Latest long reads: Finextra Research

UK’s AI infrastructure: Building the foundations for a sovereign future

Similar to how technology and innovation in the 1960s was dominated by the Space Race, we are now witnessing a global AI race – a marathon that impacts every sector and has no clear finish line. Around the world, governments are investing in AI as a strategy to strengthen their economies and global standing. In the UK it is no different. Nvidia’s ...

14 hours /ai

What are the new SFDR simplification rules - and what they mean for transparency

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

What are the new SFDR simplification rules - and what they mean for transparency

The European Commission proposed amendments to the EU’s environmental transparency framework for financial products - the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) - last week. The proposal simplified the rules of the SFDR, with the EC reporting that the current framework is “too long and complex” for investors and corporations to understan...

27 November 2025 /regulation

Top cyber threats and prevention trends in 2026

Ruth Wandhofer Board Member and Senior Adviser at LSEG, PTSB

Top cyber threats and prevention trends in 2026

The scale and effectiveness of major ransomware attacks (Marks & Spencer), supply chain breaches (Bank Sepah) and high-profile cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure (Collins Aerospace) in 2025 should be a wakeup call to companies, banks, public sector organisations, governments, insurers, and investors alike. The threat landscape saw a 60...

26 November 2025 /security

Black Friday bargains: What’s so bad about BNPL?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Black Friday bargains: What’s so bad about BNPL?

With the US-inspired Black Friday discount day set for 28th November, Cyber Monday on 1st December, and a flurry of festive spending expected in the runup to Christmas, Q4 2025 will be a bumper quarter for Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) schemes. Black Friday shoppers, however, have been urged to be prudent when it comes to BNPL offers at checkout, given ...

25 November 2025 /payments

Ann Magnusson Head of Investor Services at SEB

Do’s and don’ts of cloud migration

Custody platform operators are doing a lot of thinking about the cloud. It is a very important decision and one where banks need to scrutinise all the pros and cons with a great deal of care before committing. It’s important to discuss the myriad considerations, potential benefits, and areas of concerns clients and other custodians may have about ...

21 November 2025 /cloud

The death of liveness detection: Why your current security measures are obsolete

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

The death of liveness detection: Why your current security measures are obsolete

Your liveness check isn’t broken, it’s lying to you. Blinking and tilting your head no longer proves a person is real. Today’s deepfakes can even mimic photoplethysmography (PPG), tiny skin colour changes caused by blood flow that many systems treat as proof of life. Something needs to change, because deepfakes are not theoretical; they are active...

20 November 2025 /crime

Why African banks should lead urban infrastructure projects

Sepo Haihambo Former CEO of Commercial Banking at FNB Namibia

Why African banks should lead urban infrastructure projects

Africa’s newest megacities need infrastructure. Urban populations will double over the next 25 years, requiring wise investment in housing, electricity, and transport links. This presents African banks and institutional investors with a golden opportunity to finance, manage, and resource domestic infrastructure schemes, transitioning from foreign ...

19 November 2025 /markets

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Why did Peter Thiel sell his AI stocks?

A regulatory filing has revealed that in Q3 2025 Peter Thiel offloaded all his AI stocks. The move – coupled with SoftBank's selloff of its own Nvidia holdings – is fuelling speculation that the tech industry is due an uncomfortable correction. So, who is Peter Thiel, and why did he sell all his Nvidia stocks? In this instalment of Finextra’s Exp...

18 November 2025 /ai

What is CASS 15, the new FCA safeguarding framework for UK payment and e-money firms?

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

What is CASS 15, the new FCA safeguarding framework for UK payment and e-money firms?

Coming in to force on 7 May 2026, a new regime – CASS 15 – enacted by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) aims to strengthen weaknesses in payment and e-money firms, protect customers when those organisations fail, and mark a shift from resilient to proactive financial regulation. Here’s all you need to know about CASS 15. Why CASS 15 matte...

17 November 2025 /regulation

Backing Britain’s builders: How SEIS and EIS power UK startups

Ed Prior Head of Investor Services at SFC Capital

Backing Britain’s builders: How SEIS and EIS power UK startups

For many individual investors in the UK, early stage equity once felt like a closed door: the realm of venture capital firms or exclusive angel clubs. You could buy shares in public companies or invest via mainstream funds - but the moment when a founder takes that first traction step, hires their first few employees, secures product-market fit an...

17 November 2025 /startups

‘Tis the season for holiday scams: How to stay safe and shop smart

Dominique Dierks Senior Content Manager at Finextra

‘Tis the season for holiday scams: How to stay safe and shop smart

The holiday season brings joy, celebration and a surge in online shopping. But as consumers hunt for thoughtful gifts, the latest tech, and the best deals, scammers are also busy — making Black Friday and Christmas one of the riskiest times for fraud. And with digital commerce booming, the threat landscape is evolving faster than ever before. To u...

13 November 2025 /payments

The UK Government’s financial inclusion strategy is light on fintech

Chris Holmes Peer at House of Lords

The UK Government’s financial inclusion strategy is light on fintech

Last Wednesday, the Government launched its long awaited financial inclusion strategy. I welcome its publication and there is much to be positive about. Financial inclusion has been a key policy area for me since I entered the House of Lords, not least as part of a special Select Committee considering financial exclusion which I was privileged to...

12 November 2025 /inclusion

Long reads