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Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis Founder at Finextra Research

Web 2.0: Advanta launches IdeaBlob for SMEs

Advanta, a US based financial institution, with a big focus upon providing credit cards to the small business market place has used the Demo event in San Diego to launch IdeaBlob. IdeaBlob harnesses web 2.0 concepts around crowdsourcing to validate business ideas contributed by SMEs and then, potentially, win the cash to allow them to realise their...

Futuristic Banking

Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis Founder at Finextra Research

I'm due a McLaren for Christmas this year, boss

In the interests of research for a project (honest), I recently had cause to look into slang terminology for different amounts of currency. Which made me consider that if 'a Bernie' is worth £1 million (from Bernie Ecclestone's £1m loan to the Labour Party), then surely 'a McLaren' must now be worth $100 million... A useful short hand denomination...

Whatever...

Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis Founder at Finextra Research

World Stock Exchange hacked, run on deposits, bank closes

It must be purgatory working at Linden Labs. Citizens of Second Life seem hell bent on replicating every problem of the real world. Setting aside the sex pests and the terrorists, no sooner had the authorities at Linden Labs banned gambling than its uber governors have had to deal with a meltdown in the Second Life financial system. It emerged las...

Futuristic Banking

Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis Founder at Finextra Research

Analyst: online banking could save 17m trees each year

Tekrati, the analyst reporting service, has flagged up research by Javelin Strategy and Research that puts a environmental value on the shift to banking online. Read the full Tekrati story here - or buy the report from Javelin, which covers more than just the headline grabbing green case. Some of the envirnmental headlines Tekrati highlighted wer...

Going green

Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis Founder at Finextra Research

Squirrel espionage squad foiled by border guards

China is not the only nation to have trained creatures to do its bidding, the Washington Post points out an editorial by Saleh Eskandari headlined "spying squirrels," published July 10 by the Iranian newspaper Resalat. "A few weeks ago, 14 squirrels equipped with espionage systems of foreign intelligence services were captured by [...

Whatever...

Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis Founder at Finextra Research

Tips: Cleaning debris from dealing room technology

Next time a trader drops his avocado and bean sprout wrap on his keyboard - or one of those private equity boys inadvertently squashes a Quail's egg with his mouse - help is at hand. Just stick it in the dishwasher. The Register spotted the story, originally here. Try it at your own risk - and check your warranty first.

Whatever...

Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis Founder at Finextra Research

Where are they now: Ron Dembo

Not sure if Ron Dembo is still involved with Algorithmics - or indeed with financial technology - but TechCrunch's Michael Arrington tracked him down to a new start up called Zerofootprint, a not-for-profit that aims to help save the planet.

Where are they now?

Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis Founder at Finextra Research

Come on Tom, tell us what is happening?

Radio silence over at Tom Glocer's blog. Yes, it must be hugely busy at the eye of the storm. Yes, there are obvious legal constraints. But wouldn't it be fascinating to get a little insight into what's going on?

Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis Founder at Finextra Research

Does mobile banking fix it for the world's unbanked?

South Africa's Mail & Guardian has a news report looking at the use of Cell Phone banking to bring low income groups into the banked population, and thereby increase their potential for economic participation. The story looks at research among customers of South Africa's Wizzit Bank and a sample of the unbanked. There's also a related researc...

/retail

Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis Founder at Finextra Research

Does this apply to all Taco Bell customers?

Presumably these little guys were using the dine and dash payment free method.

/payments

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