Women on the Finovate Stage

Women on the Finovate Stage

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There are plenty of things about fintech worth celebrating, but today, in honor of International Women’s Day, we’re giving three cheers to the women in fintech!

We’re taking a special look at our most recent show, FinovateEurope, where 23% of the presenting companies were represented by a woman on stage. That’s a 50% increase from 2015, where 15% of the companies had female speakers, and a huge leap from our first event in 2007 with zero (see note 1).

So here’s to progress. And here’s to the women of FinovateEurope:

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Hali Khan, Director, Business Development

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

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Paulina Powązka, Sr. Business Solutions Consultant

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Eszter Vass, Sr. Product Strategy & Presales Consultant

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Reanta Stein, Business Development Director

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Diana Winstanley, Business Developer

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Tinna Hung, Director, Marketing

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Angelique Mohring, CEO & Founder

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Janice Diner, CEO, Founding Partner

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Mariona Campmany, CMO

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Patricia Soares, Business Developer

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Sarah Clark, General Manager, Identity

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Trisha Price, EVP, Product Development & Engineering

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Iveta Brūvele, CEO, and Elīna Rasmane, COO

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Märta Viberg, Head of Product & Consumer Risk

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Michelle Pearce, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Vanessa Gatihi, Global Head, Customer Success

FinovateEurope 2017 demo

 

 

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Editor’s Note: While sadly it’s true that no women were on stage during the 20 demos of the first Finovate. One company, iPay Technologies, was founded by Dana Bowers, but she chose not to speak that day. And Finovate might not even exist if it wasn’t for Melanie Flanagan, then Marketing Manager at Yodlee (also co-founded by a woman), who was the first person to agree to demo. Finally, Susan Hawkins, then SVP at Metavante, was instrumental in getting both her company and Monitise on stage. So there you have it, woman called the shots for at least 20% of Finovate v1.0’s content, even if they ended up delegating the on-stage pitching to men. Thanks Melanie, Dana and Susan! — Jim Bruene, Founder

FinDEVr APIntelligence

FDNY17-Logo-RevFinDEVr New York will be here in just two short weeks! Check out company features and take a look at the previews from upcoming presentations. And of course, don’t forget to register today to save!

On FinDEVr.com

  • Envestnet | Yodlee Launches Suite of Risk Reporting Tools.
  • PwC Brings Blockchain PoC to London’s Specialty Insurers
  • Shwayhat Steps Up: GreenKey Technologies Announces New CEO
  • Scotiabank and AlphaPoint Wrap Up Blockchain Trial
  • Check out these previews from upcoming FinDEVr New York presentations:

Alumni updates

  • BBVA Compass adds cash-back incentive to stimulate interest in mobile banking app.
  • OutsideIQ teams up with Genpact to bring better risk management, KYC, and AML compliance solutions to banks.
  • Bluefin Payment Systems joins forces with The Pinnacle Corporation, bringing point-to-point encryption (P2PE to the latter’s Palm POS platform.
  • Top 10 global bank deploys mobile capture technology from Kofax.
  • IBM forges strategic partnership with Salesforce, connecting AI platforms IBM Watson and Salesforce Einstein.
  • Arxan Application Protection named Best IoT product at the 2017 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.
  • Kontomatik nominated at the Dutch FinTech Awards 2017.
  • Mambu goes live in the Americas with new offices in Miami and new regional managing director.
  • PayPal partners with Oro ecommerce platform.
  • UK food retailer, The Co-operative Group chooses ACI Worldwide to run wallet service.
  • Palestine’s The National Bank deploys core banking technology from Temenos.
  • Dallas News features Bruce Parker, founder and CEO of ModoPayments.

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

FinDEVr Preview: SaleMove

FinDEVr Preview: SaleMove

FinDEVr PreviewsFDNY17-Logo-Rev highlight companies presenting new developer tools, platforms, and integrations at FinDEVr New York 2017, March 21 & 22. Tickets are on sale now. Visit our registration page and save your spot today.

SaleMove will be demonstrating its new SDK, which will allow companies to leverage the SaleMove Communication Platform in a greater number of ways, including more customizable implementations.

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Why it’s a must-see:

The company will demonstrate the ease at which developers can add SaleMove’s full communication platform to their company’s website.


Check out more previews of upcoming FinDEVr New York 2017 presentations and don’t forget to register before it’s too late.

Qapital Raises $12 Million, Adds Debit Card Functionality

Qapital Raises $12 Million, Adds Debit Card Functionality

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Personal finance app Qapital pulled in some capital of its own today– $12 million worth, to be exact. This Series A investment brings the Sweden-based company’s total funding to $23 million.

Notable investors in today’s round include Industrifonden, Northzone, Rocketship VC and Anthemis Exponential Ventures, among others. Qapital has lofty goals for the new funds, planning to “strengthen [its] platform and lay the groundwork for continued reinvention in the financial services sector.”

Getting a head start on “strengthening the platform,” Qapital is launching debit accounts and payments capability. The addition of these features marks a pivot in Qapital’s strategy from a savings-only app into more of a traditional banking services provider. Offering debit card functionality will not only drive users to the app, it will also lead to a new revenue stream from interchange fees.

Qapital’s goal-focused platform uses behavioral economics to turn consumers’ everyday actions into positive financial habits. The company’s founders George Friedman and Erik Akterin plan to “rewrite the rules of retail banking” by helping millennials “translate money into happiness.” In the three years since it launched, 180,000 users have opened and funded savings accounts on the Qapital platform. The company is adding 10,000 new accounts per week.

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George Friedman (CEO & Founder) and Henrik Wrangel (Chief Product Officer) demo Qapital at FinovateSpring 2014

Pär-Jörgen Pärson, New York-based Partner at Northzone said in the press release, “The fantastic user engagement speaks for itself: the team has built a product that customers really love and the app is consistently rated one of the best personal finance apps in the industry. With millennials looking for banking solutions that put user experience first, we are excited about what the future holds.”

The company debuted Qapital for iPhone at FinovateSpring 2014 and launched on Android about a year ago. Earlier this year, Qapital was listed by PC Magazine as one of the best mobile finance apps of 2017.

FinDEVr Preview: Teneo & Riverbed Technology

FinDEVr Preview: Teneo & Riverbed Technology

FDNY17-Logo-RevFinDEVr Previews highlight companies presenting new developer tools, platforms, and integrations at FinDEVr New York 2017, March 21 & 22. Tickets are on sale now. Visit our registration page and save your spot today.

Teneo, in partnership with Riverbed Technology, will present holistic application performance monitoring for the modern financial services enterprise.

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Why it’s a must-see:

See how performance visibility can be enhanced and coordinated across the application life cycle from development, quality assurance, to production.


Check out more previews of upcoming FinDEVr New York 2017 presentations and don’t forget to register before it’s too late.

FinDEVr Preview: ChartIQ

FinDEVr Preview: ChartIQ

FinDEVr PreviewsFDNY17-Logo-Rev highlight companies presenting new developer tools, platforms, and integrations at FinDEVr New York 2017, March 21 & 22. Tickets are on sale now. Visit our registration page and save your spot today.

ChartIQ will present Finsemble, an Openfin Application Framework that provides infrastructure, services and components for quickly building multi-window financial desktop applications. This presentation will describe the process of building these apps in Finsemble, outline the key problems addressed, and conclude with a quick coding demonstration.

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Why it’s a must-see:

ChartIQ will show how quick and easy it is to build a functioning multi-window financial desktop application in minutes with Finsemble.


Check out more previews of upcoming FinDEVr New York 2017 presentations and don’t forget to register before it’s too late.

Dwolla Launches Same-Day Bank Transfers

Dwolla Launches Same-Day Bank Transfers

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Bank access API provider and money transfer system, Dwolla, launched same-day ACH transfers today. This new development allows businesses to deliver money to a client on the same day they initiated the transfer. The same-day ACH capability is much faster compared to the industry standard wait time of two-to-four business days.

In the press release, Dwolla CEO and founder Ben Milne said, “Whether it’s making emergency payouts, improving customer satisfaction through faster refunds, or allowing partners to capture float or vendor discounts, the addition of Same Day ACH to Dwolla’s Access API provides our partners with another competitive advantage for them to own and apply as they see fit.”

Dwolla’s new same-day ACH transfer capability benefits not only the customer experience, but it also complies with upcoming regulations. NACHA, the administrator of ACH, issued new rules last year regulating the sending and receiving of money over ACH rails. Starting September 15, 2017, all banks must be able to receive and process same-day debits and credits.

Founded in 2008, Dwolla set out to make sending money faster and less expensive. The company launched a consumer-facing money transfer product in 2010 and has since phased out of the consumer market to focus on its business offerings. The first product, Access API, helps developers connect their app to the banking ecosystem. Transfer, the second product, helps businesses send and receive bank transfers using a straightforward platform.

Earlier this year, Dwolla closed on $6.85 million in funding, bringing its total raised to just over $39 million. The company last presented at FinovateSpring 2015.

Envestnet | Yodlee Launches Suite of Risk Reporting Tools

Envestnet | Yodlee Launches Suite of Risk Reporting Tools

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Data aggregation and analytics platform Envestnet | Yodlee launched a Risk Insight Suite today. The collection of reporting tools are aimed to help lenders bolster information gained from traditional credit reports by leveraging consumer financial data.

Using a co-brandable experience, the reports pull information directly from a prospective borrower’s banks to offer lenders an up-to-date picture of the borrower’s assets, income, and expenses. This detailed level of account information helps lenders with underwriting, origination, pre-qualification, and account review. The system leverages machine learning, along with a risk-based engine to simplify the review process and highlight any issues that may indicate a riskier borrower.

In the press release, Terry McKeown, Practice Manager, Credit Analytics at Envestnet | Yodlee said, “By using consumer permissioned financial data, lenders can obtain a complete financial picture of a borrower. This is especially true for credit invisible consumers who have no credit file or cannot be scored with traditional models, and for subprime consumers whose transactional data can help lenders make more accurate assessments of risk.”

Along with providing more valuable metrics for the lender, the Risk Insight Suite creates a smoother user experience for the end client. Because Envestnet | Yodlee pulls all necessary information directly from the user’s bank, there is no need for the client to supply paper bank statements and tax returns.

This is similar to the company’s Mortgage Asset Verification product launched in December of last year. In comparison, that offering is exclusive to mortgage borrowers, while the Risk Insight Suite of reporting tools caters to a larger audience. Envestnet | Yodlee most recently demoed at FinovateFall 2016 and at FinDEVr Silicon Valley 2016 where Deviprasad Kocherry, director of platform and product management, and Deven Maru, senior product manager of mobile platform, presented on fast integration using the company’s APIs. Since acquiring Yodlee in August 2015 for $660 million, Envestnet | Yodlee has built out its Advisor Now solution and landed a partnership with Morgan Stanley’s wealth management arm.

LikeFolio Begins Licensing Brand-Mapping Database

LikeFolio Begins Licensing Brand-Mapping Database

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Likefolio, a website that uses social media connections to introduce investing concepts, recently began licensing its Brand Mapping Database. The database, which maps every publicly-owned brand and product, is aimed to help investors and financial research firms discover new insights.

The Brand Mapping Database is more powerful than ticker symbol searches since it analyzes unstructured content, such as positive and negative sentiment on Twitter. The database can also pull data from sites such as Reddit, Facebook and LexisNexis. As Likefolio founder Andy Swan describes it, the Brand Mapping Database informs investors “what consumers are doing on Main Street before it hits Wall Street.”

The licensed version of the Brand Mapping Database will deliver insights into firms’ existing data feeds and will be available to institutional investors, hedge funds, and quant analysts. Additionally, the company is working on deals with a few undisclosed financial app companies.

Swan debuted the LikeFolio platform along with TD Ameritrade’s Managing Director of Active Trading, Nicole Sherrod, at FinovateSpring 2014. Since then, the company took home a win at the Benzinga Fintech Awards and analyzed stocks based on the social buzz around brands’ 2017 Super Bowl commercials.

LendUp Lands $100 Million Credit Facility

LendUp Lands $100 Million Credit Facility

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Payday loan alternative startup, LendUp, announced this week it has received a $100 million credit facility. The financing comes from the company’s long-time partner, Victory Park Capital, and will be used to fund future loan growth. The San Francisco-based startup’s combined debt and equity now totals $325 million.

In addition to the financing news, LendUp also surpassed $1 billion across 3.3 million loan originations since launching in 2012. Sasha Orloff, LendUp CEO and co-founder said, “This is an important milestone for LendUp because it proves the viability and sustainability of the market opportunity for socially responsible lending.”

The company’s team of 200+ aims to help consumers rejected by banks find a safe alternative to payday lenders. LendUp’s flagship products include LendUp Loans, a short-term loan that lets users borrow up to $250 for 30 days; and LCard, a credit card made for those who struggle with credit. In 2016, these products helped borrowers save $55+ million in interest and fees (up from $16 million in 2015). LendUp also offers educational materials, such as free online courses, to give cardholders the information they need to make decisions about their financial future. These videos have been viewed more than 1.2 million times.

CEO Sasha Orloff debuted the company’s API at FinovateSpring 2014. The API exposes LendUp’s core to allow partners to leverage its platform. The company won Best of Show at FinovateSpring 2013 for debuting its product that helps the underbanked build credit. In October of last year, H2Ventures and KPMG placed LendUp in the Leading 50 category of its Fintech 100 list.

Lendio Brings the Franchising Model to Small Business Lending

Lendio Brings the Franchising Model to Small Business Lending

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Lendio has expanded its approach to client acquisition this week by offering franchising opportunities. This boots-on-the-ground approach supports the company’s vision of helping small business owners achieve the American Dream.

Brock Blake, CEO and founder of Lendio said, “With 80 percent of small business loan applications being rejected by traditional banks, now more than ever, small business owners need access to various sources of funding. Having a local presence will help bridge the awareness and trust gap for small business owners, helping borrowers position themselves and their companies for a great future.”

Franchise owners will work with local small business owners in their community to support their needs for working capital. The Salt Lake City-based company will support franchisees by giving them access to Lendio’s marketplace and technology, training, marketing tools, national advertising, and partnerships. Franchise owners will also receive coaching from Lendio’s franchise support team, who will guide them through the process. The company currently has franchisees in five territories, with “significant interest” in many others.

Lendio’s Ben Davis, chief franchising officer said, “Lendio franchisees bring a wealth of knowledge about local businesses and their capital requirements” to “Lendio’s already powerful online marketplace.” Davis continued, “They are connected to their communities and uniquely driven to build great neighborhoods and strong local economies.”

Founded in 2006, Lendio debuted at FinovateSpring 2011. The company, which has raised a total of $31 million, works on behalf of small business borrowers to match them with the right loan, helping the 75 lenders on its platform reach qualified borrowers. Last month, Lendio announced record results for Q4 of 2016 after seeing an 87% annual increase of loans originated through its platform. By the close of 2016, the company had facilitated $240+ million in loans over the course of the year.

Scotiabank and AlphaPoint Wrap Up Blockchain Trial

Scotiabank and AlphaPoint Wrap Up Blockchain Trial

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Blockchain technology infrastructure platform AlphaPoint has finished a successful trial with Scotiabank. The Toronto-based bank tested its internal system with a range of use cases for AlphaPoint’s Distributed Ledger Platform.

The AlphaPoint platform lets banks digitize financial instruments, creating trading venues for blockchain assets, while managing workflows integrated with the bank’s existing infrastructure. Scotiabank tested the platform for multiple months by submitting trade reports to the platform, which ran simultaneously on Microsoft’s Azure cloud and AlphaPoint hardware. The blockchain network converted FIXML messages into smart contracts in real time, establishing a single, permanent record across the network.

“Distributed ledger technology enables institutions to rethink how data flows within their organizations,” stated Joe Ventura, Founder & CEO of AlphaPoint. “Partnering with Scotiabank is an amazing experience – their team is leading the charge by proving out pragmatic, near-term implementations of this revolutionary technology.”

Bitcoin Magazine asked Igor Telyatnikov, president and COO of AlphaPoint, if there were plans to further develop this project. Telyatnikov responded that he could not comment on next steps, but, “he did however indicate that AlphaPoint is planning to reveal some additional news in the near future.”

Founded in 2013, AlphaPoint debuted its digital currency exchange platform at FinovateEurope 2015. Earlier this year, the company appointed former Deutsche Bank director, Scott Scalf, as Vice President. In October 2016, AlphaPoint unveiled StreamCore, a new solution to help banks manage and interact with blockchain data.