by holding their hands over a scanner at the point-of-sale.

10 March 2017

News/Innovation

Fintech Pavillion to host Europe's top startups at EBAday 2017

Finextra and the Euro Banking Association are inviting some of Europe's most promising early-stage startups to present their ideas to banking delegates attending EBAday 2017, Europe's leading payments and transaction banking event.

10 March 2017

News/Innovation

Dutch mobile bank bunq moves into Germany and releases open API

Dutch mobile-only bank bunq has arrived in Germany and Austria and launched an open API, enabling developers to integrate its real-time payments system into their own apps.

09 March 2017

News/Innovation

DNB says its future is to become a "technology company with a banking licence"

Having cut half of its branch network in 2016 to focus on digital development, Norway's DNB is rolling out a range of incubation and startup initiatives to accelerate its vision of becoming "a technology company with a banking licence".

09 March 2017

News/Innovation

NAB Ventures leads $24m funding round for cross-border payments startup Veem

Blockchain-based cross border business payments startup Align Commerce has rebranded as Veem and raised $24 million in a Series B funding round led by the new venture arm of National Australia Bank.

09 March 2017

News/Innovation

Singapore and Abu Dhabi sign fintech co-operation agreement

Regulatory authorities in Singapore and Abu Dhabi have inked an agreement to support fintech startups entering each territory and undertake joint project on the application of new technologies in finance, including mobile payments, distributed ledgers and big data.

08 March 2017

News/Innovation

Acadian Asset Management taps Microsoft big data tech for investment guidance

Acadian Asset Management is set to start using a Microsoft prediction engine which draws on data from social media and Web searches to guide investment decisions.

08 March 2017

News/Innovation

RBC integrates with Siri for Interac e-transfers

Royal Bank of Canada customers can now use Apple's Siri assistant to send Interac money transfers with simple voice commands.

07 March 2017

News/Innovation

Comptroller Curry hits back at critics of fintech charter plans

Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry says the oversight body will persist with plans to offer banking charters to fintech companies, dismissing criticisms that the agency is over-reaching its authority.

07 March 2017

News/Innovation

Ethereum Alliance: A coalition of the willing

Kirill Timofeev, senior developer in DataArt's dedicated blockchain team outlines the pitfalls and potential for financial services participants in the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance.

07 March 2017

News/Innovation

Fed governor cautions on central bank-issued digital currencies

A US Federal Reserve governor has poured cold water on the prospect of central bank-issued digital currencies, saying that they raise serious security and privacy concerns and could become a prime target for crooks.

06 March 2017

News/Innovation

Law firms cosy up to UK fintech community

Top law firm Slaughter and May is to give five fintech startups free legal services worth tens of thousands of pounds. Meanwhile, another law firm, Simmons & Simmons, is launching a fintech and regtech student support programme with London's Queen Mary University.

06 March 2017

News/Innovation

Underserved fintech fund raises $141 million

US non-profit group Accion International and VC Quona Capital have raised $141 million from an array of institutional investors to support fintech startups that improve the quality and availability of financial services for the underserved.

06 March 2017