HiddenLevers Now Has $500 Billion in Assets on its Platform

HiddenLevers Now Has $500 Billion in Assets on its Platform

Wealthtech company Hidden Levers announced this week it has reached $500 billion in assets on its platform, just in time for its 10th birthday.

“On our tenth anniversary, I’ve never been more proud of our company,” said Raj Udeshi, Founder and chief evangelist. He went on to explain that the company’s success is partly attributed to its focus on solving wealth management pain points. “This dynamic led to breakthroughs with portfolio stress testing and wealth management business intelligence,” Udeshi said, adding, “We call our culture free solo fintech.”

HiddenLevers originally launched in 2010, offering stress testing technology for investment portfolios. Udeshi debuted the technology at FinovateFall 2010 in New York. The company now offers three solutions, investment proposal generation for advisors, business intelligence and risk monitoring for advisory firms, and an asset manager platform for roboadvisory wholesalers.

Last month, Axxcess Wealth Management announced it selected Hidden Levers to power its portfolio management solution for financial advisors. And earlier this year the company teamed up with First Rate to help advisors better manage portfolio risk. HiddenLevers is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and is self-funded.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Temenos Signs Core Banking Deal with Maltese Challenger Laskaris Finance.
  • HiddenLevers Now Has $500 Billion in Assets on its Platform.
  • Upgrade Pack Opens Singapore Office, Appoints New COO.

Around the web

  • CredoLab partners with TransUnion’s iovation to fight credit fraud.
  • CUneXus adds Delta Community Credit Union to list of clients for its 1-click digital lending platform.

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.

Temenos Signs Core Banking Deal with Maltese Challenger Laskaris Finance

Temenos Signs Core Banking Deal with Maltese Challenger Laskaris Finance

Malta’s newest challenger bank Laskaris Finance, which aims to serve high-net-worth individuals and corporate clients, has chosen Temenos to be its cloud core banking provider, reports Ruby Hinchliffe of Fintech Futures, Finovate’s sister publication.

Laskaris is currently applying for a banking license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) and the European Central Bank (ECB), which will allow it to work as a credit institution in and from Malta.

Temenos says its T24 Transact core cloud product will enable the Maltese challenger to launch in the “shortest” time frames, keep to regulatory standards, and screen transactions to tackle financial crime with Temenos’ Financial Crime Mitigation (FCM).

“Laskaris accepts the responsibility of challenging the status quo in banking – naturally within the parameters set by the local and EU regulators – simply because clients deserve to be provided with a superior array of banking services,” said Laskaris founder and CEO Roderick Psaila.

The neobank wants to be a ‘one-stop-shop’ for high-earning individuals and corporate businesses by fusing personal and commercial banking needs together.

Malta, despite being just over 78,000 acres, was ranked in the top 20 financial service jurisdictions by the World Economic Forum’s 2017 to 2018 Global Competitiveness report.

Temenos’ Europe MD Steen Jensen said he’s “excited to see the growing list of challenger banks in Europe.” Laskaris is the tenth client for Temenos in Malta, with other customers including e-commerce payments solution Truevo and smart acquiring solution Credorax. Jensen called this “a testimony to our local expertise and growing footprint on the island.”

Founded in 1993, Temenos debuted its Connect Mobile Banking application at FinovateEurope 2015 in London. With 3,000+ bank clients in 150 countries, Temenos reaches more than 500 million end customers. In August, Temenos acquired Kony for $559 million. The company has a market capitalization of $11.8 billion.

Ripple to Offer Blockchain Technology through Finastra

Ripple to Offer Blockchain Technology through Finastra

Enterprise blockchain solution company Ripple teamed up with Finastra this week. The two are collaborating to enable Finastra clients to transact with RippleNet partners and make international money transfers.

RippleNet is Ripple’s global payment network that works across 40+ currencies and consists of more than 200 financial institutions. Because RippleNet leverages the blockchain, users are able to track funds, delivery time, and status.

“This partnership will enable Ripple to expand the reach and solutions for our partners, and the footprint of RippleNet while allowing customers to transact directly with each other,” said Marcus Treacher, SVP of Customer Success at Ripple.

Riteesh Singh, Senior Vice President, FMS, Finastra said that the partnership will prove “particularly beneficial” to Finastra’s clients that rely on correspondent banks. That’s because, since RippleNet runs completely on the blockchain, transaction fees are lower than the industry average.

Ripple has offices in San Francisco, New York, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Singapore, Sydney, and, as of July, Brazil. At FinovateSpring 2013, company co-founder Chris Larsen debuted Ripple (originally known as OpenCoin). Ripple started this year by surpassing 200 customers and, in June, the company formed a strategic partnership with MoneyGram.

Finastra formed in 2017 from the combination of Misys and D+H after Vista Equity Partners acquired Misys in 2012 and bought D+H in 2017. Misys demonstrated its FusionFabric.cloud technology at FinovateEurope 2017.

Finn.AI’s New Integration Makes Chatbots More Personal

Finn.AI’s New Integration Makes Chatbots More Personal

Conversational AI technology company Finn.AI is helping banks deepen their connection to consumers. The new capability comes thanks to a partnership with Coconut Software, a digital scheduling solutions provider.

Finn.AI has integrated Coconut Software’s API into its own technology to allow users, through a natural chat conversation, to schedule a meeting with a live bank representative.

The partnership seems like an obvious fit to help banks communicate with a range of customers who have different comfort levels on digital channels. By adding the ability to schedule an in-person conversation, banks seamlessly communicate with customers and potential customers across channels, allowing them to switch between digital and in-person communication, depending on their channel preference.

“A fall off point for banks–that do not have a fully digital journey–is getting the consumer to interact with a banker, either in person or on the phone, after they have demonstrated an interest in a product online,” said Jake Tyler, Finn AI CEO. “By integrating with Coconut Software, we’re bridging that gap and making it easier for banks to interact with and convert online prospects.”

The combination of high tech and high touch is something we’ve seen a lot of in fintech, specifically in the wealth management space where consumers crave a high tech investment interface, but many still prefer to have a human to fall back on. In the chatbot arena, we’ve seen the insertion of the human touch in different ways. For example, some chatbots offer an option to view a phone number to call a customer service department. Other bots automatically change the conversation from bot to human, depending on the level of technicality. Finn.AI’s chatbot technology not only has this capability, but also leverages machine learning to learn from the human interactions.

Finn.AI has demoed twice at Finovate, taking home Best of Show honors both times. At its most recent appearance, FinovateFall 2017, Tyler demoed the company’s virtual banking assistant in Facebook Messenger and Google Assistant. Among Finn.AI’s recent partnerships are MX, TymeBank, and Auth0. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Voleo Teams Up with Software Development Firm Convergence Concepts.
  • Finn.AI’s New Integration Makes Chatbots More Personal.
  • Ripple to Offer Blockchain Technology through Finastra.

Around the web

  • Salt Edge reaches milestone of 500+ integrated open banking APIs.
  • Tink makes its platform available in the Netherlands.
  • Stratifyd teams with Anexinet to scale delivery of its AI-powered analytics platform.
  • TASCET releases SYM Certain software suite.
  • Microblink earns a spot in the Deloitte Fast 500.
  • Vymo teams up with ABeam Consulting to expand its business in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • YUKKA Lab joins Plug and Play’s incoming cohort for its Insurtech Europe program.
  • Socure wins 2019 API Award for Best in Data APIs from API World.

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.

FinovateFall Demo Videos Are Live

FinovateFall Demo Videos Are Live

Maybe you missed your chance to attend FinovateFall earlier this month. Or maybe you want to watch your favorite demos over again. Either way, today’s your day. We’ve just released all of the videos from the 75 companies that demoed their fintech on stage.

All of the 7-minute demos are available to stream and download for free at Finovate.com. And if you don’t know where to begin, we’ll get you started with the nine demos that won Best of Show at the event.

BlytzPay

Cinchy

College Aid Pro

ebankIT

Glia

MX

owl.co

Pinkaloo Technologies

Zogo Finance

The Race is On in the High Interest Savings Game

The Race is On in the High Interest Savings Game

I had a laugh this morning when I scanned my banking transactions and saw a credit of $0.01. The transaction description read Interest Paid. This is common, of course, as average savings account APY totals just 0.09%.

As fintechs seek to gain consumers’ trust, attention, and their deposits, some have launched high interest earning accounts to lure them in. Plenty of banks already offer such accounts, and now fintechs have decided its time to follow suit. Here’s a run-down of the players in the game thus far:

MaxMyInterest

  • Launched in 2013
  • Checking product launched September 2019
  • APY: 2.28% on savings, 1% on checking
  • The fine print: MaxMyInterest was one of the first fintechs to start playing the high interest savings game, and built its entire business model around the concept. Membership for either savings, checking or both costs 8 basis points per year. Accountholders with balances over $10,000 will be reimbursed for up to $200 per year by Max’s banking partner, Radius Bank. Outside of the membership fee there are no fees and no minimum balance requirements.

Simple

  • Launched September 2018
  • APY: 2.02%
  • The fine print: Requires a minimum balance of $2,000

WealthFront

  • Launched February 2019
  • APY: 2.57% at launch, currently 2.07%
  • The fine print: After the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate twice WealthFront dropped the APY to 2.32% and then again to 2.07%. The account minimum is $1 and Wealthfront does not charge monthly fees.

T-Mobile in partnership with Bank Mobile

  • Launched April 2019
  • APY: 4%
  • The fine print: Accounts with balances up to $3,000 earn 4% APY, accounts with balances over that threshold earn 1% APY. There are no fees or minimum balance requirements but account holders must deposit at least $200 per month into the account to earn 4% APY.

Betterment

  • Launched July 2019
  • APY: 2.69% at launch, currently 1.79%
  • The fine print: When Betterment launched the account in July, it advertised that users could earn up to 2.69% APY until the end of this year, after which will drop to 2.43%. The company also noted that the interest is subject to change, which it did– two week after launch. The company dropped its APY to 1.79% in response to the Federal Reserve dropping the benchmark rate. Users who sign up for the company’s debit card can earn 2.04%. The account has a minimum balance of $10 and does not charge monthly fees.

Green Dot

  • Launched August 2019
  • APY: 3%
  • The fine print: Interest, which is paid on a maximum of $10,000, is held in a separate account that the consumer is unable to access until the account anniversary. The high yield savings accounts must be opened in tandem with Green Dot’s Unlimited Cash Back account, which pays customers a 3% cash-back bonus on all online and in-app purchases. The account charges a $7.95 monthly fee if consumer’s purchases (excluding mobile bill payments, ATM withdrawals, and ACH transactions) are less than $1,000.

Coinbase

  • Launched October 2019
  • APY: 1.25%
  • The fine print: Coinbase’s offering is set up as a rewards structure, not as an interest earning account. U.S.-based Coinbase customers earn a 1.25% APY reward on the amount of USD Coin (USDC) they hold in Coinbase. The reward is paid out in USDC, not U.S. currency. The offer is not available to accountholders in New York.

Credit Karma

  • Launched October 2019
  • APY: 2.03%
  • The fine print: There are no fees and no minimum balance requirements. A maximum balance of $5,000,000 and transfer limits apply.

Robinhood

  • Launched October 2019
  • APY: 2.05%
  • The fine print: The percentage is paid as a part of Robinhood’s Cash Management offering, a program that moves users’ uninvested cash to partner banks.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Credit Karma Unveils New High Yield Savings Accounts
  • Finovate Global: PayPal Goes to China; Dubai Named Top Ten Global Financial Center

Around the web

  • Tradeshift to implement QEDIT’s privacy solution to preserve the full privacy of transactions.
  • Pendo Systems announces a new strategic partnership with Market Alpha Advisors.
  • Meniga to collaborate with Nordic Innovation House in Singapore.

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.

PayPal’s Move into China is a Big Deal

PayPal’s Move into China is a Big Deal

After sealing a transaction which gives it a 70% stake in China-based GoPay, PayPal has taken on a new role in the global payments services scene.

That’s because PayPal not only has controlling interest in GoPay but is also now licensed to offer online payment services in China, making it the first foreign company to be granted such license.

“We are honored to become the first foreign payment platform to be licensed to provide online payment services in China,” said PayPal CEO Dan Schulman. “We look forward to partnering with China’s financial institutions and technology platforms, providing a more comprehensive set of payment solutions to businesses and consumers, both in China and globally.”

The China opportunity represents major growth potential for PayPal. That’s because online payments in China are undergoing a growth spurt of their own. Between 2013 and 2018, online payment transactions in China doubled, topping out at $200 trillion.

The move gives PayPal an advantage over U.S. competitors, which have become not only more prolific but also more competitive since PayPal set up shop in 1998. However, the new territory also pits PayPal against some major new competitors. China-based competitors, Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay, make up 90% of the region’s mobile payment market.

Financial terms of the deal, which marks PayPal’s 19th acquisition, were not disclosed.

PayPal showcased its Instant Account Creation feature at FinovateFall 2012. The company has a market capitalization of $118 billion.


We highlighted an overview of current stats and trends in the Asian fintech scene in a blog post yesterday. The best way to learn more about fintech in Asia is to attend FinovateAsia, taking place in Singapore October 14 through 15.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Singapore’s CredoLab Partners with CIMB Bank Philippines in Bid to Boost Financial Inclusion.
  • Refinitiv Inks Strategic Partnership with SigFig.
  • PayPal’s move into China is a big deal.

Around the web

  • DriveWealth appoints Julie Coin as new President.
  • NOVO BANCO to deploy billing and payment tech from Fiserv.
  • Finastra deepens ties with Seattle Bank.
  • NIIT Technologies partners with mabl to deliver faster application testing services.
  • Lendio to double sales force, expand loan product offerings.
  • Faraday integrates with Iterable to enable mutual customers to leverage Faraday’s AI-generated predictions in their Iterable workflows.
  • BehavioSec earns Gold at the 2019 Golden Bridge Awards and is selected as the CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards’ Multifactor Solution of the Year.
  • Signifyd’s Seamless SCA solution receives all of the merchant domain EMVCo certifications.
  • Backbase opens office in Dubai.

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.

nCino Raises $80 Million

nCino Raises $80 Million

Cloud banking innovator nCino garnered its largest funding round to date, bringing in $80 million. The round was led by a group of investors advised by T. Rowe Price, with participation from existing investor Salesforce Ventures.

Today’s round elevates nCino’s total funding to over $213 million. The company will use the new investment to boost research and development efforts for the nCino Bank Operating System, expand globally, hire new talent, and develop the skills of its 750 person-strong workforce.

“Since day one, our vision has been to be the worldwide leader in cloud banking,” said Pierre Naudé, CEO of nCino. “We believe that a strong partner ecosystem is critical to maintaining a customer-centric approach in everything we do. This strategic fundraise aligns with that vision and mission by leveraging the investment approaches of two industry leaders to help us further scale our business and Bank Operating System to continue enabling financial institutions to provide the kind of personalized, streamlined and fast experiences that customers have come to expect in the digital era.”

nCino demoed its Bank Operating System at FinovateEurope 2017. The SaaS solution is built on the Salesforce platform and aims to create efficiencies for financial services companies in delivering personalized onboarding, loan origination, and deposit account opening experiences.

Recently, nCino has partnered with Santander UK, teamed up with Mambu to create a banking solution for B-North, and acquired analytics firm Visible Equity.

With offices in London, Sydney, Toronto, Salt Lake City, and Wilmington, North Carolia, nCino serves a growing list of 1,100 financial services clients ranging in size from $30 million to $2 trillion.