A Primer for Fintech’s Biggest Event this Spring

A Primer for Fintech’s Biggest Event this Spring

In just over a month we’ll be on the ground in San Francisco making last minute preparations for one of the year’s biggest events in the fintech sector, FinovateSpring. The main event will take place May 8 through 10 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. This year, there is an option to add to your ticket an exclusive Summit Day, which takes place on May 7. Book now to take part.

Your sneak peek into the demos

Between our full (and growing!) roster of demo companies and our content day where top-name analysts discuss the hottest industry trends, there’s a lot to prepare for. That’s why, starting next week, we’ll launch our Sneak Peek blog series so that you can get ahead with an insider’s look into what each demoing company will debut on stage.

But wait, there’s more

After the demos are complete and the Best of Show honors have been awarded, the third day of FinovateSpring will bring an entire day of discussions and keynotes to explore. So stay tuned on the blog for exclusive interviews with presenters, an analysis of the fintech trends we can expect to see during the show, and a look at the star-studded speaker lineup that’s loaded with fintech celebrities.

For more details on FinovateSpring, view the list of demoing companies, take a look at the agenda, check out the full speaker lineup, and plan your visit. Have questions? Send us your inquiry and we’ll respond as soon as possible.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • TradeIt To Be Acquired by TradingView.
  • Fintech’s Newest Unicorn Bill.com Raises $88 Million in New Funding.

Around the web

  • BehavioSec listed among Enterprise Management Associates’ Top 3 Report Ten Priorities for Enabling Identity Management in 2019.
  • Zions Bancorporation selects D3 Banking’s Digital Banking Platform.
  • Commonwealth Bank & Trust selects Jack Henry to improve efficiency, attract business with modern services.
  • CoverHound to open an East Coast office in Charlotte.

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.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Finn AI Brings Conversational Banking to South Africa’s TymeBank.

Around the web

  • Salt Edge unveils new version of API with a consent management system and UX enhancements.
  • MOXY bank selects NYMBUSSmartCore platform.
  • InComm and WH Smith launch in-store and online hubs for game cards in the U.K.
  • STOblock interviews Bitbond Founder and CEO Radoslav Albrecht.
  • India’s Federal Bank turns to Ripple to power cross-border remittances.
  • Khaleeji Commercial Bank of Bahrain partners with Token.io.
  • Finastra hires Sharon Doherty as its new Chief People Officer.
  • Equifax collaborates with Wolters Kluwer to offer Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) solution.
  • Raiffeisen Bank Serbia picks Asseco SEE as its strategic vendor.
  • NF Innova to power “Customer-First” experience for APS Bank.

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.

StreetShares to Launch Credit Card for Veteran-Owned Businesses

StreetShares to Launch Credit Card for Veteran-Owned Businesses

Business credit cards are big business. That’s why military veteran-focused small business lending platform StreetShares is broadening its focus with the launch of credit cards for military veteran business owners.

StreetShares will market the credit card to the 2.5 million veteran-owned small businesses in the U.S., a niche population the Virginia-based company considers to be underserved. StreetShares anticipates that adding a credit card to their suite of offerings will provide a tool for business owners to finance and pay for everyday expenses.

“Veterans will use their card to do good while doing well,” said Mark Rockefeller, CEO and Co-Founder of StreetShares and an Iraq War Veteran. “Our mission is to be the trusted financial solution for America’s heroes and their communities, and this offering will help us achieve that.”

A portion of the proceeds from every card will support training and educational programs for military veterans and military spouse entrepreneurs. The company expects to make the card available in the second quarter of this year.

Founded in 2013, StreetShares began leveraging Title IV (Regulation A+) of the JOBS act in 2017 to allow unaccredited investors to lend to small businesses. It is now one of only a handful of P2P lending platforms open to unaccredited investors.

At FinovateEurope 2015, StreetShares CEO and Co-founder Mark Rockefeller and COO and Co-founder Mickey Konson showcased the StreetShares platform. Last fall, USAA announced it would use StreetShares to pilot a small business lending program for military veterans.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Worldpay Goes Australasia.
  • Capsilon Beta Launches Digital Underwriter.

Around the web

  • Temenos partners with Canada Life to support UK life and pension funds accounting.
  • Enova Decisions Announces Joint Venture with China Financial.
  • AlphaPoint enhances technology stack to service security token issuance and exchange customers.
  • Gusto names Kenny Wyatt as Chief Sales Officer.

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.

Worldpay Goes Australasia

Worldpay Goes Australasia

The news that payment processing giant Worldpay is expanding to Australasia comes just days after the U.K.-based company announced its pending sale to FIS.

Worldpay is making two major moves in the Australasia region. First, it opened two sales offices in Australia, enhancing the company’s market presence. Second, Worldpay launched into the New Zealand market, after having received its local license, enabling in-country payment processing.

With the new Australia locations, Melbourne and Sydney, Worldpay is ultimately aiming to gain more clients. The company already boasts clients such as VGW, Skiddoo, Lonely Planet, and Webjet. And there’s plenty of room for growth in the region– Australia’s eCommerce sector is expected to grow almost 37% in the next three years.

Having a card processing license in New Zealand will allow Worldpay to process New Zealand-based merchants’ payments domestically. Worldpay’s Global reach will create a more seamless way for those New Zealand-based companies to trade with the rest of the world economy.

“By building a team of payments experts located in Australia, alongside the addition of a domestic card payment acquiring capability in New Zealand, Worldpay can offer a service that goes beyond the transactional. Our investment and addition of this new license will enable us to further provide unparalleled access to global markets to help eCommerce businesses deliver on their international growth ambitions,” said Worldpay’s Phil Pomford, General Manager of Global Enterprise eCommerce in APAC.

Founded in 1971, Worldpay most recently participated in FinDEVr Silicon Valley 2016, where the company discussed what customers are looking for in the payment journey. Earlier this month, the company agreed to be acquired by FIS for $34 billion. The deal is expected to close at the end of this year.

Capsilon Beta Launches Digital Underwriter

Capsilon Beta Launches Digital Underwriter

Mortgage technology company Capsilon announced the beta launch of Capsilon Digital Underwriter, a suite of cloud-based mortgage applications for lenders.

The launch comes in collaboration with Home Point Financial, a national mortgage origination and servicing company. The tool aims to help lenders leverage data to make more informed loan eligibility decisions faster by automating the underwriting process.

Steve Viarengo, SVP of Digital Mortgage Solutions, pointed out that compliance and regulatory guidelines have complicated the mortgage underwriting process, declining the mortgage underwriting velocity to 85% in the past 10 years.

Capsilon Digital Underwriter runs on Capsilon IQ, the company’s digital mortgage platform that gathers mortgage data by leveraging machine learning and natural language processing. Because Capsilon collects data from the original loan record, lenders have evidence of data points behind each decision. “You can’t automate underwriting without trusted data,” said Bill Shuler, Chief Information Officer of Home Point Financial. “Capsilon elegantly combines the ability to capture and perfect mortgage data with robust automation capabilities.”

Phil Shoemaker, Chief Business Officer of Home Point Financial, said “Capsilon Digital Underwriter will significantly improve our underwriting productivity and in some cases, we believe loans can be underwritten without any human intervention. This will enable us to significantly speed up the loan origination process while focusing our talented ops team on providing best-in-class customer service to our business partners, helping them originate more loans.”

Founded in 2004, and with eight offices around the globe, Capsilon processes 15% of U.S. mortgages, and managed $400 billion in new loans in 2017 alone. At FinovateSpring 2017 the company showcased its Mortgage Velocity program that speeds up loan delivery by eliminating the need for manual tasks and human error.

Capsilon has raised $21 million and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Sanjeev Malaney is CEO. The company will demo its latest technology at FinovateSpring, held May 8 through 10 in San Francisco. Book your ticket now.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • FICO and Equifax Forge Strategic Partnership.

Around the web

  • Motive Partners closes investment in Finantix announced in December.
  • Since launching in the region last year, Plaid expands coverage in Canada, adding support for Desjardins, National Bank of Canada, President’s Choice, and Simplii.
  • NDGIT’s API platform enables UBS to deliver PSD2 APIs for TPPs.
  • Ledger partners with Hong Kong-licensed Legacy Trust to introduce institutional-grade custody solution to accelerate the flow of institutional money into digital assets.

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.

Nutmeg Says No to IPO, Opts for Crowdfunding Instead

Nutmeg Says No to IPO, Opts for Crowdfunding Instead

Two months after closing a $58 million investment, U.K. wealth management company Nutmeg announced it will crowdfund its next bout of funding.

Nutmeg is opting to sell shares to its clients, rather than list the company on a public exchange, which would subject it to the volatility of the market. The company will be using Crowdcube as its crowdfunding platform.

“We’re pleased that we will soon be giving eligible Nutmeg customers the chance to become shareholders alongside our existing investors like Convoy, Goldman Sachs and Balderton Capital, among others,” the company announced on its website. Customers who hold a Nutmeg account on May 15 will get early access to participate in the crowdfunding round and those who sign up on Crowdcube will receive updates as soon as it goes live (the timing of the launch is currently undisclosed). The company plans to use the funds to fuel international expansion.

On its website announcing the offer, Nutmeg reminds potential participants that purchasing the shares is “high-risk” and “isn’t for the short term.” The company reinforced the non-traditional nature of the investment, saying that it “isn’t listed on any stock exchange, and you won’t be able to sell your shares until the business achieves an ‘exit’, such as being sold to another company or floating on a stock exchange.”

Since it was founded in 2011, Nutmeg has raised $148 million from 13 investors, including Convoy, Goldman Sachs, and Balderton Capital. The company currently manages $2 billion (£1.5 billion) in funds for its 65,000 clients in the U.K.

Nutmeg showcased its digital investment management at FinovateEurope 2012 in London. Last year, the company was featured on Fidor Bank’s digital marketplace as an inaugural partner. Co-founded by Nick Hungerford and William Todd, Nutmeg appointed Martin Stead as CEO in 2015.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Overbond Launches COBI Matching in Pivot to Analytics.
  • YellowDog Raises $3.3 Million in Series A.
  • Nutmeg Says No to IPO, Opts for Crowdfunding Instead.

Around the web

  • Ledger integrates with Cardano’s ADA and Yoroi Wallets.
  • Insuritas partners with SouthEast Bank to launch bank-owned digital insurance agency platform.
  • Adobe unveils Commerce Cloud, a customizable and scalable platform to manage, personalize, and optimize the commerce experience.
  • SigFig unveils SigFig Atlas, a financial advice and software-guided sales platform.
  • InComm and WH Smith launch in-store, online hubs for game cards in the U.K.
  • UBank integrates Watson into its customer service offerings with RoboBrain, a Watson-enabled virtual assistant.
  • Token.io and Konsentus launch fast PSD2 compliance solution by combining a PSD2 API with automated TPP verification.
  • Verimi and Signicat partner to deliver verified digital identity solution for European enterprises.
  • HooYu to provide ID verification for esports betting platform, Luckbox.
  • Qover earns a spot on Programmable Web’s list of 13 Notable Insurance APIs.
  • WRAL Tech Wire features Spreedly in a look at local technology companies.

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.

Yes, Banks Can Compete with Apple’s New Credit Card

Yes, Banks Can Compete with Apple’s New Credit Card

What’s in your wallet? Or rather, what’s in banks’ clients’ wallets? Some sexy competition appeared on the market yesterday, as Apple announced the pending launch of its own credit card in collaboration with Goldman Sachs and Mastercard.

The card is touted more for its mobile and digital qualities than its shiny titanium finish. Despite the shine, however, many of the card’s features and offerings aren’t new. And that’s good news for banks. While traditional financial institutions aren’t as sexy as tech companies such as Apple, they are generally viewed as more trustworthy. And with that kind of foundation, all banks need to do is piece together the features into their own credit card offering and market it properly.

Fortunately, there are plenty of fintech firms out there to help. Here are some of the features Apple is promoting and a list of corresponding fintechs that can help banks take the same approach.

Physical card security

Apple boasts a titanium card with the customer’s name etched on the front– no credit card number, no cvv code, no expiration date. All of that information is tucked away inside the app. Physical card innovator Dynamics takes a similar (though admittedly less visually appealing) approach. The Pennsylvania-based company offers a computer-in-a-card that hides part of the card number, the cvv code, and expiration date on the physical card until the consumer enters their PIN into the card. As an added bonus, Dynamics also offers in-card loyalty and rewards features, as well as a card that hosts multiple numbers, allowing customers to toggle between debit and credit cards.

Chat functionality

As a company that is known for simplifying technology, Apple is taking a similar approach with its customer service. “Have a question? Just text,” is the message the company features on its card website. Fortunately, there are plenty of fintechs that help banks simplify their customer experience. Two such companies are Finn.ai and Clinc, both of which leverage AI to save banks money on customer service representatives, while simplifying and expediting access to answers via a chat interface.

PFM

One way to win over customers is to convince them you’ll help them organize their finances and ultimately save them money. That’s why Apple is offering in-app PFM capabilities. And while the technology hasn’t changed much since it debuted before the fintech craze, the colorful user interface is beautiful enough to convince anyone to want to look at their spending behavior.

Banks have seemingly endless options to compete with this feature. And while most financial institutions currently offer some sort of PFM capabilities, it’s worth looking at it from a superficial point of view. Utah-based MX and Sweden-based Tink both offer visually-pleasing interfaces that are arguably more beautiful than Apple’s and are backed by powerful PFM engines.

Mobile app security

Apple’s iPhone holds the hardware for both fingerprint and facial recognition technology, and since the company is reinforcing its focus on security, it is leveraging biometrics for account access. With the right software, banks can leverage fingerprint and facial recognition technology as well. Jumio, IDology, and Mitek all offer technology banks can implement for fast account access, as well as account onboarding.

Fast onboarding

With access to consumer data, Apple has an advantage of being able to quickly onboard new consumers using existing consumer information. There are multiple fintechs that help banks onboard consumers quickly, as well, including Digital Onboarding, Q2’s Gro Solutions, and Fenergo. Digital Onboarding motivates customers to open new accounts using incentives and gamification. Gro Solutions touts the ability for customers to open and fund accounts in under four minutes. And Fenergo takes a holistic approach to onboarding, providing banks a lifetime view of the client to help perform data refreshes, ongoing due diligence, and upsell and cross-sell opportunities.

Rewards

Credit card rewards programs may seem like a feature of the past, but rewards are certainly still relevant. With its new card’s rewards program, Apple once again seeks to simplify things by offering consumers daily rewards. Two fintechs, Cardlytics and Cartera Commerce, offer tried and true loyalty and rewards programs. These offerings not only boost consumer loyalty, they also offer banks further insight and analysis into consumer spending.

Apple’s new credit card is shipping this summer. Fortunately for banks, fintechs are here to help them compete.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Capsilon and Blue Sage Drive Automation in MortgageTech.
  • Tandem Chooses Token as PSD2, Open Banking Partner.
  • Yes, Banks Can Compete with Apple’s New Credit Card.

Around the web

  • TurnKey Lender launches psychometrics for credit decisioning.
  • Xero partners with Aussie government’s digital change project.
  • Avaloq 2018 revenues rise to $582 million, a 6% YoY rise.
  • HarborOne Bank selects Baker Hill to provide direct and digital marketing services
  • Affinity FCU selects Digital Onboarding for automated new account activation.
  • Zillow’s Mortech partners with Roostify to improve the digital mortgage experience.

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.