Author: David Penn

Finovate Alumni News

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: CASHOFF, Coinbase, Finastra, IdentityMind Global, Mambu, NICE Systems, Onfido, Q2, Revolut, Ripple, Roostify

On Finovate.com

  • IdentityMind Global Raises $10 Million to Fuel Global Growth.
  • Coinbase Launches Crypto eCommerce Acceptance.
  • Roostify Lands $25 Million to Disrupt the Mortgage Industry.

Around the web

  • Revolut partners with payment issuer processor GPS ahead of APAC launch.
  • Ripple teams up with Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) to begin cross-border payments pilot program using xCurrent.
  • NICE Actimize brings financial crime, risk and compliance technology to global provider of core banking systems technology.
  • South Africa’s Absa Bank goes live with Finastra’s CLS platform, PAYplus.
  • CASHOFF wins finalist spot in PFM & Robo Advice category of Innovate Finance’s 2018 Pitch360 competition.
  • Microsoft features Onfido. Come see Onfido at FinovateEurope next month!
  • Softtek and Mambu launch banking platform as a service.

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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Bankjoy Brings New Online and Mobile Banking System to SafeAmerica Credit Union

Bankjoy Brings New Online and Mobile Banking System to SafeAmerica Credit Union
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Bankjoy

SafeAmerica Credit Union’s investment in its partnership with Bankjoy has begun paying big dividends. The 35,000+ member credit union unveiled its online and mobile banking platform last week, successfully enrolling 25% of its active users within the first day of the launch.

Steven Page, VP of Marketing and Digital Banking for SafeAmerica CU said that customer engagement is a priority for the institution, and that Bankjoy’s platform and API integration capabilities would go a long way toward this goal. “(We are) always trying to find an easier way for our members to transact with us,” Page said. “Teaming up with Bankjoy has helped give SafeAmerica that flexibility to be nimble. With the new Bankjoy online banking and mobile app, we can continue to make improvements faster from the feedback we get from our members.”

Chartered in 1953 as a credit union for Safeway employees, SafeAmerica serves the Northern California counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara, as well as a number of employer groups. It has $430 million in assets.

Bankjoy demonstrated its modern REST-based banking API for developers at FinovateFall 2016. The Mountain View, California-based fintech gives community banks and credit unions the ability to offer an omnichannel banking experience including mobile and online banking, as well as financial goal management. FIs can benefit from Bankjoy’s targeted advertising platform that enables banks and credit unions to send relevant marketing and other communications to their customers and members over all digital channels.

A graduate of the Y Combinator program, Bankjoy inked a deal with Michigan-area Coca-Cola Credit Union last spring. This added to the three credit unions that partnered with the company at the beginning of the year – Indiana’s CommunityWide FCU, Idaho’s Advantage Plus FCU, and Illinois’ One Detroit CU. The company was founded in 2015 by Michael Duncan (CEO).

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Clinc Tops $4.5 Million in Annual Revenue; Hires Helen Yu as Chief Growth Officer

Clinc Tops $4.5 Million in Annual Revenue; Hires Helen Yu as Chief Growth Officer
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Clinc

Conversational AI platform for banks Clinc topped off a year of “explosive growth” in 2017 by generating more than $4.5 million in annual revenue. The strong revenue numbers come as the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based, Finovate Best of Show winner announces the hiring of technology executive Helen Yu (pictured) as its Chief Growth Officer.

Calling Yu’s talents “hard to find,” Clinc CEO Dr. Jason Mars praised the former Hyperion, Oracle, and Adobe executive’s “tremendous knowledge, extensive experience and track record of transforming organizations.” These, Mars said, would be “an impactful asset to our team as we execute our aggressive growth plans, expand into additional verticals and achieve our mission to revolutionize and redefine experiences through conversational AI.”

Yu comes to Clinc most recently from Marketo, where she served as group vice president. While at the marketing software firm, Yu led the enterprise business from 5% of Marketo’s ARR (annual recurring revenue) to 50% within three and half years before the company was acquired by Vista Equity Partners in an all-cash, $1.79 billion deal. An Athena pioneer, the founder and CEO of the Tigon Advisory Corporation, as well as an advisor for Jebbit and the C-Suite Accelerator program, Yu studied at Cornell University and has a MBA from Loyola University in Chicago.

“The combination of Clinc’s market momentum, technical capabilities and diversified leadership team made this an irresistable opportunity,” Yu said. “There’s a massive opportunity ahead of us and I’m elated to help take Clinc to the next level.” Yu underscored the uniqueness of Clinc’s offering and praised the fintech’s execution, as well. “No one has accelerated from product launch to achieving 15x growth within the same year,” she said.

Founded in 2015, Clinc demonstrated its technology at FinovateFall 2016, earning a Best of Show award for its AI-enabled intelligent financial assistant. In November, the company announced that its technology was live in six countries, including Turkey, where the nation’s largest private bank signed a deal to deploy Clinc’s platform. Also last fall, Clinc announced a partnership with Enacomm to bring its AI chatbot technology to smaller, community banks and credit unions. 2017 also featured a deal with USAA  and the closing of a $6 million Series A round led by Drive Capital that took the company’s total capital to $7.75 million. Dr. Mars participated in our Finovate webinar “How to Make it In the Fintech Industry: 3 Start-Up Success Stories” last year.

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FinovateMiddleEast Sneak Peek: Efigence

FinovateMiddleEast Sneak Peek: Efigence
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Efigence, FinovateMiddleEast 2018, FinovateMiddleEast 2018 Sneak Peek

A look at the companies demoing live at FinovateMiddleEast on 26 and 27 of February in Dubai, U.A.E. Pick up your tickets today and save your spot.

Efigence, a company specializing in implementing innovative technologies and designing UX for banks, presents a new features from the EF14 Digital Banking Platform: EF14 Analytics.

Features

  • Real-time analysis both on public and secure sites
  • Conversion of insights into recommendations with sales automation
  • On-premise solution ensures that the bank remains the sole owner of data gathered

Why it’s great
Take control with EF14 Analytics, your one-stop tool to manage all customer data securely and effectively and transform it into real-time recommendations.

Presenters

Andrzej Szewczyk, Vice President and Managing Director 
Szewczyk combines technology knowledge with experience in business management, creating innovative solutions for banks and other financial market players. He has been in the internet industry since 1999.
LinkedIn

 

Marek Lesiak, President and CTO 
A fintech evangelist specializing in innovative product development, Lesiak has almost 20 years of experience in designing web solutions.
LinkedIn

 

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Vera Partners with Canon to Enable Data Security Across Devices and Services

Vera Partners with Canon to Enable Data Security Across Devices and Services
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Vera

Courtesy of a partnership announced today, next generation data security specialist Vera will secure all information processed by Canon Solutions America’s fleet of multi-function devices, digital imaging tools, and services. Canon will access Vera’s data protection and rights management platform via its Enterprise Solutions business to enable secure data capture, detailed auditing, and data privacy.

“Canon’s products are at the center of how businesses around the world work, and we’re inspired by their philosophy of working together for the common good,” CEO and co-founder of Vera, Ajay Arora said. “By taking a data-centric approach to security, Canon Solutions America is laying the foundation for the most impenetrable walls of the Information Age.”

Left to right: Carlos Fernandes (CEO, Agile Cybersecurity Solutions), Peter Kowalczuk (President, Canon Solutions America), and Ajay Arora (CEO and co-founder, Vera) during the One Canon Event 2018.

Vera’s platform empowers its customers to encrypt, monitor, and manage how digital content is accessed regardless of how or where it is stored. Control over data is maintained whether the data is at rest, in use, or in transit, giving users a unique ability to protect critical information from data breaches and loss. Canon Solutions America will deploy Vera’s technology to secure content and file sharing for both local storage and cloud content; provide dynamic, multi-factor authentication for highly-classified or sensitive data; and ensure compliance with EU regulations with regard to GDPR via a “360-degree audit trail and chain of custody.”

“By partnering with Vera,” Canon Solutions America president Peter Kowalczuk said, “we can ensure security and confidentiality for any information captured by a Canon device, and help secure workflows across a complex organization. Vera’s seamless user experience and powerful platform will make it one of our hallmark solution offerings nationally, and worldwide,” he said.

Vera demonstrated its zero-touch, zero-friction data protection technology at FinovateSpring 2016. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Vera began the year with a set of new hires, bringing on board its first chief financial officer, Sam Wolff, and adding technical talent in the form of Wesley Yeremenko, who will serve as the company’s SVP for Engineering.

Last fall, the company launched its Vera for Mail solution, which provides enterprise-grade encryption for email as well as the ability to dynamically change access rights in real-time. Vera announced a new partnership with GE in September, protecting the company’s product designs, intellectual property, and proprietary data. Winner of the 2017 CyberSecurity Breakthrough Award, the company has raised $50 million in funding, and includes Hasso Plattner Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures, and Battery Ventures among its investors.

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UAE Exchange Partners with Ripple

UAE Exchange Partners with Ripple
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Ripple

Is there anyone who still doubts that governments and financial institutions in the Middle East are committed to taking advantage of distributed ledger technology? If so, the announcement today that the UAE Exchange has joined Ripple’s RippleNet network is a reminder that when it comes to the blockchain: MENA means business.

“Incorporating Ripple’s blockchain technology into our payments systems will bring customers and enhanced, new payments experience,” UAE Exchange Group CEO Promoth Manghat said. “The early adoption of this game-changing technology allows us to offer a competitive service, as it will have an impact on the speed and cost of cross-border transactions. We are proud to deliver the future of payments with Ripple.”

Ripplenet is an enterprise blockchain network that features more than 100 participating banks and FIs. Via the network, members are able to conduct real-time messaging, clearing, and settlement of financial transactions for their banking and payment clients. In joining the network, UAE Exchange becomes the largest payment solutions provider in the Middle East to use Ripple’s technology for real-time, worldwide, payment processing.

“We choose to focus on solving inefficiencies in key corridors where payment flows are significant and growing,” Global Head of Infrastructure Innovation for Ripple, Dilip Rao said. “Adding a market leader like UAE Exchange to RippleNet will bring instant, certain, low-cost payments to the millions of retail customers in the UAE who send money abroad.”

Ripple and its technology have been gaining momentum along with the broader growth in interest in the blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and distributed ledger technology. Earlier this month, the company announced that Banco Santander would leverage its technology to offer same day mobile international payments. In January, Ripple launched a trial project with MoneyGram in which the remittance services specialist will use XRP through Ripple’s xRapid service and explore integration with Ripple’s API for businesses, xVia.

Founded in 1980, UAE Exchange has nearly 800 branches in 31 countries – with nearly 150 branches across the seven Emirates and 17 branches in Dubai metro stations. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE has more than 9,000 employees and more than 15 million customers worldwide using its remittance services.

Making its Finovate debut as OpenCoin at FinovateSpring 2013, Ripple currently has more than 100 customers around the world. The company’s digital asset XRP, available on more than 50 exchanges globally, is used by banks and payment providers to better enter new markets and keep costs low. With offices in San Francisco, New York, London, Singapore, Sydney, Luxembourg, and Mumbai, Ripple has raised more than $90 million in funding, and counts Santander Innoventures, SBI Investment, IDG Capital Partners, and Core Innovation Capital among its investors.

Interested in fintech developments in the Middle East? FinovateMiddleEast comes to Dubai, UAE, February 26 and 27, for two days of keynotes, panel discussions, and live fintech demonstrations. 

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NetGuardians Inks Agreement with FirstOntario Credit Union

NetGuardians Inks Agreement with FirstOntario Credit Union
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: NetGuardians

NetGuardians announced today that FirstOntario Credit Union ($5 billion in assets) has deployed its anti-fraud technology, earning the Swiss fintech its first North American customer. NetGuardians’ solution was integrated into the credit union’s core banking platform – Temenos’ T24 – in just three months, and gives the province’s second largest credit union new tools when it comes to defending its members against cyberfraud.

“FirstOntario has joined a growing number of leading financial service providers around the world choosing NetGuardians’ anti-fraud solution.” Joel Winteregg, NetGuardians’ CEO said. “Our focus on prevention as well as detection means FirstOntario is giving its 115,000+ members the best possible protection.”

“We were impressed by their focus on financial crime mitigation and the well-developed library of relevant fraud controls,” VP for Information Technology at FirstOntario Michael Walsh said. “Together, they give FirstOntario enhanced protection against a wide spectrum of fraud schemes.” Walsh noted that the decision to deploy NetGuardians’ technology came after the CU’s IT and risk team highlighted global cyberfraud trends and recommended FirstOntario take action to improve its defense. In their statement, NetGuardians underscored the financial burden of cyberfraud, quoting a 2016 Cyber Crime Report from Cyber Security Ventures that anticipated cyberfraud costs of $6 trillion by 2021.

Headquartered in Yverdon-les-Bains, NetGuardians demonstrated its technology at FinovateAsia 2016. The company’s FraudGuardian solution uses Big Data, dynamic profiling, pattern-based intelligence, and predictive analytics to monitor and analyze both transaction level activity as well as real-time behaviors across all banking channels. FraudGuardian sends instant alerts when suspicious behavior is detected, giving FIs the ability to take risk mitigation measures as soon as possible.

NetGuardians ended 2017 by forging a new partnership with Masaref Business & Systems Consulting (Masaref-BSC) in a move that will spread the company’s fraud-fighting solutions to FIs in the Middle East. The company teamed up with Swisscom back in November to launch a fraud prevention service, and deployed its fraud fighting technology at Ghana’s Premium Bank last June.

Named to the Chartis RiskTech 100 for 2018 and honored with a spot in the European Fintech 100, NetGuardians has raised more than $14 million (CHF13.5 million) in funding, and includes Freemont Management, Swisscom Ventures, Polytech Ecosystem Ventures, and MoneyTime Ventures among its investors. The company was founded in 2007.

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Larky Deepens Partnership with Core Processing Solutions Provider Sharetec

Larky Deepens Partnership with Core Processing Solutions Provider Sharetec
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Larky

Core processing solutions provider Sharetec announced today that it is expanding its relationship with mobile engagement and loyalty program specialist Larky. Sharetec plans to use Larky’s technology with credit unions that use Sharetec’s core system to increase engagement through better membership perks, and boost revenues with more effective cross-selling strategies.

“With our location-based platform, members receive mobile notifications when they are near a specific location where there is a special offer or the credit union wants to promote a specific product or service,” Larky CEO Gregg Hammerman said. “This encourages local purchasing at the most convenient time for the member while increasing cross-selling opportunities for the credit union.”

Larky’s relationship builds on the collaboration the two companies announced last April. The company’s merchant-funded loyalty platform gives CU members instant savings and discounts at local retailers while simultaneously extending the CU’s brand. Larky provides a CU-branded iOS and Android mobile app and sends smartphone alerts to users when they are physically close to a merchant where a qualifying reward is available. Customers save as much as $1,000 in qualifying discounts, and institutions can earn additional interchange revenue from more frequent use of their credit or debit cards.

GBS Credit Union VP Dan Miller said, “The challenge to reach members is significantly lessened with the Larky platform as this tool engages and alerts members to relevant cost-saving information.” Miller added that by making it easier for credit unions to market their financial products and services to members – especially mobile-oriented members – also “strengthen(s) the credit union’s cross-selling success.”

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Larky demonstrated its new Android app, as well as new white-label mobile and web solution at FinovateFall 2014. Larky’s platform has been deployed most recently with First Alliance CU in Rochester, Minnesota, and with United Teletech Financial FCU in Tinton Fall, New Jersey. In December, Larky’s Hammerman and VISA’s Head of Community and Regional Accounts Doug Leighton sat for an interview with Filene to discuss credit unions and digitization.

With $2.4 million in funding, Larky includes North Coast Technology Investors, Michigan Angel Fund, Ann Arbor SPARK, and the First Step Fund among its investors. The company was founded in 2012.

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Fintech News from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Fintech News from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateMiddleEast 2018


Designed by Freepik

As Finovate prepares for its first conference in the Middle East, here’s a round up of recent fintech news and need-to-knows from the MENA region. Learn more about how to join us in Dubai in February for FinovateMiddleEast.

  • NCR overhauls self-service network for Oman’s BankDhofar.
  • U.A.E.-based Noor Bank launches redesigned credit and debit cards inspired by modern art and Islamic heritage, as well as a new rewards program.
  • First Abu Dhabi Bank gets green light to begin “arranging and advising activities” in the Saudi Arabian securities market.

Thought Leadership – Growth, Wealth, Modernization Drive Fintech Innovation in the MENA region.

  • Is there a future for cryptocurrencies in Turkey? The country’s Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek weighs in.
  • Al Rajhi Bank Jordan signs cooperation agreement with Middle East Payment Services
  • Emirates NBD adds Evans Munyuki as Chief Digital Officer and Miguel Rio Tinto as Chief Information Officer to help drive digital transformation.

Thought Leadership – Top Barriers to Fintech Growth in the Middle East – What will it take to bring the benefits of fintech innovation to the people of MENA? Randstad takes a look at some of the key factors, from regulations to technical talent.

  • Forbes Middle East publishes its roster of the top 20 fintech startups in the Middle East.
  • U.A.E tops Arab markets when it comes to Islamic fintech.
  • Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) wins Best Overall Bank in Customer Experience in the U.A.E. at 2017 Retail Banking Customer Experience Benchmarking Index awards for the 7th consecutive year.

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20 Finovate Alums Earn Spots on One World Identity’s Top 100 Influencers List

20 Finovate Alums Earn Spots on One World Identity’s Top 100 Influencers List
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: authenticID, BBVA, Civic, Coinbase, Electronic IDentification, Experian, ID.me, IDology, Infosys, Juvo, Mitek, NuData Security, Ping Identity, Plaid, Privakey, SecureKey, Signifyd, ThreatMetrix, Trulioo, Uniken

When you think about it, what’s cooler than being named to a Who’s Who list in the world of digital identities?

One World Identity, an independent identity research and strategy company that specializes in cybersecurity, digital commerce, and risk management, published its roster of the Top 100 Influencers in Identity this week. This year, 20 Finovate alums made the cut. The individual influencers – as well as the companies they work for- are listed below.

As with last year’s roster, this year’s list was compiled by taking nominations submitted via Twitter, LinkedIn, and at oneworldidentity.com. The staff and advisory council for One World Identity whittled down the initial list of more than 1,000 nominees to a final 100.

One World Identity began as a project from a group of Google employees back in 2015. The company was officially launched the following year as a way to help spur innovation and collaboration in the field of digital identities. Travis Jarae is founder and CEO.

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Finovate Alumni News

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Cardlytics, Icon Solutions, Larky, Pindrop Security, PocketSmith, Ripple, Temenos, Tinkoff Credit Systems

On Finovate.com

  • Cardlytics Becomes the First Fintech to Go Public in 2018.

Around the web

  • The Banker’s Tech Talk interviews FinanceIT CEO Michael Garrity.
  • Tinkoff Bank launches development hub.
  • Icon Solutions announces strategic GDPR partnership with Digital Control Room.
  • Larky expands partnership with Sharetec.
  • Zebpay adds support for Ripple’s XRP.
  • Pindrop helping PSCU block $1 million in fraud in one month.

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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NCR Overhauls Self Service Network for Oman’s BankDhofar; Expands ATM Access in India

NCR Overhauls Self Service Network for Oman’s BankDhofar; Expands ATM Access in India
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: NCR Corporation

Two headlines from NCR Corporation reflect the breadth of the company’s work with financial institutions and underbanked populations around the world.

First up is news that NCR has been selected by leading Oman bank, BankDhofar, to overhaul its current self-service banking network. The bank will also deploy NCR’s SelfServ 80 Series ATMs, upgrading BankDhofar’s current line-up of older NCR ATMs.

“BankDhofar is well known for being innovative and constantly striving to be ‘the best bank for its customers by making banking easy and always available,” AGM and Chief Information Officer, Dr. Tariq Taha said. Taha said the ATM upgrade will enable the bank to purse new growth opportunities as well as provide a “next-generation customer experience.”

The new ATMs have a widescreen display that enables multi-touch function and comes equipped with a cash dispenser that provides up to a 60-note bunch (approximately OMR 3,000) per transaction. Customers will also be able to deposit up to 4,000 notes and 400 checks. “We are proud to be the first in the country to offer this revolutionary technology that delivers intuitive and striking interfaces to access banking transactions and services on-the-go,” Taha said.

NCR also announced a special deployment of its ATMs in remote areas of India in an effort to better reach the underbanked. The company said the deployment of the small-footprint, SelfServ Select Edition Cash and SE Recycle ATMs will enable FIs to provide cash more readily to an economy that is more than 19% unbanked and conducts more than 50% of its retail transactions in cash.

“Financial inclusion is emerging as a new paradigm of economic growth that plays a major role in driving away poverty from the country by reaching and serving the underserved,” VP and GM for NCR Financial Services, Jose Resendiz said. “The new ATMs will allow financial institutions to modernize their ATM network, improve customer experience and extend their reach to serve areas where cash demand is strong.”

NCR’s global presence has been manifest in recent months. In January, the company’s technology was used to help Union Bank of the Philippines launch a prototype branch with an interactive teller. Back in the U.S., the same interactive teller technology was deployed at Tucson FCU in December. Winner of four GOOD DESIGN awards, NCR teamed up with Samsung to launch an all-in-one POS commerce station, NCR Silver Quantum in November and, in October, the company introduced its cloud-based NCR Mobile Payment solution.

Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, NCR demonstrated a fully-immersive, virtual reality ATM experience featuring real-time remote collaboration at FinovateSpring 2017. The company trades on the NYSE under the ticker “NCR” and has a market capitalization of $4 billion. Bill Nuti is Chairman, President, and CEO.

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