Author: David Penn

Finovate Alumni News– March 25, 2013

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Andera, Azimo, BankersLab, Corduro, eToro, Intuit, Kabbage, SumUp, Tradeshift, True Office, Tuition.io, Virtual Piggy, Yodlee

Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg

  • Innovations in gamification help True Office win Computerworld Honors Program award.
  • Aiming for the enterprise: Mobile Payments Today features Corduro.
  • Azimo goes live on Google Affiliate Network.
  • American Banker reports: Randolph-Brooks chooses Andera’s online account opening platform.
  • The gamification revolution interviews Michelle Katics, CEO of BankersLab.
  • Kabbage takes home first place for Top B2B Innovation from PYMNTS.com.
  • Virtual Piggy taps into $10Bn Annual Market with epay Partnership.
  • eToro placed on the 2013 FinTech50 Watchlist, a shortlist of 50 companies in Europe that are redefining financial services through technology.
  • Macgasm features Tuition.io as 1 of 5 apps of the week.
  • Newfination interviews SumUp’s Florian Richter.
  • Tradeshift features Intuit’s Eric Dunn to talk about the recent partnership.
  • TechCrunch reports: Yodlee Interactive now powers financial data for 300 apps and businesses; on pace to surpass 500 in 2013.
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.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Flint Mobile Partners with NXGEN’s Fidano to Support Mobile Payments

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Flint Mobile

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for FlintMobileLogo.jpg

The battle to liberate merchants from card reader hardware and proprietary mobile wallets just recorded another victory.

Flint Mobile has announced that they will bring their swipe-free mobile payments solution to Fidano, a subsidiary of merchant service provider NXGEN

Flint’s app enables merchants to accept credit card payments via iPhone. While the cardholder information passes through the app (the app scans the card numbers and is used to enter verification data) no information is stored on the phone itself.

Fidano’s partners will be able to take advantage of Flint’s platform in the second quarter of 2013. The company, which made the partnership announcement at the PYMNTS.com Innovation Project today, reports strong usage growth of its iOS app over the past six weeks. The app has been available since November 2012.

Flint Mobile was last on the Finovate stage in 2012 at FinovateSpring.  See them in action here.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Wealthfront Secures $20 Million Funding Round

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: kaChing, Wealthfront
Image representing Wealthfront as depicted in ...

Index Ventures, Greylock Partners and the Social+Capital Partnership have just made financial advisory service Wealthfront $20 million wealthier.

Joined by angel investors from institutions as diverse as WordPress and the San Francisco 49ers professional football team, the funding round provides a significant shot in the arm to a start-up still seeking to distinguish itself in a crowded and growing marketplace.

Wealthfront is an online, SEC-registered financial advisory service geared toward average, non-accredited investors who want actively managed accounts. The service includes such features as tax-loss harvesting (for accounts above $100,000) and automatic rebalancing. Note that both of these features are often accessible only through in-person, human brokers and financial advisors.

The company has seen growth in assets under management of more than 70% since 2013, totaling more than $170 million. 

Wealthfront first appeared on the Finovate stage as part of FinovateStartup 2009. Then doing business as “kaChing”, the company presented their virtual investing environment. To see their demo, click here.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Tyfone Taking Mobile Wallet Services to Communication Federal Credit Union

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Tyfone

Thumbnail image for tyfone.jpg

Believe that mobile banking is the future? Then stay tuned for more from credit unions like Communication FCU which just announced a new partnership with mobile banking platform provider Tyfone.

What’s in the deal for Communication FCU and its members? The highlights include:

  • Fiserv XP2 core integrated mobile banking
  • Enhanced ID authentication
  • NFC contactless payment technology

Central to Tyfone’s mobile banking solution is the iCashe mobile wallet. Tyfone’s mobile wallet provides opportunities for financial institutions to earn revenue while simultaneously offering wallet-users easy and secure access to their accounts.

Communication FCU has more than 55,000 members and more than $850 million in assets. Founded in 1939, the credit union has 10 branches in Oklahoma and Kansas.

Long-time alum Tyfone demoed at Finovate Startup 2008. You can see their demo here.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Finovate Alumni News– March 20, 2013

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Backbase, BillGuard, Cortera, Expensify, Fenergo, FIS, ID Analytics, Lending Club, Locaid, PaySimple, QuantConnect, rplan, Taulia, Temenos, TradeKing, TransferWise
  • Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgFenergo releases enhanced compliance and customer onboarding support solution for FIs.
  • FIS announces seven-year agreement with FirstBank Puerto Rico for outsourcing services.
  • Fortnoff Financial reviews TradeKing.
  • The Valley Girl Show interviews Locaid CEO, Rip Gerber.
  • Creative Huddle takes a look at TransferWise as a disruptive force in banking.
  • BillGuard launches early, limited MVP testing version of iPhone app.
  • Expensify bolsters SalesForce integration by supporting FinancialForce.
  • American Banker reports Backbase launches Portal 5.4,  enhancing digital marketing to include better targeting & more.
  • Cortera launches Cortera Lookalikes to seek out new customers  that look and act like a company’s existing customer base.
  • rPlan launches “rplan University”, an online course to provide crucial education on investing.
  • ID Analytics launches ID Network Attributes, targeted consumer behavior insights that provide visibility into identity or transaction risk.
  • Lend Academy reports LendingClub loans being snatched up quickly (within hours).
  • PaySimple partners with CheckAlt to provide suite of payments and receivables tools to SMBs.
  • Validata to provide test case content for Temenos T24 German Banking Suite.
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.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Finovate Alumni News– March 19, 2013

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Experian, FIS, Jemstep, mFoundry, Service2Media, Tyfone, WattzOn
  • Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgVantageScore 3.0 now available from Experian.
  • WattzOn featured in RealtorMag column on energy savings for homeowners.
  • Communications Federal Credit Union to provide Tyfone mobile wallet services to its members.
  • Service2Media‘s M2Active 4.0 selected by Achmea as the “technological cornerstone” for its App Factory.
  • Bank Systems & Technology takes a look at what the acquisition of mFoundry means for FIS‘s future in mobile banking.
  • Bloomberg’s Tech Deals reviews Jemstep Portfolio Manager.
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.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Intuit Beats PayPal to Market with Mobile Pay in the UK

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Intuit

Thumbnail image for intuit.jpgThe latest on American mobile payment companies making a play for Europe?

PayPal says it’s on the way. And Square so far is nowhere to be found. Which makes Intuit‘s announcement that it is launching its Intuit Pay mobile payments service in the United Kingdom all the more provocative.

UK consumers have been waiting for Intuit Pay since the fall of 2012, when the company announced its intention to break into the mobile payments market in Europe. Starting in the UK, Intuit hopes to expand both to a wider European audience, as well as globally. This would follow in the pattern of previous, successful, region-by-region rollouts (i.e., Intuit’s QuickBooks).

Consumers in the United States can currently take advantage of Intuit’s GoPayment app, which is functionally the same service as Intuit Pay.

Intuit Pay will be available initially as an iOS app, with other platforms to be added in the near future (including Android). Intuit is offering its reader for free for a limited time.

The company’s move to the UK may have been encouraged in part by results from a survey suggesting that 47% of the small business respondents would accept cards if there were more affordable options, such as a smartphone or tablet. Currently, less than 20% of companies with less than 10 employees accept card payments.

Intuit was last on the Finovate stage in September 2009. The company demoed an integration of TurboTax for Online Banking with FinanceWorks.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

TransferWise Now Supports Debit Cards for International P2P Money Transfers

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: TransferWise

transferwise_logo.jpg

TransferWise‘s P2P payment service now supports debit cards. 

This means that instead of having to use their Internet bank to send money to TransferWise when making international payments, users can now simply enter the information from their debit cards directly to the TransferWise website.

Currently only debit cards from VISA and MasterCard are accepted, and even then the cards must be 3D Secure enabled. There are a few other qualifications, all explained in the company’s brief FAQ (available here). 

TransferWise was one of the presenters at the FinovateEurope 2013 event in London in February. A video of the company’s demo will be available soon. In the meantime, here’s a link to our Live Blog post on TransferWise’s London presentation.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Pageonce Update Provides for Card-to-Card Payments

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Pageonce

Thumbnail image for Pageonce Logo.jpgPaying bills with Pageonce just got easier, courtesy of a March update that allows customers to pay their credit card bills with their debit card.

The new capabilities do come with a price (i.e., a transaction fee). The upgrade was released on March 7 for Android, and March 10 for iOS.
Pageonce announced that it had reached the $1 million a day milestone in January.  The company was last on the Finovate stage in the spring of 2010. See their demo here.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Finovate Alumni News– March 15, 2013

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Cartera Commerce, Check Point, GMC Software Technology, Lending Club, Mint.com, Mistral Mobile, QuantConnect, Temenos, TradeKing, Tyfone
  • Mistral Mobile announces partnership with Alaric.
  • GMC Software Technology reports user community growth of more than 700% since inception.
  • Opportunity International expands partnership with Temenos.
  • Communication Federal Credit Union rolls out Tyfone mobile banking tech.
  • CNBC features Renaud Lamplache, Lending Club CEO Renaud Laplanche.
  • BostInno features Cartera Commerce on what innovation means to them.
  • SC Magazine readers select Check Point for best enterprise firewall and best IPS solution in 2013.
  • QuantConnect partners with Battle-Fin.com in $20 million seed-capital trading tournament.
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.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Finovate Alumni News– March 14, 2013

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: ACI Worldwide, CSI globalVCard, FIS, GMC Software Technology, Intuit, LearnVest, mFoundry, PayPal, SafetyPay, Standard Chartered Bank, Temenos, TIBCO Software
  • Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgTemenos to partner with Caisse Financial Group, providing T24, Insight, Temenos Connect.
  • ACI Worldwide completes Online Resources Corporation acquisition.
  • Standard Chartered Bank moves Africa headquarters from Dubai to Johannesburg.
  • TechCrunch reports: Intuit launching Intuit Pay mobile payments service in the UK.
  • LearnVest aims to hit 100 planners by year-end.
  • TechCrunch reports: PayPal Here takes on Square Register with new iPad payments app.
  • SafetyPay and giropay join forces to secure internet payments in Germany.
  • TIBCO enhances real time loyalty marketing platform.
  • PrintWeek interviews GMC Software Technology COO Michael Watts.
  • CSI Enterprises set to announce updates to its globalVCard pay systems solution at the Innovation Project 2013 in March.
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.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Manilla Adds More Than 54,000 Small Businesses to Network

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Manilla

Thumbnail image for ManillaLogo.jpg

Since launching their Custom Accounts feature in December 2012, bill-management service Manilla has seen users add more than 54,000 local small business accounts to their network.

The expanded network means that Manilla customers are accessing a growing number of small and local businesses, thereby extending the service beyond the company’s current biller library of more than 3,500 national and regional businesses.

Manilla’s Custom Accounts feature allows users to add and manage future payments, from babysitter and lawn-care services to paying the rent. The feature also allows users to set up reminders for other upcoming obligations, such as tax filing or contributing to charity.

Android app users can use the Custom Account features immediately. Forthcoming updates from Manilla will enable iOS app customers to take advantage of the Custom Account functionality as well.

Manilla’s announcement comes in the wake of a recent survey of the company’s users. More than 65% said that they find it easier to access their financial service provider’s website through Manilla. More on Manilla’s survey is available here.

Manilla was last on the Finovate stage in September 2012 for FinovateFall. Watch their product demo here.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook