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

Starling's Boden criticises government over Online Harms bill

Starling boss Anne Boden has called on the UK government to reverse its decision not to include financial fraud in its new 'Online Harms' bill, arguing that banks "seem to have become the underwriter" of all kinds of fraud, giving other players, such as social media platforms and telcos, a free pass.

08 January 2021

Company update/Social media

Absa registers 10,000 customers in first four months for for chat banking on WhatsApp

More than 10 000 customers have registered since Absa launched its secure, private and fully integrated ChatBanking on WhatsApp service on 11 July 2018.

12 November 2020

News/retail

Line launches 'social banking' platform in Thailand

Tech giant Line has begun offering integrated banking services to people in Thailand through its hugely popular social media platform.

21 October 2020

News/payments

Icici lets firms access trade finance services via WhatsApp

Customers of India's Icici Bank can now create fixed deposits, pay utility bills and access trade finance services through WhatsApp,

16 October 2020

Company update/Social media

Avaloq launches social messaging app

Avaloq, a leader in digital banking solutions, has launched the Engage app, a solution that allows wealth managers and advisers to engage with clients through social messaging channels such as WhatsApp and WeChat in a secure and compliant manner.

13 October 2020

Company update/wealth

Sberbank opens Telegram channel for retail investors

SberInvestements, a new channel for newcomer and experienced investors has been launched on the Telegram social media.

06 October 2020

News/crime

Barclays reports sharp rise in recruitment of young money mules

Criminals are targeting cash-strapped students to act as money mules, with the number of under-21s being recruited to launder money tripling in the past three years, according to figures from Barclays.

01 October 2020

News/crypto

US seizes bitcoin linked to terror groups

US authorities have seized millions of dollars in cryptocurrency linked to online terrorist financing campaigns involving Hamas, al-Qaeda and ISIS.

13 August 2020

News/payments

Marcus to lead new Facebook Financial unit

Facebook has created a new group, led by David Marcus, to house all of its payments and commerce work, according to Bloomberg.

10 August 2020

Company update/payments

Isbank deploys WeChat for face-to-face payments

Chinese tourists, creating a great potential in terms of tourism revenues for Turkey, can now make payments through the WeChat social media application, which is an important part of their daily lives.

10 August 2020

Company update/retail

Nigeria's Sterling Bank partners Clickatell for WhatsApp service

Sterling Bank Plc, Nigeria's leading commercial bank, in collaboration with Clickatell, a global leader in mobile communications and chat commerce, today announced a unique and very personalised banking experience for existing customers and prospective account holders through the popular messaging app - WhatsApp.

29 July 2020

News/retail

YES Bank deploys AI robot to interact with customers on WhatsApp

India's YES Bank has launched banking service on WhatsApp, using a chatbot interface to offer over 60 financial products over the messaging app.

24 July 2020

News/crypto

Twitter blames social engineering attack for celeb Bitcoin tweet hack

Twitter has blamed a social engineering attack on its employees for the hack yesterday which saw the accounts of big names such as Barack Obama and Bill Gates send out bitcoin scam tweets.

16 July 2020

News/security

Wells Fargo bans TikTok from company devices

Wells Fargo has banned TikTok from all company devices, citing privacy and security concerns with the social media app.

15 July 2020

News/startups

Creator Cash launches to let YouTubers get early payments

An app that lets content creators get immediate access to YouTube earnings while also seeing their real-time earnings analytics has launched.

08 July 2020

News/payments

Brazil Central Bank ices Facebook's WhatsApp payment service

The central bank of Brazil has suspended Facebook's WhatsApp payment service within ten days of its roll out, citing competition issues in the mobile payment space.

24 June 2020

Company update/retail

BNP Paribas Fortis chooses Worldline for contact service

Worldline [Euronext: WLN], the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry, has sealed a multi-year contract with BNP Paribas Fortis, a leading financial institution in Belgium and across Europe.

04 June 2020

News/crypto

Calibra rebrands as Novi in preparation for digital currency roll out

Facebook's digital wallet provider Calibra has been given a make-over, changing its name to Novi and confirming in-app integration with Messenger and WhatsApp.

26 May 2020

News/security

Scammers left to run riot on social media, Which? finds

Popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook have become a breeding ground and safe haven for criminals selling people's personal financial details, according to an investigation by Which? Money.

30 April 2020

News/startups

Banks and innovation — Gringotts’ goblins are so last century

Former banker Elliot Goykhman explains how his frustrations with traditional bank accounts led him to create a new bank - Zelf - delivered solely through popular messaging apps.

23 April 2020