Featured
- Mastercard (FD14) launches its developer portal (again). Having originally launched its dev platform in 2010, Mastercard this week announced an expansion of its platform that provides third-party developers single-location access to more than 25 updated APIs in categories such as payments, data, security, and financial inclusion. The platform also features an experimental category with APIs for bot commerce (think chatbots, VR, and augmented reality), and developers will be able to use six different coding languages (Java, Javascript, C#, Ruby, Python, and Node.js).
Mastercard says it has seen a 4x increase in API usage in 2016, which encouraged the company to expand its portal to include open APIs for all of its products. “The APIs are built to be open, flexible and available through a single doorway,” SVP for APIs at Mastercard Oran Cummins told ComputerWorld. “It’s our front door and we’ve been cranking up the volume on this.”
If the latest dev news is at the top of your daily agenda, then join us October 18 & 19 for FinDEVr Silicon Valley 2016. Our developers conference features two days of the latest in developer tools, platform, and case studies, along with hours of high-caliber networking with fintech developers, VPs of engineering, CTOs, and more. Visit our registration page and pick up your ticket today.
Trends
- Look out London! A new report from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) suggests that Singapore’s fintech industry could be a major beneficiary of rising regulatory restrictions and political uncertainty in the U.S. and Europe. “Singapore … is benefiting from a supportive regulatory framework and extremely high digital capacity, which means there is a potential for her to become the regional hub for Asia-Pacific and beyond,” said Joseph Alfred, head of policy and technical, ACCA Singapore.
- JB Financial Group launches the first global hackathon dedicated to South Korea’s banking industry. Its BiSang Hackathon (“BiSang” is Korean for “Quantum Leap”) is devoted to global startups and developers, with the goal of helping JBFG discover potential collaborators to provide “innovative services and technologies to the financial and banking worlds.”
- Manulife unveils new “Lab of Forward Thinking” location in Singapore. This is Manulife’s third location (the other two are in Boston and Toronto). “We are using emerging technologies and platforms such as blockchain and artificial intelligence to build competitive advantages,” Greg Framke, EVP and CIO for Manulife said.
- Mastercard launches its first B2B mobile app to connect small business buyers and suppliers in Hong Kong: the Mastercard Commercial Network App. Hang Chong, Mastercard’s division president for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, said, “Small and medium sized businesses are the lifeblood of a thriving economy. To maximize the success of these enterprises, we will continue to innovate and develop a broad range of solutions that address evolving business needs.”
- And speaking of Hong Kong, don’t forget that FinovateAsia 2016 will be in Hong Kong, November 8th. For more information, check out our FinovateAsia registration page.
ICYMI
- Jumio (F15) CEO Stephen Stuut shared his thoughts on the future of ID verification in our latest CEO interview.
- “Gimme That Old Time Navigation!” Mobile UI takes a look at Capital One Wallet and its new, old-school user interface
- FT Partners prepares you for the insurtech wave. A new free report from FT Partners provides the most comprehensive look at the rising insurance technology industry.
Milestones
- Samsung Pay celebrates its first anniversary in the U.S.
- Dash is the first digital currency to cooperate with a blockchain-compliance platform.
Tech
- FinDEVr alum Symbiont (FD16) announced completion of the initial stage of a proof of concept with R3’s Lab and Research Center, Credit Suisse, and Ipreo.
- Monzo integrates with Siri on iOS to enable sending and receiving money using voice commands.
- Simple (F11) introduced shared accounts with Simple Shared