Latest long reads: Finextra Research

Why 65% of the banking industry is not fully prepared for DORA: Key Insights from NextGen Nordics

Henna Cheema Researcher at Finextra

Why 65% of the banking industry is not fully prepared for DORA: Key Insights from NextGen Nordics

Set against the dynamic backdrop of the Nordic financial landscape, the NextGen Nordics 2025 event in Stockholm, Sweden on 29 April 2025 featured key findings from Finextra’s latest survey, highlighting the Nordic community’s concerns and aspirations. Real time data gathered from interactive audience polls throughout the event offered live insight...

20 June 2025 /payments

Mitigating cyber-risks in outsourcing: Contract strategies for compliance and protection

Luke Stubbs Partner at Shoosmiths LLP

Mitigating cyber-risks in outsourcing: Contract strategies for compliance and protection

A clear and present danger In recent years, several prominent UK businesses have faced significant technology and cybersecurity challenges and the consequences of data protection breaches. For example, in October 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined Equifax over £11 million for failing to manage and monitor the security of UK consumer ...

20 June 2025 /security

The UK’s next Big Bang: Digital assets, blockchain, and Web3

Simon Jennings Executive Director at UK Cryptoasset Business Council

The UK’s next Big Bang: Digital assets, blockchain, and Web3

With HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) actively consulting on the future regulatory framework, real progress feels within reach. But as ever, the devil is in the details. Warm words and platitudes alone won’t deliver what is required, and regulation is only part of the puzzle. That’s why today, the UK Cryptoasset Business Counc...

19 June 2025 /crypto

eIDAS 2.0: Europe’s digital future for regulating privacy and AML

Renate Prinz Partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP

eIDAS 2.0: Europe’s digital future for regulating privacy and AML

This piece has been co-authored by Renate Prinz, partner, and Dr. Cornelius Hille, associate, at McDermott, Will & Emery. The European Union’s European Digital Identity Framework Regulation (eIDAS 2.0) introduces a standardised framework for digital identity and trust services across all EU Member States, massively benefiting anti-money launde...

18 June 2025 /regulation

To ESG or not to ESG? Britain’s ‘Big Four’ banks buck the trend of DEI retreat

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

To ESG or not to ESG? Britain’s ‘Big Four’ banks buck the trend of DEI retreat

A counterbalance to claims of trans-Atlantic ESG de-prioritisation, Finextra’s investigation into the UK’s top financial institutions prove that some industries are keeping ESG front of mind. On Sunday 6 June 2025, The Observer published an article in its business and economics section which revealed how leading British firms had “re-written” thei...

17 June 2025 /inclusion

Are we finally seeing the shift to blockchain-as-infrastructure?

Chris Holmes Peer at House of Lords

Are we finally seeing the shift to blockchain-as-infrastructure?

The real news about digital asset innovation is often drowned out by ‘crypto’ noise such as the collapse of FTX and the launch of Trump Coins, but what should we really be listening to? 2025 is the year that Stripe went all in, heralding reports of a stablecoin gold rush in financial services as the UK’s Insolvency Service announces they have hired...

17 June 2025 /regulation

The LGBTQ wealth gap: What financial services must do next

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

The LGBTQ wealth gap: What financial services must do next

April 2025 numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the median weekly wage of a typical employee in the United States is $1,001. The Human Rights Campaign analysed this data and found that on average, for LGBTQ+ workers, earnings were around $900 a week. This wage gap equates to LGBTQ+ employees earning 90 cents on the do...

16 June 2025 /retail

Payments modernisation: How banks can leverage partnerships to scale up

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

Payments modernisation: How banks can leverage partnerships to scale up

As digital-first banks and neobanks take the lead in the global payments space, traditional financial institutions are looking to evolve. To keep up with the rapid pace of the industry, banks need to be in a constant stage of evolution. How can legacy banks modernise, and what tools are available to support them in their digital transformation jou...

16 June 2025 /payments

What are deepfakes? Understanding modern scams

Dominique Dierks Senior Content Manager at Finextra

What are deepfakes? Understanding modern scams

While AI and generative AI technology have made leaps in streamlining financial services over the last decade, fraudsters have made similar strides to use this technology for their advantage. Most nefariously, deepfakes becomes increasingly hard to differentiate from reality. So what is deepfake technology? And how is it affecting financial servic...

13 June 2025 /crime

AI in fintech: Transforming customer experience and operational efficiency

Ram Gopal Professor at University of Warwick

AI in fintech: Transforming customer experience and operational efficiency

Why AI—and why now? After two years of explosive progress in generative models, artificial intelligence (AI) has become the defining force behind innovation within financial services. According to NTT Data, a remarkable 91% of banking boards now have generative AI (Gen AI) initiatives on their agendas - a level of executive sponsorship unmatched by...

12 June 2025 /ai

Ensuring operational resilience in 2025 – why the status quo no longer works

Dominique Dierks Senior Content Manager at Finextra

Ensuring operational resilience in 2025 – why the status quo no longer works

Operational resilience is on all UK payments leaders’ minds. In 2024, 95% of business leaders stated that they’re aware of operational weaknesses which leave them vulnerable, yet 48% said their organisations aren’t doing enough to improve resilience. The European Union (EU)’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) – having come into effect on 17...

11 June 2025 /security

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

What is natural language processing?

The term natural language processing, or NLP, describes a computer’s ability to understand, interpret, or generate human language. It is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) which uses algorithm-backed machine learning (ML) to recognise both the written and spoken word. Testament to its utility, in 2023 the market size of NLP in finance was valu...

10 June 2025 /ai

Long reads