Daon Partners with Tradelink to Bring Biometrics to Dah Sing Bank

Daon Partners with Tradelink to Bring Biometrics to Dah Sing Bank

Biometric authentication specialist Daon has teamed up with Tradelink to give customers of Hong Kong’s Dah Sing Bank the option of biometric authentication when accessing bank services. The bank, one of the top 10 banks in Hong Kong, will leverage Daon’s IdentityX platform to offer both fingerprint and facial authentication.

“We are pleased to partner with Tradelink on this innovative initiative for Dah Sing Bank. Our partnership with Tradelink continues to make a significant impact in the financial and banking industry throughout Hong Kong,” Daon CEO Tom Grissen said. “Daon’s technology provides a trusted digital security experience for all of our customers. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Tradelink as the demand for more secure and convenient authentication increases among mobile banking customers.”

The IdentityX platform provides FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) capabilities that enable authentication based on a wide variety of biological attributes including voice, face, behavior, and palm. Institutions can integrate their current security systems into the platform, as well as add new authentication systems as they become available. This enables institutions to extend the lives of their older or customized security systems and devices. The component approach also makes it easier for organizations like Dah Sing Bank to make more specific decisions on which cybersecurity technologies best suit their specific customer preferences.

Daon’s collaboration with Tradelink to support FIs in Hong Kong is part of an initiative the two firms have launched to provide authentication solutions for banks in the region. In February, Daon reported on the successful implementation of a FIDO biometric solution with one of Hong Kong’s largest banks. The deployment was completed in partnership with Tradelink subsidiary, Digi-Sign, and has proven to be a model for similar implementations for “multiple financial institutions in the region,” the company noted in a statement.

Headquartered in Reston, Virginia and founded in 2002, Daon demonstrated its IdentityX platform at FinovateFall 2016. The company began the year partnering with North African security and document dematerialization specialist GEMADEC. Last fall, Visa announced that it would leverage IdentityX to power biometric services for its Visa ID Intelligence platform. The Visa news came during a season of partnership activity for the company, which also announced agreements with Kony in September and Nations Trust Bank of Sri Lanka in November.

PayStand Announces Canadian Expansion

PayStand Announces Canadian Expansion

Next generation payment solution provider PayStand is expanding into Canada. The Scotts Valley, California-based company announced that its digital payments platform will support domestic B2B commercial payments and help it earn a share of the Canadian payments volume that takes place over electronic funds transfer (EFT) – more than a third of which is B2B.

“Today’s commercial payments infrastructure in Canada is built on many layers of outdated technology and processes that are needlessly complex and time-consuming, not to mention error-prone and labor-intensive,” Jeremy Almond, PayStand CEO, explained in the company’s press release announcing the expansion. He pointed out that PayStand’s infrastructure provides native support to Canada’s EFT and card payment technology, “essentially transforming and modernizing the entire payments lifecycle for businesses, no matter the type or matter of payment.”

Founded in 2013, PayStand helps businesses access the “$550 billion stuck in pre-Internet paper, plastic, and manual processes.” By leveraging smart network and blockchain technologies, PayStand’s platform digitizes account receivables and automates processing. Its customers, representing verticals ranging from manufacturing to software services, use its Payments as a Service (PaaS) technology to integrate digital payments into their mobile apps, websites, ERP billing systems, and invoices.

An alum of our developer’s conference, PayStand presented Comparing the Strengths and Weaknesses of Different Payment Terms at FinDEVr 2014. At the event, PayStand’s Almond compared the relative advantages and disadvantages of card networks, eChecks, and digital currencies as payment options, and the value of flexible payment rails that provide multiple alternatives.

Earlier this year, PayStand announced B2B payments integration with SuiteCloud, which enabled quick fund transfer from 18,000 financial institutions and six major credit card brands. In January, PayStand was featured along with fellow Finovate alums Truphone and Featurespace in The Silicon Review’s 50 Smartest Companies of 2017 roster. The company has raised $8.3 million in funding, and includes BlueRun Ventures and LEAP Global Partners among its investors.

German Banking Software Provider NDGIT Raises $4.7 Million in Series A Funding

German Banking Software Provider NDGIT Raises $4.7 Million in Series A Funding

Here’s a bit of funding news from a new Finovate alum that slipped beneath the radar earlier this year. Open banking and insurance platform NDGIT has raised $4.7 million (€4 million) in new funding. The investment comes courtesy of a Series A round led by Capnamic Ventures and featured participation from PROfounders and existing investors Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures and business angels. The funding takes NDGIT’s total capital to $5.8 million.

The Munchen, Germany-based fintech said the additional capital will be used to grow its team and further product development. NDGIT, which stands for “Next Digital Banking”, is the developer of the first API platform for both banking and insurance, and its technology helps banks leverage open banking APIs and PSD2-ready solutions to work and integrate with digital partners. NDGIT includes Swiss bank Hypothekarbank Lenzburg and Germany’s Bank fur Sozialwirtschaft among its bank, fintech, and insurance company clientele.

“In Capnamic we have gained a leading investor with experience in the FinTech and InsurTech sectors,” NDGIT founder and CEO Oliver Dlugosch said in a statement. “In light of the common PSD2 Directive and international Open Banking developments, the investment by PROfounders Capital provides further proof of NDGIT’s European market relevance. With the support of our partners we intend to accelerate our growth and keep on driving NDGIT’s development into a market-leading Open Banking platform in Europe.”

Founded in 2016, NDGIT made its Finovate debut earlier this year at FinovateEurope 2018 where the company demonstrated its Ecosystem Builder solution. Ecosystem Builder is based on NDGIT’s open banking platform and enables banks to build app stores to offer their fintech partner network to their clients. The solution gives FIs an engaging front end that provides an overview of all the apps available via the banking portal, an SSO connection to fintech partners, secure data integration with the bank’s systems, as well as analytics and reporting.

Avoka Unveils Springboard Deposit Account Opening Solution

Avoka Unveils Springboard Deposit Account Opening Solution

Could Avoka make digital customer acquisition any easier? With the release of its Springboard Deposit Account Opening Solution, Avoka is offering FIs an off-the-shelf solution that integrates digital KYC, fraud and risk evaluation, and funding that will help them provide “outstanding customer acquisition and onboarding journeys.” In its announcement, Avoka cited Aite Group Senior Analyst Tiffani Montez who said the new solution “gives financial institutions a digital account opening and on boarding solution prebuilt with best-in-class customer experience and Fintech integration.”

Built on Avoka’s Transact platform, Springboard Deposit Account Opening leverages technologies from a number of partners to deliver a range of features. These include Data Pre-Fill, courtesy of an integration with Mitek’s Mobile Fill solution; Fraud Screening and Scoring via iovation’s FraudForce technology; and Risk Screening using ChexSystems’ Product Suite. Address Lookup and Instant Funding are also components of the new solution. The Springboard Deposit Account Opening Solution features configurable branding, decision rules, and deposit account type options, as well.

Avoka Chief Product Officer Steve Demchuk called digital account opening “the most rapidly changing capability on the U.S. retail banking landscape.” He cited a company report from earlier this year that pointed to a large and growing gap between the digital account opening capabilities of larger banks and those of smaller regional and community banks and credit unions. “It’s clear consumers already expect a first-class digital experience for deposit opening, so banks of all sizes must act fast to remain competitive,” Demchuk said.

At its most recent Finovate appearance – FinovateEurope 2017 – two-time Best of Show winner Avoka demonstrated the Transact Insights module of its Transact digital sales platform. Insights continuously optimizes the account opening journey by measuring and analyzing how customers progressing through the application process, noting areas of friction, requests for assistance, and even abandonment. This enables businesses to quickly spot problems in the process, make necessary changes, and then measure results.

Recent headlines for Avoka include the company’s partnership with RACQ Bank of Australia to enhance account opening and on boarding at the newly-launched financial institution – the first bank in the world to be opened by an automobile club. In April, Avoka teamed up with Alpine Bank, a Colorado-based bank with more than $3.5 billion in assets that will use the company’s Transact solution to support expansion and better serve current customers.

Avoka has raised $28 million in funding courtesy of rounds led by Moelis Australia Asset Management and professional investor Roger Allen. Philip Copeland is CEO.

DarcMatter Partners with Crypto Fund #Hashed

DarcMatter Partners with Crypto Fund #Hashed

Alternative investment platform DarcMatter has teamed up with South Korean crypto investment fund and accelerator, #Hashed. The partnership will enable DarcMatter, which specializes in providing direct access to pre-vetted hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital funds, to extend its reach into the Asian market and gain insight into the crypto investment industry.

And as a blockchain-based investment fund and an incubator with an emphasis on community-building and impact investing, #Hashed will benefit from DarcMatter’s connections with both the traditional and alternative investment worlds.

Discussing the news in an interview with Tech Bullion, DarcMatter CEO Sang Lee pointed out that both companies share experiences and a vision that are “very aligned and rooted in the core premise of increasing transparency and efficiency throughout financial markets globally.”

Simon Kim, CEO of #Hashed, called DarcMatter a “great partner and a leader in the fintech industry that can utilize blockchain and cryptocurrency to accelerate the industry towards the next level.”

With offices in Seoul, South Korea, and San Francisco, #Hashed was founded in 2017 and has become the largest blockchain fund in Korea. The company has accelerated the largest wallet provider in South Korea, CoinManager, as well as a number of startups applying distributed ledger and blockchain technology to cybersecurity, social networking, and payments – among other areas.

This week’s news adds to the blockchain and crypto-based headlines DarcMatter has been making of late. Last month, the company’s blockchain project, DarcMatter Coin, revealed in April, announced its first strategic investment and partnership with trade.io. The firm’s seed and venture arm will invest $2 million into the coin’s public presale. Aside from blockchain news, the company won the Retail Investment Innovation Award at the 2018 FinTech Breakthrough Awards in May.

New York City-based DarcMatter was founded in 2014 and made its Finovate debut one year later at FinovateSpring 2015 where it demonstrated its decentralized alternative investment platform.

iSignthis Unveils B2B Transactional Banking Service; Partnership with Gobbill

iSignthis Unveils B2B Transactional Banking Service; Partnership with Gobbill

Australian payments and identity solutions provider iSignthis is adding to its offerings by launching a Euro-based, B2B transactional banking service. The company said the service was being provided to serve clients in the small to mid-scale CFD, FX, and gaming industries who are often underserved by traditional retail banks.

The service features:

  • Inbound processing for Visa and Mastercard cards
  • Inbound processing of BPAY and EFT (direct debit) payments
  • Availability of alternative payment options including Trustly and Sofort
  • Support for outbound OCT payments across the Visa network for MCC6211 (Brokers) and Visa and Mastercard for MCC7995 (Gaming/Wagering/Gambling)
  • EMA deposit facilities with SWIFT, SEPA and OCT outbound facilities

iSignthis noted in a press release that the new e-money account (EMA) service is independent from its payment processing business, “but may supplement payment services by Clients.” This includes allowing merchants to keep funds on deposit with iSignthis, and to use those funds to make payments to suppliers and service providers.

Today’s news follows on the heels of the company announcement last week that it was partnering with Gobbill, an AI-based fintech bill payment automation startup. This agreement will enable Gobbill to process card transactions through iSignthis’ iSXPay solution and to use the company’s Paydentity technology to provide global digital identity verification and payment processing.

“Gobbill represents an opportunity for iSignthis to support a prospective leader in bill payment automation, as well as for us to provide a means for them to expand outside of Australia, by providing facilities to them in Europe as they expand,” John Karantzis, CEO of iSignthis, said. “Having witnessed Gobbill emerge over the last three years, we are delighted to be part of their future growth.”

Founded in 2013 and based in Melbourne, Australia, iSignthis demonstrated its cloud-based identity and transaction authentication solution at FinovateEurope 2015. This spring, the company’s subsidiary, iSignthis eMoney, announced a payment aggregation agreement with American Express Australia. Also this year, iSignthis announced that it would expand the scope of its Paydentity service to XM.com to serve as an option for Chinese eKYC. iSignthis finalized its partnership with Worldline to start the year, finishing an integration that will bring ecommerce merchants in Europe access to iSignthis’ ISXPay and Paydentity solutions.

Xero Launches Connected Accounting

Xero Launches Connected Accounting

At its Xerocon Atlanta event this week, online accounting software specialist Xero announced the first wave of new features designed to automate many basic daily business tasks. Calling the new solutions, Connected Accounting, VP of Products and Partnerships for Xero Americas Herman Man added that in addition to automatically categorizing accounting data, Connected Accounting gives businesses insights that can help them better understand their finances.

“With the features introduced at Xerocon Atlanta today, we’re delivering connected accounting so accountants and bookkeepers can help their clients ask the big questions, on cash flow, profit, and revenue,” Man said. “It is these kinds of capabilities working seamlessly together that enables small businesses to pursue their passion, be successful and do beautiful business.”

Initially, Connected Accounting will enable Xero’s platform to capture and automatically populate data from PDF bills to make bank reconciliation simpler. Xero Projects, a job tracking solution for small business now available to Xero’s U.S. customers, is now connected to the platform in a way that allows businesses to combine contact, invoicing, billing, and reporting information with the rich data existing on the platform. The Projects app has also been improved, making it easier for workers to track project work on the go and giving business owners more control over access permissions.

Xero also announced coming enhancements to its query solution Ask and a to-be released solution for Xero HQ, Relationships, that will make it easier for businesses to maintain contacts and sync data across the Xero platform.

In addition to product announcements, Xero also shared news of a new partnership with Citibank. Via the agreement, joint Citibank-Xero customers will get access to direct bank feeds from within the Xero platform. This will give businesses real-time visibility of their finances, including cash flow and overall business performance. The deal with Citibank builds on the relationships with FIs that Xero has forged in 2018 alone, including deals with the National Bank of Australia in February, and the Development Bank of Singapore in January.

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, Xero demonstrated the Business Identification feature of its online accounting platform at FinovateSpring 2011. Earlier this month, the company announced its Canadian launch, partnering with Deloitte Private’s financial collaboration platform ctrl by Deloitte. In February, Xero teamed up with IT management solutions provider Kaseya, providing direct integration between the company’s business management solution, BMS by Kaseya, and Xero’s platform.

Xero is publicly-traded on the Australian stock exchange under the ticker “XRO” and has a market capitalization of $5 billion. Rod Drury is CEO.

Blockbid Partners with LexisNexis Risk Solutions and ThreatMetrix

Blockbid Partners with LexisNexis Risk Solutions and ThreatMetrix

Every gold rush needs someone to sell picks and shovels. And in the gold rush that is the cryptocurrency boom, some of the most valuable picks and shovels are tools to help cryptocurrency exchanges remain compliant with regulations regarding anti-money laundering (AML).

So it is no surprise to learn that Australian digital asset exchange Blockbid is shoring up its AML safeguards by partnering with LexisNexus Risk Solutions’ ThreatMetrix. The deal will give Blockbid the ability to leverage identity verification, authentication, and KYC/AML solutions, as well as physical and digital identity data, geolocation, and threat analysis to provide its users with the most secure trading experience possible.

“Cryptocurrency exchanges, like Blockbid, that are prioritizing security on their marketplace, face a complex set of challenges and cyberthreats,” ThreatMetrix Chief Product Officer Alisdair Faulkner said. Among these challenges is the increasingly global nature of cybercrime, Faulkner noted, which meant organizations needed “the power of a global shared network” in order to identify threats before they are able to do harm. By leveraging data from millions of daily consumer interactions, Faulkner said, “suspicious behavior can be detected and flagged for review and step-up authentication or rejection before a transaction is processed. (This creates)  a low-friction experience for trusted users.”

A market leader in the field of cloud-based digital identity and transaction authentication, ThreatMetrix was acquired by RELX at the beginning of the year in a deal worth $830 million, and was incorporated into the RELX’s Risk and Business Analytics’ LexisNexis Risk Solutions. The company, founded in 2005 and based in San Jose, California, analyzes 100 million transactions a day across 35,000 websites from 5,000 customers. This gives ThreatMetrix’s Digital Identity Network a repository of 1.4 billion unique online identities from 4.5 billion devices in 185 countries.

ThreatMetrix demonstrated its Digital Identity Graph at FinovateAsia 2016. Last month, the company won the 2018 Best Identity Verification and Authentication Solution category at the CNP Awards, and picked up top honors at both the LendIt Awards 2018 – where it won Top Enterprise Technology Company – and the Fintech Breakthrough Awards 2018 – where ThreatMetrix earned the Top Fraud Prevention Platform award.

The company released the Spring 2018 version of its ThreatMetrix ID technology in April which represented the first product integration between ThreatMetrix and LexisNexis Risk Solution since the RELX acquisition. The same month, ThreatMetrix CEO Reed Taussig was named CEO of the Year by independent strategy and research firm, One World Identity.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Envestnet | Yodlee’s AI FinCheck Takes Financial Wellness to a New Level.
  • Blockbid Partners with LexisNexis Risk Solutions and ThreatMetrix.
  • Ignite Sales and FIS Team Up on Digital Engagement.

Around the web

  • Revolut goes live in Russia courtesy of partnership with QIWI.
  • Clinc brings its conversational AI technology to Turkey’s Isbank.
  • BBVA teams up with IPsoft to enhance service at its call centers in Mexico.
  • PYMNTS.com interviews BlueVine CEO Eyal Lifshitz on the “real value of invoice factoring.”
  • CFO Tech Outlook names Urban FT a top ten fintech solution provider.
  • NF Innova powering omnichannel banking for Halkbank ad Skopje.
  • Geezeo issues fully-fledged launch of Responsive Tiles PFM feature.

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.

Trustly Brings New Payment Options to Alpha Fintech’s AlphaHub Platform

Trustly Brings New Payment Options to Alpha Fintech’s AlphaHub Platform

European online payments innovator Trustly is celebrating its tenth birthday this week by partnering with Alpha Fintech. The deal will make Trustly’s payment solutions available to international banks, MSPs, and merchants using Alpha Fintech’s AlphaHub platform.

“Trustly wants to make account-to-account payments simple and secure for merchants and their customers,” Trustly Director of Partner Sales, Adam D. Bowman, said. “Partnering with Alpha Fintech supports this strategy thanks to Alpha Fintech’s one simple API, through which merchants can now access Trustly’s payment functionality. Alpha Fintech’s significant international reach will also enable Trustly to reach new merchants.”

The new partnership means that when customers choose Trustly during the checkout process, and indicate their preferred country, they will be shown a list of local banks partnered with Trustly that are able to offer real-time bank transfers. Customers choose their bank, log into their online banking platform, enter the amount of the payment, and confirm.

Chief Product Officer at Alpha Fintech Rónán Gallagher added “As more customers turn to bank-based payment methods, through the AlphaHub merchants will be able to offer this key payment method in markets as diverse as Australia, Singapore, and now 29 countries in Europe via a single integration providing a consistent user experience,”

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Trustly facilitates online payments for consumers in 29 European countries. Surpassing €10 billion in total processed volume last year, as well as launching its Direct Debit and Pay N Play products, Trustly was acquired by Nordic Capital this spring. 2017 also marked the return of Trustly to the Finovate stage, as the company demoed its Direct Debit solution at FinovateEurope.

Recognized earlier this year by The Financial Times as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe, Trustly partnered with German open payment platform optile in March, the same month the company furthered its expansion plans in Germany by earning TUV-certified status for legal data protection and IT security for its online banking e-payments method. Trustly began the year forging an agreement with Latvian national airline airBaltic that will enable customers to buy tickets directly from their bank accounts.

Pindrop Security Partners with Bank of the West

Pindrop Security Partners with Bank of the West

Voice security and authentication innovator Pindrop Security will provide fraud detection solutions for Bank of the West. The San Francisco, California-based financial services company with more than $89 billion in assets will leverage the security specialist’s technology to identify and mitigate a variety of cyberthreats including caller ID spoofing, voice distortion, and social engineering.

“Pindrop’s machine learning technology allows us to better know our customers and more effectively protect their assets,” Bank of the West’s Head of Enterprise Customer Experience Patricia Nowak said. “Using emerging technology to better serve our customers is a key initiative for Bank of the West.”

With more than 600 branches and offices in 23 states and digital channels, Bank of the West sees its partnership with Pindrop as part of its broader commitment to leveraging innovative technology to provide customers with a unique and secure experience. In Pindrop, Bank of the West will enhance its ability to proactively defend against fraud while maintaining a seamless customer journey over the voice channel.

“Bank of the West will see an improved customer experience with the implementation of our solutions,” SVP of Product for Pindrop Security Scott Rose said. “These results are made possible by Pindrop’s machine learning technology, which enables improved fraud detection and delivers value to the customer from the very first time they contact the bank.”

Founded in 2011, Pindrop Security demonstrated its Fraud Detection System at FinovateFall 2012. Its anti-fraud and authentication solutions – Pindrop Protect and Pindrop Passport, respectively – leverage the company’s Phoneprinting, Toneprinting, and Deep Voice Biometric Engine technologies to provide call centers with protection against both known cybercriminals as well as suspicious, atypical behavior that could indicate fraudulent activity.

This spring, the company announced that it would provide its Phoneprinting technology to U.K.-based, online retailer Shop Direct to help the company improve customer service and fight fraud. Also earlier this year, Pindrop teamed up with voice solutions provider Aeriandi to make its phone authentication and anti-fraud technology available via Aeriandi’s cloud-based voice platform.

With more than $122 million in funding, Pindrop Security includes Andreessen Horowitz, IVP (Institutional Venture Partners), and CapitalG among its investors. Co-founder Vijay Balasubramaniyan is CEO and CTO.

Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World

As Finovate goes increasingly global, so does our coverage of financial technology. Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World is our weekly look at fintech innovation in developing economies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.

LATAM

  • Integrated touch sensors at sign-in kiosk and video wall enhance experience for customers of Chile’s half bank, half cafe Santander WorkCafes.
  • Brazilian online lender Banco Agibank sets price for its upcoming IPO; targets valuation of $2.7 billion.
  • Forbes looks at the increase in the number of Brazilians opening crypto trading accounts.

CEE

  • Blockchain company Billon picks up €1 million in funding from Polish National Center for Research and Development.
  • Polish cryptocurrency exchange BitBay to move to Malta.
  • Lithuania’s central bank hosts hackathon to mint world’s first digital collector coin.

Asia

  • White paper from APAC research firm Solidiance predicts Vietnam’s fintech market will grow by nearly $8 billion by 2020.
  • Myanmar Ministries of Agriculture and Planning and Finance partner with Singapore-based fintech to develop official livestock registry that would be used to help farmer use livestock as collateral for loans.
  • Korean fintech Qarasoft launches AI-based financial forecasting app, Kosho.

MENA

  • Oman’s Bank Sohar to deploy core banking platform from Infosys Finacle.
  • Jordanian P2P lending platform liwwa surpasses $11 million in loans issued milestone.
  • Entrepreneur.con features ten startups to emerge from Cairo, Egypt’s Flat6labs accelerator including fintechs like 7aweshly and Tombeely.
  • Abu Dhabi Global Market and Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission announce cooperation agreement to support innovation in financial services.

Africa

  • First Bank and WorldRemit team up to bring digital money transfers to Nigeria.
  • African Development Bank partners with The Rockefeller Foundation, Microsoft, and Facebook to initiate Coding for Employment Program.
  • Money transfer platform OROBO introduces remittance and bill pay service to Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Sierra-Leone courtesy of partnership with OpenWay.
  • Disrupt Africa looks at what investors are seeking in Africa’s fintech sector.

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