Finovate Europe 2013 Best of Show Winners Named

FinovateEurope.jpgOur third FinovateEurope wrapped up a few hours ago. At the end of each of the two jam-packed days, the London audience voted for their favorite three demos. The top eight overall were named Best of Show (see notes).

The winners (in alphabetic order):

  • Credit-Agricole for its app store where it is wooing outside developers
  • ETRONIKA for its BANKTRON e-channel management platform
  • mBank with Efigence for their Facebook & social platform 
  • Meniga for its PFM platform, including “buy” vs “not buy” feature
  • Moven (Movenbank) for the worldwide launch of its mobile-optimized bank
  • Pockets United for its group-purchasing-mobile solution
  • SumUp for its mobile point-of-sale system
  • Virtual Piggy for its kids’ payment system with parental controls

We’ll have videos of all 64 demos posted at Finovate.com within a few weeks.

Congratulations to the presenters for our first Finovate with zero demo fails (sure, there were a few glitches here and there). And thanks to everyone who attended, tweeted, networked, blogged, and set up an enormous number of post-show meetings. You are pushing fintech forward, and consumers everywhere will benefit.

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Notes on methodology
1. Only audience members NOT associated with demoing companies were eligible to vote. Finovate employees did not vote.    
2. Attendees were encouraged to note their favorites during each day. At the end of the last demo, they chose their three favorites.   
3. The exact written instructions given to attendees: “Please rate (the companies) on the basis of demo quality and potential impact of the innovation demoed.” 
4. The eight companies appearing on the highest percentage of submitted ballots were named Best of Show. 
5. Go here for a list of previous Best of Show winners.

Virtual Piggy Lets Kids Under 18 Safely Spend Money Online

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

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Wrapping up FinovateEurope 2013, Virtual Piggy demonstrated how kids can use its online payment platform to safely make online purchases:
“Virtual Piggy is the first e-commerce solution that enables kids to manage and spend money within a parent-controlled environment. 
The technology delivers online security platforms designed for the under-18 age group in the global online market, and also enables online businesses the ability to function in a manner consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and similar international children’s privacy laws. Virtual Piggy enables the U-18 audience to play, transact and socialize in a secure online environment guided by parental permission, oversight and control.”
Product Launch: March 2012
HQ: Hermosa Beach, CA, USA
Founded: February 2008
Metrics: Public Company (OTC:VPIG)
Twitter: @followpiggy
Presenting Dr. Jo Webber (CEO & Founder) and Pradeep Ittycheria (CTO & Co-Founder)
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Finantix Debuts Banking Assistant, a Smart Banker in Your Pocket

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Next, Finantix showcased Banking Assistant:

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“Banking Assistant is a smart banker in your pocket. It runs on mobile phones and tablets, and can understand commands and questions in natural language, written or spoken.
The app allows a bank’s customer to access intelligent information, launch transactions and receive useful advice in the most intuitive and effective way.
Banks can easily integrate the underlying engine in their existing apps and systems.
Banking Assistant is part of Finantix Sharp, a multi-channel platform for digital banking that introduces a fresh and engaging approach to customer interactions.”
Product Launch: February, 2013
HQ: Venice, Italy
Founded: January 1994
Website: finantix.com
Twitter: @finantix
Presenting Alessandro Tonchia (Founder & Director)
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mBank & Efigence Team Up for Bank 3.0 Makeover

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

mBank_&_Efigence.jpgComing to the stage now is mBank & Efigence implementing a full “Bank 3.0” makeover that combines social media and “real-time customer gratification:

“mBank is the 1st established European bank to undergo a comprehensive, mass-scale, Bank 3.0″ revolution of its direct channels including modern UI/UX of transactional banking, PFM, video banking, transactional/real time marketing, social channels, gamification and mobile banking.”
Product Launched: June 2013
HQ Location: Lodz, Warsaw, Poland
Company Founded: mBank – 2000; Efigence – 1999
Metrics: mBank – 5,600 full-time employees; 3.5 million retail and SME customers; Efigence – 120 employees
Twitter: @mBankpl / @Efigence
Presenting Michał Panowicz (Managing Director, “New mBank” Project) and Bartek Wyszyński (Partner & SVP Strategy, Efigence)
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ITSector’s SmartBank TV Offers a Different Way to Access Your Financial Services and Information

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.
Then, ITSector (Sistemas de Informação) 

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launched SmartBank TV:

“SmartBank TV is a product that offers financial services based on the Google TV platform. It is intended to use the global widespread of sales in smart TVs. 

The solution offers a channel for bank customers to access financial services from their TV. The solution offers a different way to receive notifications from their financial provider on the TV, and to access financial services, such as account balance, movements, credit cards and services payments from the TV. It provides a new sales channel for the financial institution with easy process of sale.”

Product Launched: February 2013
HQ: Porto, Portugal with offices in Lisbon (Portugal), Luanda (Angola) and Maputo (Mozambique)
Founded: April 2005
Metrics: €9M in 2012 revenues, 200 employees in 2012
Website: itsector.pt
Presenting João Lima Pinto (Director) and Ricardo Osorio (Senior Software Developer)
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Metaforic’s New Solution Protects Mobile Apps from Unauthorized Changes in Code

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

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Then, Metaforic showcased its security technology that protects mobile apps from unauthorized code changes:

“We have a product that protects mobile applications from unauthorized changes and subversion of the existing code. In effect, by using our solution, the financial institution has control over what the application does if it is compromised. It can quit, display a message, send a silent security alert to bank servers or any other behavior the developer cares to define. 

Critically, for financial institutions that have a lot of mobile developments underway, it can be integrated with existing developments at the end of the software development lifecycle, and it is an automatic process not requiring significant developer time or security expertise.”
Product Launch: FinovateEurope 2013
HQ: Glasgow, Scotland
Founded: 2006
Metrics: Metaforic is a 35-person company that has raised over $12M, primarily from VC groups such as SEP, Pentech and the Scottish Government.
Website: metaforic.com
Twitter: @MetaforicLtd
Presenting Douglas Kinloch (VP Business Development) and Ewan Dennis (Sr. Engineer)
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Mistral Mobile Unveils Mobile Front-End Building Solution

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Representatives of Mistral Mobile are on their way to the stage now. The company will be demoing their Money Mobility Suite:

“Money Mobility Suite is the focal point of building a comprehensive mobile front-end for any financial service.
Suite integrates to any financial services 

mistral_250x94.jpgsystem such as core banking systems, payment processing systems, or a stored value account system and provides fully secure communication between the system and the Money Mobility applications in the handsets.

Suite provides fast time to market to deliver mobilization for various types of financial services. Most importantly, it provides remote management and configuration capabilities for all the applications through a single configuration management center and enables the financial service provider to instantly add or change features available for the users of the different financial services products.”
Product Launched: February 2013
HQ Location: New York, NY, USA
Company Founded: June 2012
Twitter: @MistralMobile
Presenting Peter Ollikainen (SVP Product Marketing) and Timo Tervo (CTO)
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Third Generation ayondo Underscores the Benefits of Social Trading

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.
Starting off our final session here on Day Two of FinovateEurope is ayondo. Ayondo is bringing social trading to a new level of usability, social interaction and guidance from top traders.

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“The best traders. Now on your account. The idea is temptingly simple: Why should we make trades ourselves if we can get the best day traders on our accounts automatically?
Doing away with fees such as issue surcharges, transaction costs, and management and deposit commission? Build your own portfolio of top traders and change them as often as you like – for free.”
Product Launched: January 2012
HQ Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Company Founded: 2008
Metrics: 12 employees; 3.2 million raised to date
Website: ayondo.com
Twitter: @ayondo_uk
Presenting Manuel Heyden (CEO & Founder) and Alexander Surminski (CMO)
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Kalypton Launches Tereon Payment System

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

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Then, Kalypton debuted its Tereon payment system:
“Tereon was developed for, and proven at scale by, an African bank. 
Tereon is a complete payment ecosystem that can use EMV, operate a closed loop, or support interoperability. It provides flexible instruction processing, and can use existing core systems and settlement processes, for a secure, end-to-end, business process.
It provides payment service providers with a powerful toolkit for rapid innovation to create stream-of-payment services.
All Tereon services meet stringent standards for regulatory compliance and security. We will demonstrate a four-party deployment, supporting payments from phone to phone, phone to card terminal, card to terminal and online.”

Product Launch: February 2013
HQ: London, UK
Founded: 2006
Metrics: Self-funded to date. Still small with <10 staff
Website: kalypton.com
Presenting Lars Davies (CEO) and Alun Thomas (Head of Business Development)
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eyeOpen Debuts Digital Mortgage Advisor

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

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Afterwards, eyeOpen launched its Digital Mortgage Advisor:

“eyeOpen launches world’s first digital mortgage advisor. In an age when banks and insurers strive for consumers’ trust, digital leadership and true customer centricity are the weapons of this service. 

The personal advice algorithms are ‘the crème de la crème’ of personal mortgage advice. eyeOpen offers its service as a SaaS-solution to banks, insurers and advisor companies in Europe and the United States. The benefit: extreme cost reductions, smarter targeting and incredible NPS-improvements.”

Product Launch: February 11, 2013
HQ: Amsterdam, The Netherlands & San Francisco, CA, USA
Founded: December 24, 2009
Metrics: eyeOpen raised €10M funding to scale up its European activities. The company serves the European markets from its Amsterdam office with 35 employees. eyeOpen serves the U.S. market from its San Francisco office. The website eyeOpen.nl is the Netherlands’ leading independent financial portal serving over 1M customers last year. On the B2B side the company licenses its technology platforms on digital advise, ratings, reviews and budgeting apps.
Website: eyeOpen.nl
Presenting Diederick van Thiel (CEO) and Rosali Waleson (CCO)
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TraitWareID from Acuity Systems Provides Authentication Solution

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Acuity_Systems_hi-res.jpgNext up is Acuity Systems with their demonstration of TraitWareID:

“TraitWareID simplifies and secures access to protected websites and applications by employing the user’s mobile device as a login token, eliminating the use of inconvenient and problematic usernames and passwords.
TraitWareID does this with patent-pending technology, which begins with user authentication, then binds the user’s identity to their device. TraitWareID utilizes digital identity mapping to analyze the user-created content of the authentication device.
Adding the patent-pending, user friendly, PhotoAuth image-based activation method to TraitWareID will enhance the security and user experience for transactions of all types on an end user’s device.”

Product Launched: October 2012

HQ Location: Visalia, California, USA
Company Founded: July 2008
Metrics: $3.5 million raised to date; two full-time employees; pre-revenue
Twitter: @TraitWareID
Presenting Harlan Hutson (President) and Chris Canfield (Lead Project Engineer)
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Biletu App Brings Event Planning and Expense Sharing to the Smartphone

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Biletu_lo_res_logo.jpgWith a new way to organize events and share expenses with friends, Biletu is the next company to take the stage here at FinovateEurope:

“Biletu is an all-in-one, state-of-the-art app to join together events, chat, gamification, mobile payments, and social networks in a simple way. Biletu is a new, simple way to allow users to connect and for companies to engage innovatively with targeted users.”
Product Launched: April 2012
HQ Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Company Founded: January 2012
Metrics: $120,000 USD; 2 employees
Website: biletu.com
Twitter: @biletu
Presenting Felipe Millan (Founder)
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