Latest long reads: Finextra Research

UK government delays AI Bill, but now is the time to regulate unchecked AI

Chris Holmes Peer at House of Lords

UK government delays AI Bill, but now is the time to regulate unchecked AI

Despite the welcome publication of the Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan last month, the latest rumours around Westminster are that Ministers have delayed plans for an AI Bill as the UK government seeks to align itself with the U.S. administration on the technology. There is, self-evidently, a more than pressing need for cross-sector, AI-s...

03 March 2025 /ai

The top payments stories you missed in February 2025

Dominique Dierks Senior Content Manager at Finextra

The top payments stories you missed in February 2025

Catch up on our most viewed payments stories from February 2025. UK Government mulls abolishment of Payment Systems Regulator Our most read news story from February was the announcement that the UK government is considering scrapping the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) and folding it into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). As it currently stan...

28 February 2025 /payments

Embedded finance: The future of seamless financial services

Thomas Easterby Head of FinTech at HSBC Innovation Banking

Embedded finance: The future of seamless financial services

Embedded finance can be defined as the integration of financial services, such as payments, lending, insurance, or banking, directly into non-financial products and platforms. Over the past decade business models in this category have proliferated, fundamentally changing how consumers and businesses interact with money, and providing fintech and f...

27 February 2025 /payments

Back to that paper: Why cash isn’t going anywhere in the near future

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

Back to that paper: Why cash isn’t going anywhere in the near future

We are currently living in a whirlwind era of digital payments, online transactions, and e-wallets – yet for many, cash is still king. What does cash mean for financial inclusion? Globally, cash is still the most widely-used payment method, and remains the preferred choice for many, particularly those residing in isolated communities, the elderly, ...

26 February 2025 /inclusion

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Understanding the G20 targets

At a November 2020 summit, a coalition of the world’s largest economies, the Group of Twenty (G20), tabled a roadmap aimed at enhancing international retail, wholesale and remittance transactions. By 2021, working with the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the G20 issued a set of qualitative targets – across access, cost, speed, and transparency – ...

25 February 2025 /payments

M&A in the EU market: Essential factors for investors to consider

Renate Prinz Partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP

M&A in the EU market: Essential factors for investors to consider

Investing in Europe: Is it a good time to do so? Opinions differ. The EU financial sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, driven by technological advancements and evolving consumer preferences, but there is also heavy regulation. Despite the downsides of a high degree of regulation, such as increased costs, inflexibility, many ...

25 February 2025 /regulation

Germany elections: What Friedrich Merz’s win means for fintech

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

Germany elections: What Friedrich Merz’s win means for fintech

Friedrich Merz’s fiscally conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU/CSU) won Germany’s national election this month, citing promises of uniting Europe amid challenges from Russia and the US, as well as a coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats to stabilise economic issues. A coalition with right-wing party AfD would also be possible, bu...

24 February 2025 /markets

Wealth management in 2025: Tech innovation in focus

Richard Shearwood Wealth Consultant at Simplify Consulting

Wealth management in 2025: Tech innovation in focus

Technology in the wealth management industry cannot be avoided. Firms will have to adapt or die in this fast-moving sector. Businesses need to revamp their business strategy and make sure technology is at the centre of the operation – otherwise they will be left behind in the market by more forward-thinking companies. Technology is reshaping the we...

24 February 2025 /wealth

Microsoft's Majorana 1 quantum computing chip: Explained

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

Microsoft's Majorana 1 quantum computing chip: Explained

17 years of research has led to Microsoft creating a new material and architecture for quantum computing. Majorana 1, the first Quantum Processing Unit (QPU), is powered by a hardware-protected topological qubit, and could have a substantial impact on the financial services and fintech industries. Here's how. What is quantum computing? Quantum com...

20 February 2025 /devops

Bank-fintech partnerships: Banking on innovation in 2025

Lauren McCollom SVP and Head of Embedded Finance at Grasshopper

Bank-fintech partnerships: Banking on innovation in 2025

The fintech sector has evolved into a critical pillar of modern banking, and in 2025, it is poised for another year of growth. Building from the momentum in the second half of 2024, this year, the sector is expected to see increased investment and merger and acquisition activity, leading the industry to grow by more than 25% and reach a valuation ...

20 February 2025 /retail

Trade-based financial crime: Criminal activity, complex supply chains, and coverage

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

Trade-based financial crime: Criminal activity, complex supply chains, and coverage

The Canadian Department of Finance revealed in November 2024 that they would be requesting changes to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorism Financing Act (PCMLTFA) so that it could “continuously monitor and adapt to new risks and threats”. Similar initiatives are being implemented in a number of countries as regulators realise the...

19 February 2025 /crime

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How to implement Open Banking

Launched in the United Kingdom in January 2018 with the European Commission (EC)’s second Payments Services Directive (PSD2), open banking gives third-party financial service providers access to consumer banking, transaction, and other financial data, from banks. In a practical sense, open banking was a major milestone in the journey toward sharing...

18 February 2025 /payments

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