Year: 2013

Less than 75 Tickets Remain for FinovateEurope 2013 — Get Yours Now Before They Sell Out!

By Eric Mattson Posted on
Categories: Uncategorized

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FinovateEurope 2013 is only 6 days away and we are thrilled to be so close to a capacity crowd at Old Billingsgate Market Hall. There are less than 75 70 tickets remaining and more are selling each hour.

The room is going to be packed with leading executives, entrepreneurs and investors to watch our awesome presenter lineup demo Europe’s latest fintech innovations (sneak peak #1, #2, #3).

Here is just a small sample of the high-quality organizations that will be watching the future of finance and banking unfold live on stage:

  • ABN Amro
  • Accel Partners
  • Allied Irish Bank
  • Balderton Capital
  • Barclays
  • BBVA
  • BNP Paribas
  • Capgemini Netherlands
  • Capital One
  • Celent
  • Datamonitor
  • e-la Caixa
  • EFMA
  • Ernst & Young
  • Fidelity
  • Fidelity Growth Partners
  • Financial Times
  • Financial World
  • Gartner
  • GSB Ventures
  • IBM
  • ICT Journal
  • IDC Financial Insights
  • ING
  • Jack Henry & Associates
  • KPMG
  • Liberty Bank
  • Lloyds Banking Group
  • MasterCard
  • Microsoft
  • Mobile Money Africa
  • Ovum
  • PayPal
  • PostFinance
  • Rabobank
  • Ribbit Capital
  • Royal Bank of Scotland
  • Scottish Life
  • Skandiabanken
  • Swedbank
  • Swiss Post
  • TeamBank AG
  • TechCrunch
  • The Banker
  • Toyota Financial Services
  • UBS AG
  • University of Exeter
  • University of Glasgow
  • Velocity Capital
  • Volksbank
  • Wonga

If you’d like to join this audience and find your next competitive innovation edge, limited tickets are still available but selling fast. We’ll see you in London next week!

FinovateEurope 2013 is sponsored by: Bluerock Consulting, Financial Technology Partners,  The Bancorp & Yodlee

FinovateEurope 2013 is partners with: BankersHub, Celent, Finance On Windows, Financial Services Innovation Centre, The Financial Services Club, and Hotwire PR 

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CashStar Reports Record Holiday Season

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: CashStar

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for CashStar.jpgStrong holiday sales for the company’s eGift Cards have made CashStar optimistic about the prospects for mobile gift card and “last-minute gifting” demand in 2013.

Why are eGift Cards working for CashStar? In part, it may be because they are working for merchants. According to CashStar:
  • The company enjoyed a 800% increase in mobile eGift Cards purchased compared to 2011
  • Brands with mobile-optimized eGift Card websites outperformed non mobile-optimized websites in purchases by smartphone by more than 50% in December 2012
  • Brands from mobile-optimized sites earned 3,700% more in sales in 2012
CashStar has a network of more than 250 brands, including Brooks Brothers, Jiffy Lube, Harry & David, and Petco. The company’s support for Passbook on the iOS platform has added new retail partners like Home Depot and The Body Shop.
See CashStar’s most recent demo from FinovateFall 2011 here.

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Finovate Alumni News– February 6, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Acculynk, Cortera, Experian, Ignite Sales, SocietyOne, SumUp, ValidSoft
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgLend Acadamey reports: SocietyOne May Be the Most Innovative P2P Lender on the Planet.
  • American Banker reports: Experian providing prepaid card service provider Cardplatforms with its global authentication services.
  • ValidSoft’s Secure Mobile Architecture for Real-time Transactions selected to be an integral element in Spindle’s payment acceptance service.
  • Cortera’s Pulse is winner of the 2013 SIIA CODiE Award for Best Business Information Solution.
  • SumUp partners with blue solution software to integrate API into Top Reparatur.  See them demo at FinovateEurope next week.
  • Acculynk‘s PayLeap reaches strategic agreement with Spindle to integrate platforms.
  • IgniteSales reports 100% revenue growth for 2012.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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Navigating FinovateEurope 2013: Now There’s an App for That

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013

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In order to help you take full advantage of our biggest FinovateEurope show yet, we’ve launched a mobile app available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

Attendees and followers of FinovateEurope 2013 can download the free app, which features:

    • Full event agenda
    • Short descriptions of presenting companies
    • Ability to manage your Finovate schedule with calendar integration

On February 12, the first day of the event, the app will update to unveil full demo information for all 64 presenting companies and allow users to:

    • Contact presenters with email integration
    • Search within the app
    • Take notes and save them with each company’s profile
    • Quickly register for the upcoming conferences, find Finovate alumni, follow Finovate tweets, and more 

It’s available for download in the Apple App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android devices. To download, use the QR codes or links below.

Apple App Store

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If you still haven’t registered for FinovateEurope, there’s still time. Get your ticket here.

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Plastyc Adds Instant Access Fee to Mobile Check Deposit

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Plastyc

Thumbnail image for Plastyc2.jpgPionneering alternatives to traditional banking sine 2006, Plastyc is unveiling a new option that provides quicker access to checks deposited into their prepaid Visa accounts.

Customers using mobile remote deposit will be offered the option of immediate access to the deposited funds for a 1% fee for government or printed payroll checks, or 4% for personal checks. Customers who opt for delayed access, typically five business days, pay no additional charge.
Additionally, Plastyc has increased the maximum deposit amount for checks to $2,500, which the company says is more than that allowed by other mobile deposit systems.
The service is being tested with the company’s mobile app users before being rolled out to the entire card base. The service is powered by Chexar Networks.
Plastyc is one of a handful of Finovate alumni who are participating in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Project Catalyst, which we featured late last year.
To learn more about Plastyc in action, click here to see their demo from FinovateFall 2011.

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Finovate Alumni News– February 5, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: BillGuard, Billhighway, BrightScope, Cachet Financial Solutions, CashStar, Continuity Control, edo Interactive, Expensify, Figlo, Lendio, SafetyPay, SigFig, Simple, TSYS, Xero
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgCachet Financial Solutions integrates with CU Mobile Apps, a provider of mobile banking solutions.
  • Finextra reports SafetyPay opens up to German-speaking markets.
  • Lendio reports 2012 growth metrics.
  • Expensify listed as 1 of 4 apps to helps save and manage your money.
  • TechFaster interviews BillGuard CMO Mary Anne Keegan.
  • Business Insider interviews Josh Reich, Simple founder and CEO.
  • Xero makes Bank Reconciliation available to Android users.
  • edo Interactive’s new Marketplace platform targets small, local businesses.
  • Check out Finovate’s infographic of FinovateEurope 2013 innovation themes.
  • Billhighway named as finalist in the 2013 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.
  • SigFig-powered USA Today Money Portfolio Tracker launches
    in app store.
  • CashStar reports record holiday season; 800% increase in mobile eGift Card purchases.
  • Continuity Control partners with Community BancService Corporation.
  • TSYS technology at work in Visa’s Saral Money program in India.
  • Rabobank launches Figlo-powered widgets for online banking homepage.
  • BrightScope ranks top 25 law firms with highest-rated 401(k) plans.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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Infographic: FinovateEurope 2013 Innovation Themes

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013

At FinovateEurope next week, 64 companies will gather in Old Billingsgate Hall in London to show off their newest fintech innovations to an audience of bankers, VC’s, press, and fellow members of startup communities across the globe. 

To give you a better idea of what each company will demo on stage, here’s a word cloud of the main topics. As you can see, there’s a large variety, but it’s no surprise that mobile and payments are well represented.

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As we inch closer to what’s shaping up to be Finovate’s largest international show so far, we thought you’d be interested in the geographic and topical distribution of the demoing companies. 

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While two-thirds of the companies are headquartered in Europe (click on the map to enlarge), there are also 21 companies from other continents. Here are the HQ locations:

  • Europe (43)
  • U.S. (14) 
  • Chile (2) 
  • Australia (1)
  • Canada (1)
  • India (1)
  • Israel (1)
  • South Africa (1)

Interested in seeing these companies demo live? There’s still time to get your ticket to FinovateEurope 2013.

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Three Finovate Alums Selected for Accenture’s FinTech Innovation Lab in London

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: BehavioSec, Kiboo, Open Bank Project

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FinTech Innovation Lab London, a collaboration between Accenture and London-based FIs, recently selected companies to take part in its inaugural fintech mentoring course. Of the seven* fintech entrepreneurs selected, three are Finovate alums.

Industry executives selected the startups from a large pool of applicants. Finovate alums include:

The 12-week course is modelled after FinTech Innovation Lab in New York, which we covered late last year. The inaugural course in London will take place at Level39, where the startups will attend a series of panel discussions, workshops, leadership coaching and networking opportunities from mentoring financial institutions.

Some of the supporting institutions include:

    • Barclays
    • Credit Suisse
    • Deutsche Bank 
    • HSBC
    • Lloyds Banking Group 
    • UK national payments infrastructure provider
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The other five fintech companies include Calltrunk, Digital Shadows, Growth Intelligence, and Waratek.

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edo Interactive’s New Marketplace Platform Targets Small, Local Businesses

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: edo Interactive

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Last week card-linked rewards startup, edo Interactive launched the edo Marketplace, a service that enables small, local businesses to take advantage of its rewards program.

Prior to this move, edo’s platform was tailored to larger merchants. Big-name companies such as Crate & Barrel, Home Depot, Nordstrom, Subway, and Target are a part of the 200 companies that already use the edo platform to find new customers and encourage repeat customers.

Edo counts over 150 financial institutions as partners, including Fifth Third and Ally Bank.

As a part of its coverage, TechCrunch reported some of edo’s growth metrics:

“Edo says its active card network is currently growing at 30 percent per month, and that within the next three months, it will extend 1 billion card-linked offers to consumers. Painting a picture of acceleration, the company says it took edo 4 years to reach that same level, previously.”

EdoLocal.jpg

To learn more about edo, watch its FinovateSpring 2012 demo.

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Mobile Monday: Square Wallet Enables On-the-Fly Tips & You Can Change Your Mind Later

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Mobile Payments, Square

imageSince much of my week revolves around reading and writing in various coffee shops around Seattle, I make sure to tip the barista so they don’t get annoyed with me using their wifi for an hour or two.

Tipping is very easy when paying with cash. You can easily drop the change in the jar. But with cards it gets trickier. With old-school signature system (i.e. mag stripe), it’s a little more time consuming, adding a tip amount and total, but still easy enough.

But with the move to contactless, no-signature below the floor (e.g. Starbucks) and many EMV transactions, the only way to leave a tip is to dig cash out of your pocket. But that kind of defeats the convenience of contactless. 

Maybe since it got it’s start as a POS device for small merchants, Square’s payment app, Wallet, had tipping built into it from the get go. As soon as the your wallet “pay by name” transaction is authorized, a message pops up on the iPhone lock screen, offering the opportunity to tip (see inset above).

Swiping the message brings up the transaction within Square Wallet, where you can choose your tip amount. The merchant can specify tip preferences by dollar amount or as a percentage of the transaction. The coffee shop I visited this morning offered $1, $2 and $3 choices for the tip. Those seem a little on the high side for a business with a $4 average ticket. Unfortunately, there is no way to override the choices and choose a different amount.

The app even allows you to go and edit the tip (see below). I’m not sure how long the “edit window” lasts, but you can certainly change it while you are waiting for your order.

Bottom line: The mobile wallet era will usher in a number of new payment behaviors. Tipping is just the tip of the iceberg.

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Square Wallet tipping function (1 Feb 2013)

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Finovate Alumni News– February 4, 2013

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: eToro, Flint Mobile, Heckyl Technologies, Jingit, Linkable Networks, Stocktwits, TransferWise, Virtual Piggy, Xero
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgThe Economist highlights TransferWise. See them demo at FinovateEurope next week.
  • Strategic Shopping blog, November Sunflower, features Jingit.
  • Top Technology News takes a look at the Flint mobile payment system.
  • Linkable Networks now offers deals at Lunds and Byerly’s Minnesota Grocery stores.
  • Virtual Piggy opens London office. Come watch its live demo at FinovateEurope next week.
  • Xero’s Report Packs go live for Australian partners.
  • Bloomberg looks at how StockTwits is adjusting to Twitter changes.
  • eToro updates Trader for iOS to allow for native and social registration.
  • SMC Securities, Global Capital to integrate Heckyl Technologies platform. See them demo next week at FinovateEurope.
  • Finovate Alumni abound in Payment Source’s list of 11 major mergers in payments technology.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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ACI Worldwide Buys Online Resources, FIS Scoops Up mFoundry

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: ACI Worldwide, FIS, mFoundry, Online Resources

Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgIt was a big day for Finovate alumni. ACI Worldwide and FIS, themselves both Finovate alums, rang the register on a couple of smaller fintech companies they hope will make them even bigger players in the online banking and payments world.

Online Resources Bought by ACI Worldwide

In an all-cash deal worth $260 million, the purchase of Online Resources will help ACI Worldwide bring broader online banking and full-service bill payment options to its network of financial institutions.   

The deal is also expected to increase the company’s customer base, with 1,000 banks, billers and other FIs coming along with Online Resources into the ACI Worldwide fold.

A look at the numbers:

  • Online Resources provides services to more than 1,000 FIs and billers
  • It processes more than 240 million bill payment transactions each year
  • It connects more than 9,000 billers
  • The combined entity anticipates cost synergies (i.e., saving in operating expenses) of more than $19 million.
  • Common shareholders will receive $3.85 per share, an 83% premium over yesterday’s closing price

FIS Purchases mFoundry

FIS’s decision to buy the 78% of mFoundry that it did not already known is seen as an opportunity for the company to assert itself in the mobile arena, while expanding its customer base in the process.

FIS already has a sizable footprint when it comes to banking and payments technology. And in bringing mFoundry fully on board, the company has helped fuel optimism about the prospects for greater innovation and “convergence” among the various players within the industry.

More on the deal:

  • mFoundry serves more than 800 banks and credit unions across the country
  • The acquisition will cost FIS $120 million (valuing mFoundry at about $160 million) 
  • The deal is expected to close by the end of March
  • Founded in 2004, mFoundry’s clients include Bank of America, Zions Bank, and more than a third of the top-50 financial institutions in the U.S.
  • FIS serves more than 14,000 FIs in more than 100 countries

mFoundry and Online Resources both participated in our very first Finovate back in 2007. mFoundry was also on stage more recently at FinovateFall 2010.

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