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

Social savings outfit SmartyPig targets Australia with ANZ deal

SmartyPig, a US online saving service that uses Web 2.0 technology to enable account holders to deposit money and receive funds from others, has recruited ANZ Bank to launch the system in Australia.

08 October 2008

News/Personal finance

P2P lending site Loanio targets sub-prime borrowers

A new peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform called Loanio has launched in the US which is aimed at customers with poor credit records, such as sub-prime borrowers.

02 October 2008

News/Personal finance

New bank comparison site taps social networking

A bank comparison Web site has been launched in the US that enables consumers to post reviews and recommendations on a range of personal banking products and services.

04 August 2008

News/Personal finance

E*Trade sells Canadian unit to Scotiabank for $442 million

Online discount brokerage E*Trade has agreed to sell its Canadian operations to Scotiabank in a deal worth US$442 million.

15 July 2008

News/Personal finance

Facebook users want Web 2.0 banking

New research has found that around half of Facebook users would use Web 2.0 applications for online banking, while a quarter would even consider switching banks to obtain Web 2.0 services.

04 June 2008

News/Personal finance

Credit firms accused of breaking rules with Facebook ads

Some credit firms are flouting advertising rules when using social networking site Facebook to target young people with cheap loans, says UK debt charity Credit Action.

12 May 2008

News/Personal finance

Student loan social lending site launches in US

A new person-to-person social lending Web site aimed at college students struggling to find loans in the post-credit crunch market has been launched in the US.

06 May 2008

News/Personal finance

Barclays Stockbrokers launches spot FX trading for private investors

Barclays Stockbrokers has teamed with California-based Integral Development to launch a spot FX trading service for private investors on its Barx platform.

02 May 2008

News/Personal finance

Scotiabank launches small change savings programme

Canada's Scotiabank has launched a new savings programme that automatically rounds-up customer spending on debit cards to the nearest dollar or five dollars and routes the extra money into a savings account.

01 May 2008

News/Personal finance

RBC enlists student bloggers

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is looking to tap the 'Facebook generation' with the launch of a financial advice blog written by students that can be accessed via its fan page on the social networking site.

18 March 2008

News/Personal finance

Social banking start-up SmartyPig in beta launch

An online saving service that enables account holders to deposit money and receive funds from others in order to save for specific goals has gone into beta mode in the US.

05 March 2008

News/Personal finance

Cake Financial taps Facebook network

Online investment club Cake Financial has opened for business on Facebook, offering users the opportunity to track and share their investment portfolios and trading activity with their social network.

26 February 2008

News/Personal finance

Experian mulling PriceGrabber sale

Credit information agency Experian says it is "undertaking a review" of its US online price comparison service, PriceGrabber, which it acquired in December 2005.

18 February 2008

News/Personal finance

Brits scared of the bank manager

Despite claims that customers still prefer face-to-face advice from high street branches, more than half (55%) of UK adults have not seen their bank manager in the last ten years, according to a study released by Lloyds TSB.

06 December 2007

News/Personal finance

FSA warns on misleading Internet advertising

One in four promotional Web sites operated by financial services firms fail to present information in a "fair, clear and not misleading way", says the UK's Financial Services Authority (FSA) following a review of advertising on investment sites.

29 November 2007

News/Personal finance

Mint raises $4.7 million in series a funding

US Web 2.0 startup Mint, which provides an online account aggregation and management service, has raised $4.7 million in a series a funding round led by Shasta Ventures.

17 October 2007

News/Personal finance

Tesco muscles in on online price comparison market

UK supermarket chain Tesco has entered the crowded online price comparison market with the launch of a motor insurance Web site.

12 September 2007

News/Personal finance

TD Canada Trust launches online bill tracker on Facebook

TD Canada Trust is looking to tap into the growing use of social networking sites by launching an application on Facebook that enables roommates to track and manage how they split household bills.

17 August 2007

News/Personal finance

Admiral ends Confused sale talks as Tesco eyes price comparison market

UK insurance group Admiral has ended discussions with private equity firms over the sale of a minority stake in its price comparison Web site Confused.com after failing to agree a price.

13 July 2007

News/Personal finance

HSBC and Barclaycard talk up 'green' initiatives

In the latest in a series of environmental initiatives by banks in the UK, HSBC has added a 'green option' on its current account which will allow customers to opt out of receving paper-based bank documents, while Barclaycard has launched the Breathe credit card which offers environmentally friendly shopping incentives to cardholders.

02 July 2007