Latest long reads: Finextra Research

What is the role of biodiversity bonds in green finance?

Last month, BBVA Colombia announced it will be issuing the financial sector’s first biodiversity bond of $50 million, in association with IFC. So, what are biodiversity bonds, and what do they mean for sustainable finance? The BBVA investment marks progress in financing green projects; focusing on allocating capital for natural resources and initi...

24 July 2024 /sustainable

Payments processing: Why banks should take a composable approach

Madhvi Mavadiya Head of Content at Finextra

Payments processing: Why banks should take a composable approach

Over the last two decades, many banks have faced the frustration of being locked into high operating costs. Minimal budgets cannot meet business needs for expansion or support the improvement of product offerings. This is partly due to regulatory requirements consuming the lion’s share of the budget and the high cost of maintaining legacy systems. ...

24 July 2024 /payments

Hamish Monk Reporter at Finextra

Understanding consumer duty

With the UK’s Consumer Duty standard due to come into force this month, it is time for a recap on its objectives, how it is working to improve consumer protection for financial firms, and what can be expected from the annual board attestation on 31 July 2024. Good outcomes for customers Announced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2021 an...

23 July 2024 /regulation

How APIs can unlock huge value for banks and their treasury customers

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

How APIs can unlock huge value for banks and their treasury customers

When corporate and banking institution systems communicate, it’s all about easier, faster, and more. Data is the product, and Application Programmer Interfaces (APIs) are becoming the ‘golden key’ to sharing it for accounts, transactions, and reporting on both. At the NW Summit of the Association for Financial Professionals, experts from both worl...

22 July 2024 /wealth

A hopeful vision for a sustainable future: Embracing the power of narratives

Brigitte Bernard-Rau Lecturer and Postdoctoral Researcher at Universität Hamburg

A hopeful vision for a sustainable future: Embracing the power of narratives

Where I come from, storytelling plays an important role. As an oral tradition, this form of expression is used to share funny stories and anecdotes about everyday life. Between tales, songs and riddles, the storyteller engages the audience with words such as “Krik”, “Yékrik” and “Mistikrik” to make sure everyone is listening. The audience responds...

19 July 2024 /sustainable

US election 2024: What will Trump VP pick J.D. Vance bring to fintech?

Madhvi Mavadiya Head of Content at Finextra

US election 2024: What will Trump VP pick J.D. Vance bring to fintech?

“AI poses a number of safety concerns and I fully admit that there are a number of issues I worry about as AI continues to develop. In particular, you could imagine a scenario where AI makes these chatbots much more efficient, much more believable, allows predators to prey on children more easily online. That is a real concern and something that I...

18 July 2024 /markets

Fintech market picks up as confidence grows

Antoinette Barnard Head Sales and Alliances B2B Services, Rabobank at Rabobank

Fintech market picks up as confidence grows

2023 was, according to some measures, far from a good year for the fintech sector in Europe. After a record-breaking post-pandemic period, 2023 saw a correction, leading to drops in valuations. The European fintech market experienced significant challenges due to factors outside of its control. The global economic environment was tumultuous, and ...

17 July 2024 /markets

Stablecoin: How will it impact the UK payments regime?

Bazil Sansom Research Fellow at Warwick Business School

Stablecoin: How will it impact the UK payments regime?

When I pop to my local newsagents for my Friday night treat, it is still jarring to find I must spend at least £3 when using my debit card. This means instead of one, I have to buy two bars of chocolate. It’s not good for my waistline (even with ‘shrinkflation’), and it is not ideal for the shop owner either. They are trying to cover the fees impo...

16 July 2024 /crypto

Hamish Monk Reporter at Finextra

PSD3 use cases

In 2026 the existing second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) will formally be replaced by two new pieces of legislation: the first Payment Services Regulation (PSR1) and PSD3. The European Commission’s aim is to boost payments security and level the playing field between banks and payment initiators (PIs). With the transition period well underwa...

16 July 2024 /regulation

Is being a tech generalist the key to career longevity?

Aoibhinn Mc Bride Content Editor at Jobbio

Is being a tech generalist the key to career longevity?

From AI to cybersecurity, you might be operating under the assumption that in order to excel in tech you need to focus your career efforts in one specific area, particularly in your formative years. But according to Eddy Barker, an engineer at U.S. telecommunications company AT&T, specialising too early in one specific area can limit your techn...

12 July 2024 /people

US election 2024: What does Project 2025 say about finance and fintech?

Madhvi Mavadiya Head of Content at Finextra

US election 2024: What does Project 2025 say about finance and fintech?

We went through The Heritage Foundation’s 922 page document 'Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conversative Promise' so you didn’t have to. While it is common for think-tanks from opposite sides of the political spectrum to propose policies for governments-in-waiting, the initiative dubbed ‘Project 2025’ has resulted in recent widespread concern des...

11 July 2024 /markets

Currencies’ digital race on payment rails

Erol Kaya CTO at BUNA

Currencies’ digital race on payment rails

A global player as a financial messaging network: SWIFT More than 11,000 banks and financial institutions rely on the SWIFT messaging network for financial transactions. In 2022, the SWIFT network registered an impressive average of 44.8 million messages daily, facilitating $150 trillion in transactions annually. As of May 2024, the breakdown of t...

11 July 2024 /payments

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