Sibos - Long Reads, News, Articles & Research: Finextra

The impact of stablecoins on the cross-border payments landscape

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

The impact of stablecoins on the cross-border payments landscape

This is an excerpt from a Sibos special edition report: The Future of Cross-Border Payments 2026: Strategies for Success. Will the emergence of stablecoins and tokenised deposits revolutionise the industry? Maybe, but it will take some time, long-time correspondent banking practitioners say. They generally agree with the advantages stablecoins, ‘...

25 September 2025 /Sibos

Unified lending platforms: An answer to the SME service gap?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Unified lending platforms: An answer to the SME service gap?

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the global economy. In Europe, 99% of businesses are SMEs – and provide jobs to over 85 million citizens. In the United States, meanwhile, McKinsey estimates that small businesses contribute almost half (44%) of the gross domestic product (GDP), and are responsible for a significant por...

24 September 2025 /Sibos

The race to build the Wall Street of crypto

Franz Bergmueller CEO at AMINA Bank

The race to build the Wall Street of crypto

As regulatory certainty becomes the decisive competitive advantage, in the race to become crypto’s Wall Street, are the early frontrunners losing ground? For more than a decade, crypto innovation has been shaped by regulatory uncertainty. Companies set up shop in ‘friendlier’ jurisdictions, often more out of necessity than choice. Meanwhile, the US...

22 September 2025 /Sibos

Adizah Tejani Ex - Global Portfolio Manager at Independent

Is European fintech coming of age?

European fintech may finally be coming of age. Last week, Klarna — one of the continent’s most prominent fintechs — went public in the U.S., raising $1.37 billion at a $15.1 billion valuation. The IPO is more than a milestone for Klarna; it’s a turning point for the European ecosystem. Exits like this matter. They return capital, validate business...

19 September 2025 /Sibos

From back office to backbone: Why billing is banking’s hidden advantage

David Ketley Executive Director at CSG Systems Inc.

From back office to backbone: Why billing is banking’s hidden advantage

We’re barely into autumn and many are already predicting hyper-personalisation, generative AI assistants, and embedded finance as the key banking trends of 2025. But not enough are noticing the quiet shift of billing and payments from back-office operations to the brains behind banking, thanks to the unique intelligence they capture. Every day, b...

18 September 2025 /Sibos

Modernising payments in 2025: How banks are moving from rail-centric to outcome-centric

Dominique Dierks Senior Content Manager at Finextra

Modernising payments in 2025: How banks are moving from rail-centric to outcome-centric

The world of payments has never been more complex that it is today. What was ‘nice to have’ five years ago is now essential for consumers; a plethora of payment options is the expectation. To meet these demands, financial institutions need to adapt to new payment rails, the shift towards instant, and increasing demand for alternative payment metho...

17 September 2025 /Sibos

Rewiring trade finance: How technology is powering a front-to-back revolution

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

Rewiring trade finance: How technology is powering a front-to-back revolution

Amid geopolitical shifts and regulatory pressures, trade finance is evolving into a more intricate and demanding landscape. To stay competitive, banks and corporates must modernise their international trade strategies – balancing compliance, agility and innovation. In 2024, the global trade finance market was valued at $9.7 trillion and is estima...

10 September 2025 /Sibos

Africa’s cross-border payments boom: Why stablecoins and AI are key to the next financial leap

Amish Patel Coverage Banker at Absa

Africa’s cross-border payments boom: Why stablecoins and AI are key to the next financial leap

Remittances to Africa have hit record highs, but sky-high fees and inefficiencies in Africa’s payments landscape still hold back economic potential. This article explains why stablecoins and AI could reshape cross-border payments and inclusion across the continent. Africa is experiencing a cross-border payments boom, with data from the World Bank ...

14 August 2025 /Sibos

Is ISO 20022 still important for financial institutions and their clients?

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

Is ISO 20022 still important for financial institutions and their clients?

Is getting onboard with ISO 20022 important to you? That depends on your priorities: if you value accurate and standardised entry and management of payment and trade transaction communications and details, and you like to ensure your company’s payables and receivables are properly reconciled, it’s going to make all of that a much more simple and a...

21 July 2025 /Sibos

Traditional banking vs. crypto banks: The road ahead

Franz Bergmueller CEO at AMINA Bank

Traditional banking vs. crypto banks: The road ahead

The rise of cryptocurrency since 2008 shook the world of traditional banking. What began as skepticism and denial has evolved into cautious acceptance, as institutions and retailers have seen the potential of crypto – not only as an asset class, but as infrastructure. Traditional banks are increasingly playing catch-up in a system that is being re...

09 July 2025 /Sibos

Anuradha Raman Product Owner at Pay.UK

Confirmation of Payee five years on

Five years ago, the UK's financial landscape underwent a profound transformation with the introduction of Confirmation of Payee (CoP) . The service was launched by Pay.UK in 2020 to reduce the number of misdirected payments by verifying the account details of the intended recipient before a payment is made. Having since also demonstrated its effec...

08 July 2025 /Sibos

Why is regulation no longer a priority for US financial services?

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

Why is regulation no longer a priority for US financial services?

Financial regulation in the US is so yesterday’s news. Based on recent actions and/or comments from the Trump administration and the regulatory agencies assigned to measure and monitor a multitude of factors that surround and secure the country’s financial system, oversight of banks, savings institutions and credit unions (FIs) – and even emerging...

10 June 2025 /Sibos

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