Balance Financial Launches Portfolio Reporting, Adds 2 Board Members

Thumbnail image for Balance FinancialLogo9.2.11.jpg

Balance Financial, a software suite for financial professionals, launched a solution called Portfolio Reporting today.

The new solution serves as a one-stop-shop for financial advisors, family offices, and CPAs to track and review their clients’ financial holdings.

Below is a description from Balance’s website:

<style="text-align: center;">

BalPortfolioReporting.jpg

In unrelated news, GeekWire shared that Stephan Roche (bio), CMO of Memory Lane, and and Will Kessinger (bio), co-founder of Vformation, have been added to Balance’s board of directors.

To learn more about Balance Financial, watch its FinovateFall 2011 demo.

OpenCuro’s Payment Module Now Available for Zen Cart

OpenCuroLogo.jpg

Secure payments startup, OpenCuro announced today that its payment module will be available in Zen Cart’s open source shopping cart.

The payment module is free and can be integrated with OpenCuro’s API. Merchants that already use Zen Cart can begin accepting payments on their checkout site via PaymentMethod.jpgOpenCuro in minutes.

The module can be installed on the OpenCuro or Zen Cart website and requires no IT or programming skills. 

To learn more about OpenCuro, watch its FinovateSpring 2012 demo.

OpenCuroandZen.jpg

Finovate Alumni News– April 17, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgQ2ebanking partners with cybercrime prevention company, Trusteer.
  • Kasasa’s Tunes program pulls in Gen-Y checking customers.
  • DR Power Equipment, partners with Bazaarvoice to manage consumer ratings and reviews. Come see Bazaarvoice at FinovateSpring.
  • Check Point Software announces Check Point ThreatCloud, a collaborative network to fight cybercrime.
  • Plastyc announces you can now add minutes to friends’ & family members’ phones abroad in 85 countries.
  • Holtmeyer & Monson partners with ProfitStars.
  • Bank Technology News reports Fiserv names Ally financial executive as CIO.
  • ABC 7 San Fran covers BillGuard. Come see its live demo at Finovate Spring in San Fran May 8 & 9.
  • GigaOM looks at how Braintree powers payments for hot startups.
  • OpenCuro’s payment module now available for Zen Cart.
  • Balance Financial launches Portfolio Reporting, adds 2 board members.
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.

Kasasa’s Tunes Program Pulls in Gen-Y Checking Customers

Kasasa.jpg

Yesterday, the Washington Post covered how BancVue’s Kasasa helped a credit union attract Gen-Y customers.

Money One FCU is using Kasasa’s Tunes program that allows members to choose iTunes downloads over interest (3.01%).

Of the credit union’s 12,400 members, 50 have opted into the Tunes program, while 900 chose to reap the 3.01% interest.

The program doesn’t have any fees, but members must meet two stipulations in order to benefit from it:

1) Use their debit card at least 10 times per month

2) Sign up for online banking

The credit union’s president and CEO, Debbie Connors, discloses that the number of new checking accounts has increased by 4 times in the past few months.

To learn more about Kasasa and BancVue, watch Kasasa’s Finovate 2009 demo and BancVue’s FinovateFall 2011 demo.

KasasaTunes.jpg

Q2ebanking Partners with Cybercrime Prevention Company, Trusteer

Thumbnail image for Q2ebankingLogo.jpg

Q2ebanking, an ebanking solutions company, announced a partnership this morning with Trusteer, a cybercrime prevention solution company.

The partnership integrates Trusteer’s solutions into Q2ebanking’s products and will allow financial institutions to leverage Trusteer’s fraud protection solution to:

TrusteerLogo3.jpg

    • Prevent financial malware 
    • Secure browsers against data theft
    • Provide automated remediation

The Trusteer products are pre-integrated with Q2ebanking’s solutions in order to shorten implementation time for financial institutions.

To learn more about Q2ebanking, watch its FinovateSpring 2011 demo.

Finovate Alumni News– April 16, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgDes Moines Register reports Dwolla to establish small New York City satellite office.
  • Armada Data Solutions adds Check Point Software Technologies’ firewall services to security practice.
  • TSYS signs payment services agreement with Pivotal Payments.
  • AOL UK lists CurrencyFair as 1 of 5 ways to transfer money abroad.
  • The Washington Post lists Expensify as an app that can make life at work a bit easier. Come see their new tech at FinovateSpring.
  • Blaze Mobile awarded another patent for NFC payments. See its live demo at FinovateSpring.
  • Credit Union Times looks at Filene-backed SaveUp. Come see its live demo at FinovateSpring.
  • Chicago Sun-Times highlights Authentify’s technology.
  • The Wall Street Journal discusses P2P lending networks Prosper & Lending Club.
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.

Social Money Announces Partnership with ICICI Bank in India

SocialMoneyLogo.jpg

Des Moines-based Social Money, the creator of GoalSaver technology and owner of SmartyPig, announced a partnership with ICICI Bank in India yesterday.

The 2,700-branch bank will have access to Social Money’s GoalSaver product (pictured right). While the bank has not yet disclosed how it will use the product, Bank Innovation shares an inside scoop:

Goals.jpg

“Broadly, GoalSaver hopes to enliven checking accounts with social networking features and a better user interface. The product boasts a goal feature, for example, which lets a customer share his goal savings progress with his networks on Facebook and Twitter, if he wishes.”

ICICI Bank, located in 20 countries, plays a large role in Social Money’s international strategy. It will launch the product later this year. 

ICICIBank.jpg

To learn more about Social Money, come to FinovateSpring and watch its live demo. To learn more about SmartyPig, watch its FinovateFall 2010 demo.

U.S. Bank Now Offers FreeMonee to Cardholders

Thumbnail image for FreeMoneeLogo.jpgLast month, we blogged about a FreeMonee FAQ page for U.S. Bank that hinted at a partnership. Today the bank partnered with the national gift network, making this official. 

USBankLogo.jpg

Now, the cash incentives are available for U.S. Bank cardholders to take advantage of the deals (from $2 to $50) provided by the merchant network. 
Here’s how it works:
“The FreeMonee Gifts are targeted to ensure they are relevant and valuable to customers. Cardholders redeem their gift by simply using their U.S. Bank Check Card when they shop at the specific retail store, website or restaurant named in their gift message. Once the purchase is completed, U.S. Bank automatically credits the cardholder’s account with the specified gift amount.”

U.S. Bank is the first financial institution to offer FreeMonee. As Clifford Cook, CMO for U.S. Bank Retail Payment Solutions states, “U.S. Bank is continually looking for ways to reward our loyal cardholders.”

The bank has not yet made the technology available to its consumers and has not announced when it will do so.
To learn more about FreeMonee, watch its FinovateFal 2011 demo

Finovate Alumni News– April 13, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgAdvisors4Advisors describes inStream Solutions as the future of professional wealth management software.
  • Bank Technology News highlights tech startups Dwolla, T8 Webware, and SmartyPig in the silicon prairie.
  • Main St looks at how TIO Networks helps the underbanked consumer.
  • HSBC UK introduces Fast Balance app from Monitise.
  • U.S. Bank now offers FreeMonee to cardholders.
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– April 12, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgDwolla redesigns dashboard page, reveals celebrity investor.
  • Intuit opens driving range in downtown Seattle for 1 day to promote its GoPayment technology.
  • mFoundry launches mobile banking solution for Conestoga Bank.
  • Utilities Employees CU signs a contract with Jwaala to enhance its online services and offer mobile banking.
  • eDeposit appoints Robert R. Craig as CEO. Come see its live demo at FinovateSpring May 8 and 9 in San Francisco.
  • Former Morgan Stanley CEO, John Mack, joins Lending Club’s board of directors.
  • NY Times Bucks blog covers SimpleTuition’s SmarterBank.
  • Social Money announces partnership with ICICI Bank in India.
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.

Dwolla Redesigns Dashboard Page, Reveals Celebrity Investor

Thumbnail image for DwollaLogo.jpg

Alternative payments company, Dwolla has been covered quite a bit in the news lately. Here’s why:

First off, Silicon Prairie News reported that Dwolla rolled out a redesign of its user dashboard page on Sunday. There are no major changes, but the design is more user friendly and aesthetically pleasing. 

Here are the major changes:

1) Account balances are located at the top of the user’s dashboard page

2) Users send and request money using a text box below their photo
3) A text box in the middle of the page enables users to find contacts by entering their name, email address, or phone number

DwollaDashboardRedesign.jpg

4) There’s a new tab called Places (as seen below) that has a Foursquare application. There’s no identified use for this yet, but the text on the dashboard states, “We are currently in the process of building an awesome platform to help you find new places to use Dwolla!”

DwollaFSQ.jpg

5) During the registration process, users are immediately given 10 cents to send to five of their friends. Silicon Prairie explains how it works:

“Following a registration page, the first action a new user is encouraged to take is to send money, free money. ‘Search for someone and we’ll shoot them some cash on your behalf,’ Dwolla’s website says. Users have the ability to send 10 cents to an individual by entering an email address or phone number or connecting their Facebook account to send to a friend.”

The Iowa-based startup is also in the news for the confirmation of rumors that Ashton Kutcher invested in Dwolla’s recent Series B funding round. Kutcher, an Iowa native, broke the news on an episode of Prairie Cast yesterday. 

The Des Moines Register also covered the announcement and included 16 photos of Milne with Kutcher. Here’s Milne’s reaction of the experience:

MilneTweet.jpg

To learn more about Dwolla, watch its FinovateSpring 2011 demo and come to FinovateSpring May 8 and 9 to see Dwolla’s new technology that Milne refers to as, …”a 420-second demo of a first-of-its-kind technology.” Get your ticket here.

Finovate Alumni News– April 11, 2012

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg

  • Bazaarvoice appoints Kelly Connery as GM of brands in North America & Matthew Schatz as GM of retail & emerging markets.
  • SoMoLend wins first place prize in the University of Dayton’s 2011-12 Business Plan Competition. See it demo live at FinovateSpring.
  • Bank Technology News reports Intuit Buys M-Payments Co. AisleBuyer.
  • Over 100 institutional partners offer Currensee Trade Leaders Investment program to investors.
  • Expensify Lite iPhone app is now Expensify.
  • Mashable features Personal Capital. Come see its live demo at FinovateSpring.
  • Equifax launches ID protection & credit monitoring product for the family.
  • Ping Identity partners with Macnica Networks.
  • Kiplinger covers Betterment.
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.