Author: David Penn

SAGE Introduces Risk Management, Portfolio Optimization Tool

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013, SAGE SA

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

SAGE is coming to the stage now with their BlackSwan Financial Platform:
 

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“BlackSwan Financial Platform is a risk management and portfolio optimization tool. It is addressed to investors and 
relationship managers to help them make better investment decisions, but more importantly build trust with their clients.  The platform allows them to visualize the risk held in a portfolio and perform what-if scenarios. Investors can intuitively understand the consequences of their decisions.
Using fat-tailed distribution and minimizing the expected tail-loss allows the system to take into account extreme events such as market crashes or other collective behavior when suggesting the most appropriate asset allocation for the client’s profile.”

Product Launched: September 2012

HQ Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Company Founded: August 1986
Metrics: 85 employees, 15M CHF 2012 sales
Website: sage.ch
Presenting Jean-Luc Freymond (CEO) and Xavier Martinot (Consultant)
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Pockets United App Brings the Social to Mobile

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013, Pockets United

PocketsUnitedLogo.jpgThis post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Following rplan to the stage is Pockets United:

“Social is the next big thing in mobile payments, yet you cannot downgrade it to a simple, on-top feature for existing PSPs nor banks. A category killer in this field must be social by design.
This means cutting-edge user experience and fund to use in day-to-day scenarios.  This space is hot.  Carriers see their business threatened by all-encompassing data flats, while traditional banks and credit card companies see payment shifting to mobile devices, whose users are owned by carriers.
Pockets United sits right in the center of this clashing zone, offering a helping hand to both sides.”
Product Launched: Spring 2013
HQ Location: Munich, Germany
Company Founded: May 2011
Metrics: $160,000 raised to date; winner of several awards (e.g. 50 Hottest Companies of 2011, Vienna & IKT First Prize Internet of Services, Berlin)
Twitter: @pocketsunited
Presenting Markus Stiefel (CEO) and Matthias Schicker (CXO)
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Integrated Real-Time News and Data Analytics from Heckyl Technologies

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013, Heckyl Technologies

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.
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As we move toward the end of the first afternoon session, Heckyl Technologies is about to take the stage:

“Heckyl FIND 2.0 (Financial In News & Data) is a real-time news and data analytic platform for retail traders and brokerages.
FIND gets integrated with trading terminals to provide high quality information, visuals, heat maps of sentiment, and market data to help traders find the trading opportunities in this fast moving market.
FIND helps you explore new ideas and keep pulse on the current business events/issues. Whether you are a short-term trader, investor, or fund manager, and whether you prefer equities, forex, or commodities, you will find a wealth of information that matters to ‘you’ streaming at your fingertips.
FIND is for retail traders like Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters are for institutions.”

Platform Launched: January 2013

HQ Location: India
Company Founded: December 2010
Website: heckyl.com
Twitter: @iTrake
Presenting Mukund Mudras (Co-Founder) and Som Sagar (Co-Founder)
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Optimizing Data and Information with FreeAgent

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013, FreeAgent

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Afterwards, FreeAgent showcased its solution that uses data to assess risk: 

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“We are extending the reach of our solution to make much more intelligent use of the data and information that is the life-pulse of a business. Our users will be able to gain insight into the health of their business in real-time, with FreeAgent automatically highlighting performance trends and potential problems in an easy to understand way.
Equally compelling is our capability to make this information available to banks and other lenders, giving them insights into the strength and financial well-being of their customers, with one eye on customer service and another on risk.”

Product Launched: Q2 2013

HQ Location: Edinburgh, UK
Company Founded: April 2007
Metrics: 50 employees; 27,000 paying customers
Website: freeagent.com
Twitter: @freeagent
Presenting Ed Molyneux (CEO) and Kevin McCallum (Business Development Director)
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LeanBanking Introduces figo-API to Unify Finances

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013, LeanBanking

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Next to the stage is LeanBanking:

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“The figo-API is bringing together banks, payment providers, and financial service providers via one API that is stored in the cloud.
We’re transforming your finances into meaningful and actionable views, categories, budgets, and recommendations by enriching transaction 
metadata.
We’re changing the banking paradigm from a ‘pull’ to a ‘push’ experience.
The figo-API is an off-the-shelf solution for service providers that want to offer bank account related services.”

Product Launched: February 2013

HQ Location: Munich, Germany
Company Founded: August 2012
Website: figo.me
Twitter: @figoapp
Presenting Markus Lüdemann (Founder)
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Credit Agricole Launches App Store

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Credit Agricole, FinovateEurope 2013

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Next up to the stage in the first afternoon session is Credit Agricole:

“The Credit Agricole Store is the first European appstore proposed by a bank and where financial apps are co-created between clients and developers thanks to the opening bank APIs.
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‘The Credit Agricole Store provides customers with access to many innovative and unique apps (18 new apps within 6 months), from social apps to video games to full display of account information, to apps for visually impaired customers.
The business model provides financial incentives for external developers to contribute and they join a co-op community based on the roots and values of the group.”

Product Launched: October 2012

HQ Location: Paris, France
Company Founded: 1885
Metrics: Over 100,000 site visits per month in the first three months; 18 mobile apps created; 22 new service ideas generated; bank has 160,000 employees; 54 million customers
Presenting Bernard Larrivière (Director of Innovation) and Emmanuel Methivier (CAStore Manager)
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CR2 Presents Bank Personalization Solution in BankWorld

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: CR2, FinovateEurope 2013

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

First up on the stage after the noon break is CR2, who is offering a unique way for financial institutions to get to know their customers better:

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“Today banks have limited opportunities to personalize services across all self-service channels.

CR2 has designed BankWorld with powerful segmentation capabilities, enabling banks to design ATM, Internet, and mobile banking screens, products and services as well as interactive banners that can be delivered to a specific segment of customers and can be accepted instantly.

It allows banks to treat each customer as a unique individual and generate revenue from the self-service channels while improving customer satisfaction with a consistent and relevant offering. BankWorld simply helps turn self-service channels into self-selling channels.”

Product Launched: 1998

HQ Location: Dublin, Ireland
Company Founded: 1997
Metrics: 150 staff, with over 100 banks in 60 countries adopting CR2 solutions, offices in six countries
Website: CR2.com
Presenting Javier Hermida (Senior Consultant) and Kieran Kilcullen (CCO)
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Kalixa Launches New “Whereever, Whenever” Mobile POS Device

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013, Kalixa

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This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Midway through the second session of the day, here is Kalixa with a demo of their new m-wallet, Kalixa mpos:

“Kalixa mpos is a new mobile POS device enabling ‘prosumers’ and small businesses to accept payments anywhere, anytime, and anyhow. Kalixa mpos accepts all major debit and credit cards and can be used wherever, whenever. Kalixa mpos is totally seure and can offer businesses next day settlement without contract.
Kalixa is a wallet linked to multiple devices – offering consumers one account, one wallet, one way to pay. As an m-wallet, Kalixa can make P2P and MFC transactions, in-store, online or payment over the phone, as well as offering the ability to withdraw cash from ATMs. With no exchange fees, no commission, no charges, Kalixa is prepaid and easy to load via internet banking, credit/debit card, voucher and direct company payments.”

Product Launched: February 2013

HQ Location: Vienna, Austria
Company Founded: January 2007
Metrics: More than 100 employees from 25 countries. Processes transactions worth 2.7 billion euros annually. Powers 90 of the world’s most popular alternative payment solutions. Serves more than 300 merchants. Has over 150,000 cardholders. Can accept, process, and pay in 32 European countries.
Presenting Kamran Hedjri (Chief Operating Officer) and Chris Ranallo (Software Test Engineer)
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Birdback Unveils Card-linking API Technology

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Birdback, FinovateEurope 2013

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Taking the stage next is Birdback.

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“Our technology platform enables features such as loyalty programs, offers and automatic receipts to run on consumer’s existing payment cards. This is made possible through a simple, plug & play API that retailers and advertisers can easily use to link their applications to payment cards.
Birdback’s API handles security, compliance and privacy aspects of card-linking. Card-linking applications range from traditional cash-back schemes to virtual gaming currency redemption. Birdback is demoing a use-case of its REST API.”

Product Launched: February 2013

HQ Location: London, UK
Company Founded: 2012
Metrics: $0.5 million in capital raised; 8 employees
Website: birdback.com
Twitter: @birdback
Presenting Halim Madi (Business Development Director), Ben Brown (CEO, Vouchacha)
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TSYS Spend Controls Manages Commercial Card Programs

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013, TSYS

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Taking the stage next is TSYS.

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“Every business needs to have a system of checks and balances as an essential part of any successful commercial card program. Effective programs include upfront transaction controls, ensuring cardholder compliance to company policy.
TSYS Spend Controls puts control over card usage into the hands of the business owner or program administrator. It provides businesses a means to implement upfront transaction controls to ensure cardholder compliance with purchasing guidelines.
Administrators manage parameters using a simple, web-based user interface, establishing guidelines according to business, department or individual needs. Each transaction is reviewed at the point of sale based on the pre-established parameters.”
Product Launched: 2012
HQ Location: Columbus GA, USA
Company Founded: August 1983
Metrics: $1.89 billion in annual revenues; more than 8,000 employees worldwide
Website: tsys.com
Twitter: @TSYS_TSS
Presenting Chris Colson (Product Innovation Director), Simon Taylor (International Solutions Management Consultant)
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TransferWise’s Peer-to-Peer Strategy for Exchange Rate Savings

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013, TransferWise

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

The second presenter in the second morning session is TransferWise.

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“TransferWise allows regular people to access the real, mid-market exchange rate. We do this using peer-to-peer technology that cuts out traditional fees.  Customers pay a tiny, fully transparent service charge to access this.”

Product Launched: February 2011

HQ Location: London, UK
Company Founded: March 2010
Metrics: $1.35 million in investment capital; 20 employees; transferred over £10 million in the first year; growing at more than 20% per month
Twitter: @transferwise
Presenting Kristo Kaarmann (Co-Founder) and Taavet Hinrikus (Co-Founder)
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PrivatBank Empowers Cashless Transactions with Smartphones

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateEurope 2013, Liqpay.com

This post is a part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2013.

Next up to the stage is PrivatBank:  
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“Liqpay is the project of the Center of E-Business of Privatbank.  The Liqpay team specializes in innovative web and mobile services deployment such as Liqpay (liqpay.com), iPay (pos.liqpay.com), and SiteHeart (site heart.com) and a number of other projects.
We have developed smartphone applications that allow users to manage ATMs (cardless and contactless cash withdrawal) and payment apps for gas stations.”

Product Launched: October 2012

HQ Location: Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine
Company Founded: 2007
Metrics: Service is launched in 10,000 ATMs and in 1,500 gas stations in Ukraine.  The company has three employees.
Website: privatbank.ua
Presenting Kristina Chaykovskaya (Vice President), Marla Gurina (Business Development Manager)
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