Latest long reads: Finextra Research

Davos 2025 roundup: AI, crypto, and the energy transition

This year’s annual World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting set in the picturesque Alpine views of Davos, Switzerland, brought together international world leaders to discuss trade, global economy, climate change, and political tensions. There was a dark cloud hovering over the conference this year, encapsulating the geopolitical turmoil waging i...

29 January 2025 /markets

Starting the ISO 20022 countdown: The clock is ticking, but is the industry ready?

Dominique Dierks Senior Content Manager at Finextra

Starting the ISO 20022 countdown: The clock is ticking, but is the industry ready?

We’re just a few months out from the ISO 20022 CBPR+ deadline, and financial institutions globally are starting the last sprint towards readiness. By December 2024, only 32.9% of organisations had adopted the new messaging standard, showing the hurdles that are still ahead for many. Crucially, Swift has made it clear that the timeline will not...

29 January 2025 /regulation

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How can banks automate effectively?

Automation in financial services encapsulates a range of tools and techniques which have the effect of reducing human intervention in business and information technology (IT) processes. On the business side are repetitive tasks that hobble workflows. It is estimated that companies lose 20-30% of their revenue to such inefficiencies every year. Au...

28 January 2025 /ai

The current state of inclusive instant payments in Africa

Sabine Mensah Deputy CEO at AfricaNenda Foundation

The current state of inclusive instant payments in Africa

Many of us take for granted the ease with which we can make and receive digital payments directly from or into a bank account or e-wallet, and the host of economic benefits it brings. Digital payments are not universally available in Africa, however, in part because the payments infrastructure on the continent is not yet fully inclusive—neither in...

28 January 2025 /payments

Open banking: 4 application-specific recommendations for industry players

David O'Neill COO at APIContext

Open banking: 4 application-specific recommendations for industry players

Our recent report analyses the performance of open banking APIs from 29 UK-based bank brands, grouped into CMA9 banks, neobanks, and traditional banks. APIContext monitored Financial-grade API (FAPI) compliant consent endpoints for each bank brand using its active monitoring platform, with around eight million API calls made between 1 July 2023, ...

27 January 2025 /devops

How to avoid online scams and hype: Is reading the ‘fine print’ enough anymore?

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

How to avoid online scams and hype: Is reading the ‘fine print’ enough anymore?

Why do people keep losing money from schemes, scams, and ‘too good to be true’ offers in what is probably one of - if not the most - heavily regulated sectors of the economy? 2024 saw a continuing increase in fraudulent scams and a parade of disappointing (or damaging) online product offerings, including in the financial services marketplace. As...

23 January 2025 /security

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

$Trump: The new presidential meme coin

Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20th January was followed by a salad of executive orders, including the ejection of the USA from the Paris climate accord, the termination of birthright citizenship, the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the enforcement of a two-sex gender poli...

22 January 2025 /crypto

How did UK open banking APIs perform from 2023 to 2024?

David O'Neill COO at APIContext

How did UK open banking APIs perform from 2023 to 2024?

From June 2023 to July 2024, APIContext, in partnership with tomato pay, conducted approximately eight million API test calls across 29 UK banks to assess the quality of their open banking APIs. These APIs are essential for key digital services like payment processing and transfers, and their performance is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct ...

22 January 2025 /payments

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How to use APIs

According to a global survey on application programming interfaces (APIs) by McKinsey, 81% of respondents said APIs are a priority for business and IT functions. “Large banks are launching API programs and allocating about 14% of their IT budget to APIs, on average,” claims the survey. So what exactly are APIs, and how should institutions be using...

21 January 2025 /payments

How AI is transforming financial services with metadata extraction

Perry Rotella Managing Director, Financial Services at Box

How AI is transforming financial services with metadata extraction

Throughout my career, I have witnessed several significant fintech advancements. However, none have been as groundbreaking as the current artificial intelligence (AI) revolution and its impact on managing unstructured data. This is much more than just another tech trend – it redefines how businesses handle information across financial services. Th...

21 January 2025 /ai

Data usability in model training: GenAI tools provide solutions

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

Data usability in model training: GenAI tools provide solutions

In the new digital age, data is currency. For technology, software processing, cloud computing, and everything beyond, data is essential. However, with the boom of new technology and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), the sheer amount of data available has become overwhelming. In the banking sector, companies need to be able to organis...

20 January 2025 /ai

Retired Member

Understanding the DORA deadline

This piece has been co-authored by Racheal Muldoon, partner, and Hasan Almosoy, associate, both in the financial services regulation and funds team at law firm Charles Russell Speechlys. Today is the deadline for fintech firms to ensure that existing measures sufficiently hold up to the new standards imposed by the EU's Digital Operational Resilien...

17 January 2025 /regulation

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