Finclude, an Ireland-based start-up that provides credit scoring and affordability profiles using machine learning technology, today announced it has joined IBM’s (NYSE: IBM) growing ecosystem of more than 100 Global Systems Integrators (GSIs), Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), SaaS providers, and FinTechs supporting the IBM Cloud for Financial Services.
The IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services is designed to address risk in the digital supply chain through a common set of security controls that are adhered to by the entire ecosystem.
A growing portion of the $1 trillion hybrid cloud market opportunity is comprised of the financial markets industry, which is expected to increase nearly twenty percent by 2024.[1] Key findings in a recent IBM internal analysis suggest that cloud is expected to account for about 60% of that future market opportunity as financial institutions are accelerating innovation to meet heightened customer expectations, deliver consistent services in the face of challenges like the global pandemic, and navigate the ever-complex regulatory environment.[2]
Finclude aims to address the lack of a common credit scoring system across Europe, which has left 58 million citizens without access to credit and created major difficulties for those moving to another European country to live and work. People with thin credit histories often struggle to secure credit through the traditional assessment process. Finclude’s credit scoring and affordability solution helps to create a digital credit score for European citizens that is surfaced in the financial systems of their home country and other European countries in Finclude’s network. The company’s solution uses machine learning technology to enhance traditional credit scoring methods with additional data and insights drawn from an individual’s financial transactions and spending behaviours. The resulting digital credit score provides a more holistic profile of a candidate and can move with them across borders.
Onboarding its solution to the IBM Cloud for Financial Services will enable Finclude to scale more rapidly by expanding its network. The IBM Cloud for Financial Services’ built-in compliance support and enterprise-grade encryption technology will also allow Finclude to help financial services clients to fulfill their regulatory requirement to ensure their customers’ data is kept private and secured.
The industry’s first financial services-ready cloud, the IBM Cloud for Financial Services uses IBM’s fourth-generation confidential computing capabilities and “Keep Your Own Key” encryption delivered via IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services to help partners and their customers retain control of their data and transact with financial institutions in a secured environment. Built-in controls are engineered to help customers accelerate innovation, unlock new revenue opportunities, and decrease the cost of compliance.
“Our purpose at Finclude is to help millions of people prosper through fair access to credit by empowering our customers and partner banks to make better financial and credit decisions,” said Ioanna Stanegloudi, Co-Founder & Chief Risk Officer, Finclude. “Joining the IBM Cloud for Financial Services gives us a security and compliance profile that financial institutions and customers can trust, allowing us to grow our partner network more rapidly and extend the reach of our services to more people across Europe.”
“We designed the IBM Cloud for Financial Services with a control framework to help financial institutions accelerate hybrid cloud adoption and drive revenue growth while addressing their need for a secured partner ecosystem,” said Brendan Kinkade, Vice President, Technology and Hybrid Cloud Partnerships, IBM. “By collaborating on the IBM Cloud for Financial Services, partners like Finclude can confidently transact with financial institutions on their journey to modernization.”
Finclude is a member of IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator’s Cohort 1, where IBM and its Accelerator team empower early-stage fintech, healthtech, and insurtech founders with technical and business enablement. The Accelerator team recruits startups from across the globe that are less than $1M in revenue and less than five years old to build and scale their businesses through access to IBM Cloud credits and business and technical mentorship. Learn more about IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator here.