Finextra Research: Latest fintech news, analysis, interviews, features and opinion by industry experts

'Punch bag' RBS fights back with proactive approach to social media

Its reputation in the gutter, the Royal Bank of Scotland has embarked on an aggressive, proactive social media programme designed to help win over disgruntled customers.

26 November 2013

News/Personal finance

Level launches money meter app; raises $5m

With $5 million in funding in the bag, US start-up Level has launched a money meter iOS app aimed at millennials bidding to keep track of their finances.

10 October 2013

News/Personal finance

Investment in US fintech firms on the rise

Investment in US fintech firms from venture capital, private equity and angels is on course to top $2.5 billion this year, according to data from CB Insights.

12 July 2013

News/Personal finance

PKO Bank Polski launches online account for kids

PKO Bank Polski has unveiled an online bank account for young children, where they can receive pocket money, set savings goals and top up their mobile phones.

11 July 2013

News/Personal finance

UK govt opens midata innovation lab

The UK government has opened its 'midata' innovation lab, enabling businesses to collect consumer data and use it to build apps that will help Brits manage their money.

10 July 2013

News/Personal finance

Investment management outfit SigFig raises $15m

SigFig, a US start-up which helps users track and manage their investments, has raised $15 million in a funding round led by Union Square Ventures and Bain Capital Ventures.

03 July 2013

News/Personal finance

Barclays preps PFM tool

Barclays is preparing to roll out its Money Tools personal finance management service to all online customers.

13 June 2013

News/Personal finance

Guardian and Zurich team on 'Life Navigator' money tool

UK broadsheet The Guardian has teamed up with insurance firm Zurich on a 'Life Navigator' Web app designed to provide readers with money advice.

18 February 2013

News/Personal finance

BNZ targets youth with online overhaul

New Zealand's BNZ has set its sights on young customers with an overhaul of its online banking service designed to make it more intuitive and customisable.

14 February 2013

News/Personal finance

Moven gears up for launch

Having ditched the 'bank' from its name, US mobile-centric financial services provider Moven is gearing up for a closed beta launch at the end of February.

12 February 2013

News/Personal finance

Barclays preps social enterprise hackathons

Barclays is inviting UK tech and design bods to take part in a pair of hackathon weekends where they will work on socially useful finance-related ideas.

06 February 2013

News/Personal finance

UK Chancellor plans on UK payments shake-up

George Osborne, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, has threatened to break up the UK's big banks if they fail to follow new rules to ring-fence risky investment operations from their retail operations, and promised a shake-up of the payment system to boost competition in the sector.

04 February 2013

News/Personal finance

Ribbit Capital raises $100m for financial innovation fund

Ribbit Capital, a new Silicon Valley-based venture capital fund focused purely on investing in innovative, tech-led financial services firms, has launched after closing its own $100 million fund.

23 January 2013

News/Personal finance

UK govt tells banks to hand over account data to customers

The UK government has warned banks that it is prepared to legislate to force them to hand over current account and credit card data to customers who request it.

19 November 2012

News/Personal finance

Pocket money goes digital with pre-paid card for eight-year olds

A British start-up is encouraging parents to ditch cash and take pocket money into the digital age, offering pre-paid cards to children as young as eight which can be used online, in-store and at ATMs.

15 November 2012

News/Personal finance

UBank gathers transaction data for spending comparison site

NAB unit UBank has launched a site that pulls together anonymous transaction data to identify trends and allow visitors to compare their spending with that of their fellow Aussies.

09 November 2012

News/Personal finance

The Netherlands gets new direct bank

A new online and mobile-centric bank, called Knab, has launched in the Netherlands, promising to use social media tools and technology to offer a more transparent and personalised service.

28 September 2012

News/Personal finance

Movenbank brings in tech partners

Handset-centric start-up Movenbank has struck deals with three vendors for the provision of payment, mobile and personal finance management technology.

13 September 2012

News/Personal finance

Intuit opens up financial data service APIs to third party developers

Intuit is opening up the APIs to its financial data service - which powers Quicken, QuickBooks, Mint and FinanceWorks - to third party developers, inviting them to build their own services.

11 September 2012

News/Personal finance

Virtual branches and Facebook payments: Poland gets new digital bank

Poland's first digital bank has launched, complete with virtual branch, mobile, app, Facebook payments, personal finance management tools and an "entertainment area".

18 June 2012