Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Yoyo Wallet Raises $15 Million in Series B.
  • Flywire Teams with PayPal for Cross-Border Payments Method.
  • Fintonic to Use $28 Million Round to Move Beyond Loans and Insurance.

Around the web

  • IdentityMind Global to offer Confirm.io’s document authentication technology to its financial services customers.
  • transcosmos to integrate with Tradeshift Japan to help businesses digitalize their indirect operations and accelerate transactional speed
  • Coinbase is reimbursing losses caused by the Ethereum flash crash.
  • Backbase scores fintech deal in Norway with SSF Bank.
  • Fiserv partners with GoldBean to provide a digital adviser offering extra assistance.
  • Meniga & Islandsbanki partner to deploy new card-linked offer platform reaching more than 30% of households in Iceland.
  • Jumio partners with Monzo for strong identity verification.
  • mBank moves into fintech vendor space with new digital banking system.
  • JCB International partners with iSignthis to enable SEPA transactions.

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.

Blockchain Lands $40 Million Series B

Blockchain Lands $40 Million Series B

Web-based bitcoin wallet Blockchain seems to have benefitted from all of the bitcoin buzz in the past month. The Luxembourg-based company pulled in a Series B round of $40 million today, bringing its total raised to $70 million.

The funding, which the company describes as “rocket fuel” in its blog, comes from new investors Lakestar, GV (formerly Google Ventures), Nokota Management, and Digital Currency Group. Existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mosaic Ventures, Prudence Holdings, Virgin, and Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Group) also participated.

Since it was founded in 2011, Blockchain has amassed millions of active users from across the globe, formed partnerships in 34 countries, and has built an API platform used by large fintech companies. The company anticipates the new funds will help it deliver its mission to “create an open, accessible, and fair financial future for billions across the globe, one piece of software at a time”

Blockchain presented at FinDEVr 2014, when the company was hosting 2 million wallets on its platform. Today, the company boasts 14 million wallets. Blockchain differentiates itself from competitor wallet Coinbase because, unlike Coinbase, it does not host cryptocurrency exchanges on its site. Instead, Blockchain has set up partnerships with exchanges so that it cannot see users’ transactions or balance amount.

Earlier this year, Blockchain partnered with Imperial College London to launch the Digital Asset Research Lab, an environment that supports research and activities related to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. Late last year, the company announced plans to add a buying option to its wallet.

SumUp Goes Beyond mPOS with New Online Payments Suite

SumUp Goes Beyond mPOS with New Online Payments Suite

Payments company SumUp is announcing new payment functionalities today. The U.K.-based company has extended its flagship mPOS service beyond payment cards and the point-of-sale (POS).

The new payment suite offers three new solutions:

  • The SMS feature enables merchants to accept payments made via SMS. The merchant enters the amount due in the SumUp app, which sends the customer an SMS text with a link to a basic online form to enter their payment credentials. There is no card reader required.
  • The Virtual Terminal enables ecommerce merchants to accept card-not-present transactions online.
  • The APIs and SDKs enable merchants to accept online payments via a SumUp integration in their ecommerce shop, and even leverage card-on-file information for recurring billing.

Marc-Alexander Christ, co-founder of SumUp, said that the new avenues open up market opportunities for merchants. “The ultimate challenge for businesses is to find a convenient solution for cross-channel payment acceptance. Traditional offerings focus either on online or offline payments – limited to one or few markets. Through our Omnichannel Payment Suite, we offer simple and secure access to all payment types under one roof,” Christ said.

SumUp works in 16 markets, including in Brazil, the U.S., and all of Europe. Earlier this month, the company appointed Ryan O’Connor as U.S. Managing Director. Last fall, the company launched its Air Register, an all-in-one payment terminal configuration that accepts chip & PIN, magstripe, and contactless payments, and comes with a thermal receipt printer. SumUp demonstrated its mPOS system at FinovateEurope 2013 in London.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • SumUp Goes Beyond mPOS with New Online Payments Suite.
  • Hot Takes! Fierce Debate! Finovate Presents the Battle of the Fintech Analysts.

Around the web

  • Ixaris appoints WorldPay co-founder and former Skrill/Paysafe Group CEO David Sear as Chairman
  • Leumi Card to use Feedzai’s Artificial Intelligence platform to fight fraud.
  • PYMNTS takes a look at Modo’s COIN technology.
  • iSignthis deploys its Payidentity service to Borgun.

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 Venmo Goes Head-to-Head with Zelle, Square Cash, and… Amazon

PayPal’s Venmo Goes Head-to-Head with Zelle, Square Cash, and… Amazon

PayPal EVP and COO Bill Ready recently reminisced how, in 1998, the company launched its first product, one that allowed users to beam money from one Palm Pilot to another. While the hardware has changed, the “beaming money” idea remains the same. In this race to real-time payments, the San Jose-based company announced this week that it has leveraged the partnerships it formed last year with Visa and Mastercard to offer users faster payments.

The new service will allow PayPal and Venmo users to send funds in minutes instead of the two-to-three day timeframe that is typical with most ACH transfers. Expediting funds will come at a cost, however. Users can expect to pay $0.25 per transaction if they want to send funds in real-time (or up to 30 minutes in some cases). The functionality is already available for select PayPal users and will be available for all U.S. PayPal users with eligible Visa and Mastercard debit cards “over the coming weeks and months” and available to Venmo users later this summer.

Zelle

When compared to Zelle, which runs on its former namesake, the clearXchange network, PayPal’s instant payment option is certainly more expensive than Zelle’s free option. PayPal’s advantage over Zelle is that it offers a standalone mobile and web app, while Zelle– as a bank-owned payments app– is more confined. While there are rumors Zelle plans to launch a standalone app, for now it must be hosted within a bank’s website or mobile app. It is worth noting, however, that PayPal’s model isn’t the same as Zelle’s, which is strictly a payment rails network among a group of banks.

Square Cash

Because of this, it is more fitting to compare PayPal’s offering to Square cash, which offers P2P money transfers and holds a user’s balance until they “cash out” or transfer it back into their checking account. Square also offers an instant money transfer feature, for which it charges a one percent fee.

Amazon

It is also worth watching Amazon in this space. The online retail giant made a move earlier this month to encourage its Prime members to hold a balance in their prepaid Amazon account by offering 2 percent cash back on purchases using their Amazon account balance. Similar to PayPal and Square Cash, Amazon does not pay interest on users’ balances, and thus stands to profit from the cash (which, by the way, cannot be transferred back to a user’s account– it must be used on an Amazon purchase). Of course, Amazon’s balance option is just a glorified gift card (for now). However, if enough users are compelled by the 2% cash back offer, we can expect to see the online retailer debut more banking features, stepping on banks’ toes and into territory PayPal has held for almost 20 years.

PayPal’s Braintree recently presented at FinDEVr New York 2016. The company also showcased its Instant Account Creation feature at FinovateFall 2012. Mastercard and Visa both presented at the first FinDEVr, held in San Francisco in 2014, where Mastercard showed off its Developer Zone and Visa demonstrated its API-less web integration and SDK web integration.

FinovateFall Doubles Down with New Four-Day Format

FinovateFall Doubles Down with New Four-Day Format

For the past 10 years, Finovate has showcased demo-only content over the course of two days in a single-track session for the entire audience. At FinovateFall later this year, that’s all about to change.

FinovateFall: Double Down

We’ve doubled the conference to four days of content– the first two days September 11 and 12 will be Finovate’s signature demo-only format, while the remainder of the show September 13 and 14 will feature discussions about the technology demoed on stage, as well as host keynotes from high-profile industry representatives, analyst battle sessions, summit panels, and discussions covering a range of relevant fintech issues.

Taking a look at what’s new

Over the course of the next few months, we’ll take a closer look at the new elements of FinovateFall. The blog will get up close and personal with panelists, preview current events in each of the six summit topics, announce keynote speakers, and of course, give a sneak peek of what the demoing companies will unveil on stage in Finovate’s signature demo format on days one and two.

But wait, there’s more! We’ve redesigned the event web page to offer a critical look at the agenda well before the show debuts on September 11 through 14. The best part is, you can save $400 on your ticket if you book it by the July 7.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • FutureVault Partners with BlueRock Wealth Management.

Around the web

  • Fiserv to enhance digital banking strategy for Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union.
  • American Banker profiles Ripple’s strategy to partner with– and compete with — banks.
  • U.S. News profiles PayNearMe as a tool to help consumers shop online without a credit card
  • Revolut launches business accounts in U.K. and Europe to complete with Transferwise
  • FICO launches new fraud solution to identify the source of compromised cards faster

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.

SwipeStox Parent Company Announces IPO

SwipeStox Parent Company Announces IPO

Germany-based SwipeStox announced today that its parent company, The NAGA Group (NAGA), is planning an IPO on the Frankfurt stock exchange. The German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, BaFin, approved the listing, which is planned for July 10, 2017.

NAGA will offer up to one million new registered shares until June  29 2017 for private and institutional investors in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Spain. Shares are priced at $2.93 (€2.60). Discount shares of $2.79 (€2.47) are available on the SwipeStox app and NAGA website for subscribers who hold a Real Money Account at the broker Hanseatic Brokerhouse Global Marktes Ltd (HBGM).

The purpose of the IPO, as the company describes in the press release is “aimed at improving the company’s profile and developing its equity – including as a currency for further expansion.” Gross revenues of up to $2.93 million (€2.6 million) will be used to further software and business development and to bolster marketing to attract more users to the SwipeStox app.

Founded in 2015, NAGA has raised a total of $14.5 million. The company has six offices across three European countries and plans to open locations in Shanghai and New York to support potential partners in the American and Asian markets. SwipeStox, the social network for stock trading, stands out as one of NAGA’s most successful projects. SwipeStox launched in 2016. Nine months after going live the startup’s global user base had already traded more than $21 billion over the platform.

Benjamin Bilski, along with Managing Director & Co-Founder, Wladimir Huber, showed off the SwipeStox platform at FinovateSpring 2016. At FinovateEurope 2016 in London, SwipeStox took home a Best of Show award for the debut of its platform. Earlier this year, the company closed a $13 million funding round led by Chinese investment group FOSUN, which is committed to helping NAGA expand SwipeStox in the Asia Pacific region. In 2016, the company launched a web trading platform and took home honors at Wolves Summit 2016  where it won $100,000 for business development.

SwipeStox is just the beginning for NAGA. The company is working on a new project, Switex, which focuses on trading virtual objects in online gaming (in-game items). Additionally, NAGA plans to launch two new fintech companies in early 2018.

Trusona Raises $10 Million to Fuel #NoPasswords Revolution

Trusona Raises $10 Million to Fuel #NoPasswords Revolution

Identity authentication company Trusona landed $10 million in funding this week. Microsoft’s venture capital arm led the round. Existing investor Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers also participated, bringing the Arizona-based company’s total funding to $18 million.

Founded in 2015, Trusona provides an insured cloud identity suite that offers everyday logins for SWIFT wires, DTC stock transfers, critical infrastructure logins, high net-worth individual accounts, and more. The company will use today’s funding to double its workforce and generate more demand for its identity application suite that comes in three different versions. The most basic of which, Essential, allows users to log into a website by scanning their fingerprint or entering a PIN on their mobile device. The Executive version is designed to replace OTP tokens, requiring 3-factors of authentication upon login. Businesses may also select the Elite level for identity verification to access sensitive assets or initiate high-dollar wire transfers. This version delivers four-factor authentication and includes insurance.

Trusona’s CEO and founder, Ori Eisen, demonstrated the company’s Cloud Identity Suite at FinovateFall 2016. The platform is so fast and frictionless that Eisen was able to show off the user experience seven times during the seven minute demo. To authenticate themselves, clients use the Trusona app on their smartphone to photograph a QR code on a website login page, then select accept on their mobile device.

The company also provides a free WordPress plugin and earlier this spring launched an offering for Salesforce users. In April, Trusona appointed Karen Dayan as Chief Marketing Officer and earlier this year won Info Security PG’s Global Excellence Award.

FinDEVr APIntelligence

Our first developers conference in the U.K. was a huge success! Stay tuned on the blog to see what you missed at FinDEVr 2017 London this week. We’ll post photos, videos, and Twitter updates.

On FinDEVr.com

  • FinDEVr London: Tech Talk at the Tobacco Dock
  • FinDEVr London 2017: Welcome to Day One.
  • FinDEVr London 2017: Welcome to Day Two.

Alumni updates

  • Surety Bank taps NYMBUS SmartCore for a Digital-First approach.
  • Fiserv to Acquire Monitise for $89 Million.
  • DefenseStorm hires Steve Soukup as Chief Revenue Officer.
  • PayNearMe facilitates $1.6M in child support payments for the state of Michigan.
  • Fiserv leverages robo-advisory and automation technology from fellow Finovate alum Trizic to enhance its wealth management solutions.
  • Stratumn Lands $7.8 Million, Forms Strategic Partnership with NASDAQ.
  • Mastercard launches comprehensive digital payment solution for small and midsized businesses.

Stay current on daily news from the fintech developer community! Follow FinDEVr on Twitter.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • SwipeStox Parent Company Announces IPO.

Around the web

  • Ghana-based Premium Bank selects NetGuardians’ anti-fraud solution – FraudGuardian.
  • CSI globalVCard partners with AmTrav Corporate Travel Management.
  • Paducah Bank’s insurance agency, powered by Insuritas, set a record: 58% of the customers that asked for an auto, home or business quote bought a policy.
  • Form3 partners with Icon Solutions to leverage Instant Payments Framework for SEPA Instant Payments.
  • Surety Bank taps NYMBUS SmartCore for a Digital-First approach.

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.

CrowdFlower Raises $20 Million to Bloom AI Adoption

CrowdFlower Raises $20 Million to Bloom AI Adoption

AI data enrichment platform, CrowdFlower, has pulled in $20 million in funding today. This is the California-based company’s sixth round of funding since it was founded in 2009 and brings its total raised to $58 million.

Leading today’s round is Industry Ventures. A new investor, Salesforce Ventures, is also participating along with existing investors Canvas Ventures, Microsoft Ventures and Trinity Ventures. CrowdFlower will use the funding to expand the functionality of its platform, integrate with other machine learning technologies, and hire new talent. The company’s CEO, Robin Bordoli, said, “With this funding, we can accelerate our reach and help data science and machine learning teams everywhere produce the training data they need within the scale, cost and quality parameters that matter to them.”

CrowdFlower creates human-in-the-loop technology that offers quality control for data scientists. The company leverages an on-demand workforce to collect, label, and clean data that requires human intelligence. According to Bordoli, we are just starting to scratch the surface of AI. He described AI apps for the enterprise as being “at the beginning of a Cambrian explosion” and said that the bottleneck for mass adoption of machine learning is “the availability of high quality training data and human-in-the-loop workflows to handle the failure states of the algorithm.” Bordoli went on to explain that an algorithm without human input is like “a rocket ship with a large engine but no fuel and no navigation system.”

CrowdFlower’s Tatiana Josephy (VP Product) and Seth Teicher (Head of Content & Business Development) at FinovateFall 2014

At FinovateFall 2014, CrowdFlower won Best of Show in a demo that showed how the on-demand workforce uses its platform to collect, clean, and label financial transaction data. Last month, the company launched a set of dedicated tools for computer vision to enhance its Pixel Labeling Tool.