Tagged: banking

December 4, 2019 @ 8:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Following a trial of a biometric card announced in October, NatWest has announced an expansion of the program with its “biometric payment fob.” The bank is launching today a three-month national trial involving 250 customers. Users may make payments up to £100 without a bank card… Read More

December 4, 2019 @ 7:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

San Francisco-headquartered Migo, a Fintech firm that has developed a cloud-based lending solution, revealed on December 3 that it secured $20 million following the first closing of its Series B investment round. New York-based Valor Capital Group, an international VC firm with a special focus… Read More

December 3, 2019 @ 11:51 am By JD Alois  |  

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) along with three other federal agencies and in conjunction with the state bank regulators have issued a statement clarifying the legal status of hemp growth and production and the relevant requirements under the Bank Secrecy Act… Read More

December 3, 2019 @ 10:53 am By JD Alois  |  

Peer to peer lending platform Zopa raised £140 million, the company’s largest funding round since launch. According to a note from Zopa, the additional capital will enable Zopa’s banking entity to “fulfill its regulatory capital requirements.” This is key to removing its current restrictions on… Read More

December 2, 2019 @ 3:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Paris-based Pixpay, a company (launched in January 2019) that aims to replace cash when parents give pocket money to their children, allows anyone at least 10 years old to open a Pixpay account, acquire a debit card, and start managing their allowance money. Although challenger… Read More

December 2, 2019 @ 1:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulated e-money institution (EMI), Financial House, has teamed up with ONPEX, an established provider of multi-currency IBAN accounts. The partnership is aimed at enabling the EMI to provide international transaction banking services to its client base. UK-headquartered Financial House offers software-as-a-service… Read More

December 1, 2019 @ 6:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based National Westminster Bank (NatWest), a major retail and commercial bank, is teaming up with Moneypenny in order to support the UK’s small businesses. Moneypenny will be offering free trials and special discounts on their services to business owners that are participating in NatWest’s Accelerator… Read More

November 29, 2019 @ 7:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Sweden-based Online payments company (and bank) Klarna reportedly became Europe’s highest valued Fintech in August 2019 with a market capitalization of around $5.5 billion. Klarna’s management stated on November 26 that it has onboarded 60,000 additional merchants worldwide in 2019, which represents an increase of… Read More

November 28, 2019 @ 12:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

Digital bank Revolut is now offering direct debits for UK accounts. Customers with UK accounts may now set up GBP direct debits to pay for items such as club memberships or utility fees. Revolut adds that customers will be safeguarded against certain types of fraud… Read More

November 27, 2019 @ 3:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Robinhood, a Fintech that seeks to provide a growing number of banking services, has pulled its application for a national bank charter filed with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), according to a report by CNBC. Robinhood filed for a “Charter National… Read More

November 26, 2019 @ 8:05 am By JD Alois  |  

Challenger bank Tandem has partnered with TrueLayer in a move to better connect Tandem’s 800,000+ customers to synchronize their accounts to both High Street and other challenger banks. Truelayer is described as Europe’s leading provider of financial APIs. The integration supports all major European banks… Read More

November 25, 2019 @ 4:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Several digital banks have been launched in Australia during the past few years. However, these direct banks that are 100% digital currently face challenges around awareness and consumer trust. This, despite millions of customers being dissatisfied with traditional banking services, according to the latest research… Read More

November 25, 2019 @ 12:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Offering more mobility and quicker financial services, challenger banks appear to be destined for success, however, the Irish consumers’ trust in new technology seems to be a major challenge to mass adoption. This, according to Fujitsu’s latest “From Demanding to Discerning: Tech and the New… Read More

November 25, 2019 @ 7:59 am By JD Alois  |  

As predicted last week, online broker Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) has announced the purchase of TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ:AMTD) in a deal worth $26 billion. According to Schwab, the all-stock transaction represents a 17% premium of TD Ameritrade’s average share price as of November 20, 2019. Shares… Read More

November 25, 2019 @ 1:59 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital-only banks, or neo-banks, are not dependent on outdated, legacy financial infrastructure. These virtual banks are more efficient than traditional banking institutions because they operate without the costly networks of physical branches. Neobanks have been working towards transforming the retail banking sector in major financial… Read More

November 23, 2019 @ 5:37 pm By Xu Gao  |  

The People’s Bank of China Releases China’s Green Finance Development Report (2018) In order to introduce China’s achievements and experience in green finance, the People’s Bank of China (PBC) has worked with relevant authorities and organizations to compile the annual China’s Green Finance Development Report… Read More

November 22, 2019 @ 11:47 am By Omar Faridi  |  

New York-based Citigroup Inc.,  (NYSE:C)an American multinational investment bank and financial services corporation, has been named the “World’s Best Digital Bank” by Global Finance Magazine. Notably, this is the 18th consecutive year that Citi has been ranked as the best digital bank worldwide by the… Read More

November 22, 2019 @ 9:19 am By JD Alois  |  

Transferwise, a breakout Fintech hit, has added Malaysia to its list of countries where it offers its currency transfer services. According to a blog post, last year, Malaysia’s international money transfers grew 23.3%, to RM 41 billion (USD $9.9 billion). But most of these transfers… Read More

November 21, 2019 @ 8:55 am By JD Alois  |  

Thought Machine, a company that builds cloud-native tech for banks, has partnered with Google Cloud, according to a note from the company. As a Google Cloud partner Thought Machine will work closely with the Google Cloud team on new opportunities around the world. Thought Machine… Read More

November 21, 2019 @ 8:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Amsterdam-based ABN Amro, the third-largest bank in the Netherlands, recently revealed that its Hong Kong division had introduced Temenos’ payment technology offering, called Temenos Payments, as part of the platform’s global launch. Temenos Payments has reportedly been installed at the institution’s subsidiaries in Australia, Belgium,… Read More