AcceptEmail Launches an SMS Invoicing Service

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Email billing and payment solution, AcceptEmail, recently launched a text message-based invoicing service. With this new service, users can send payment requests to clients directly to their mobile phones. 
“The new feature to the existing service allows senders to simply convert an AcceptEmail into an AcceptSMS. A short URL sends the recipient via mobile internet to the secured AcceptEmail transaction page. From this landing page the payment can be done, choosing one of the many available payment methods. The outstanding amount is safely paid via credit card, debit card or online banking and soon also via mobile banking.”
AcceptEmail hopes this new way to pay will improve customer payment behavior through its user-friendly experience and, ultimately, reduce the number of outstanding bill collections.
To learn more about AcceptEmail, watch its FinovateEurope 2011 demo

Finovate Alumni Website Traffic in July

Each month we survey the Web-traffic performance of Finovate alums using data from Web-analytics company Compete
Out of 255 alumni, 59 (23%) had more than 10,000 unique U.S. visitors in July 2011 (see tables below). Of those, 19 (32%) had more visitors than in the previous month and 25 (42%) were flat. Year-over-year, 26 (44%) had an increase, 10 (17%) were flat, and 23 (39%) were down. 

Private Companies
Notable successes:
  • Seeking Alpha had the most traffic in July with more than 2 million unique visitors.
  • eToro saw the highest monthly growth percentage with 3 times the number of unique visitors in July compared to June.
  • Bundle had the highest increase in number of unique month-over-month visits, with 450,000 more visitors in July than in June.
  • eRollover had the highest percent year-over-year traffic increase, with 260,000 more visitors from last July. 
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Source: Compete.com retrieved week of August 15, 2011
1. The previous month recorded was May 2011
2. Sears Credit Score is powered by CreditKarma.com
3. Kasasa is powered by BancVue
Public Companies
Notable successes:
  • PayPal had the highest number of U.S. visitors in July, with more than 30 million visitors.
  • Jack Henry & Associates saw the highest monthly growth with twice as many visitors in July than June.
  • Wipro Technologies had the highest year-over-year growth, with 3 times as many visitors this year compared to last year.
  • FIS Global and Online Resources also doubled their traffic compared to last year. 
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Source: Compete.com retrieved the week of August 15, 2011
1. The previous month recorded was May 2011.
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Notes:
1. We reviewed 255 Finovate alumni. Only those with at least 10,000 unique visitors in July are listed. 
3. NM = Not measurable
4. Compete estimates online visitors based on the activity of a panel of more than 2 million U.S. Internet users. It is only an estimate of traffic and may undercount at-work usage.

Capital Access Network’s Risk Determination Method

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Working capital provider, Capital Access Network, was recently featured in American Banker for its Daily Remittance Platform that was revealed last October. This platform:
“Took the ‘overall most innovative’ category in Barlow Research Associates’ Monarch Innovation Awards, which recognizes financial industry innovation. One of the judges, Robert Seiwert of the American Bankers Association, says the concept takes valuable information that used to be considered the proprietary information of analytics firms and makes it available to any bank that wants to pay for it.” 
This innovative platform provides lenders with information on the risk level of borrowers by using a non-traditional method that shies away from credit scores, business plans and financial statements.
“What Capital Access has come up with is a third way,” Seiwert says. “Instead of waiting 30, 60, 90 days after a quarter is over to get the financial statements, we can get data daily and get into the heartbeat of a business to figure out how it’s doing.”
This transparency, along with the 13 years of information from previous funding, allows Capital Access Network to lend more confidently. This is especially helpful for borrowers in non-traditional businesses and more challenging industries. 
To see Capital Access Network’s Daily Remittance Platform in action, watch its demo from Finovate Europe 2011

BOKU Forms Direct Carrier Billing Agreement with Two French Mobile Carriers

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BOKU, a mobile payments startup, announced yesterday that it has launched direct payments agreements with two of France’s largest cell phone carriers, Bouygues Telecom and SFR. Combined, these two carriers account for 32 million French customers.
“These deals give BOKU nearly 100% coverage of the French mobile market, which is nearly 50 million mobile subscribers total. Bouygues Telecom and SFR are actually launching a new service, called Internet + Mobile, allowing consumers to purchase goods online and use BOKU to pay with their mobile phone number. BOKU says the purchase process only requires two-clicks and gives online merchants access to a full range of price points of up to 10 Euros.”
BOKU negotiates direct relationships with mobile carriers to mitigate transaction costs passed down to the consumer.
To learn more about BOKU, watch its FinovateEurope 2011 demo.

Mint.com Helps Users Keep Track of What’s Ahead with New Bill Timeline & Reminders

imageIt’s hard to believe that Mint turns four next month. It made its financial industry debut at our first Finovate conference (demo here, Oct. 2, 2007) after having launched to the general public a few weeks earlier.

With 5 million registered users, and public ownership (Intuit), it’s now “the establishment” that dozens of startups look to unseat.

Mint made a large stride forward this week with the addition of a bill-due-date timeline to its Overview page, the page that users land on after login (see inset and first screenshot below).

The company also expanded its text and email bill-due-date reminder system. A wizard launched from a promotion on Mint’s main page (screenshot 2, 3) prompts users to establish reminders for regular household bills.

Bottom line: Mint’s billing timeline is a good example of the forward-looking approach that’s much needed in online and mobile banking.

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A timeline of upcoming bills has been added to the Mint.com’s main Overview page (25 Aug. 2011)

A timeline of upcoming bills has been added to the Mint.com Overview page

Mint promotes the new feature with a huge interactive banner on the main  Overview page

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In this pop-up box, Mint gathers together likely bills and asks if you want a reminder

In this popup box, Mint gathers together likely bills and asks if you want a reminder

A timeline of upcoming bills has been added to the main overview page

A timeline of upcoming bills has been added to the Mint.com Overview page

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Note: For more on online personal financial management (OFM), see Online Banking Report (published May 2010).

FinovateFall 2011 Sneak Peek: Part 2

FInFallLogo.jpgMore than 60 leading fintech innovators, both startups and established companies, are gearing up to present at the biggest Finovate ever, Sept. 20/21 in NYC.

Each company provided a sneak peek of what they’ll be demoing on stage next month. Below is the second installment of these teasers (see part 1 here). We’ll have more next week. 
Don’t miss your chance to see the live demo from each company and meet the execs responsible. Get your FinovateFall ticket here
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Customers use different communication channels throughout the day and expect the same from their FI. But to reach and interact with the greatest number of customers – and deliver reward value to both institutions and their customers – banks and reward vendors alike must fully support the growing range of channels: online, mobile, social, e-mail and more, while providing requisite security and privacy for email communications featuring sensitive data. 
Cardlytics & ActivePath combine powerful technology to personalize reward offers based on transaction data that can be securely delivered and transacted directly within interactive email, enabling customers to respond at their convenience, anytime, anywhere.
Innovation type: Cards, communications, rewards


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Andera’s FortiFI product stops online new account fraud. It scans applications submitted online at over 500 institutions, discovering patterns used by fraud rings only visible on an industry-wide scale, and flags applications matching known patterns before an account is opened. 
FortiFI is available as part of Andera’s hosted account-origination solution and its Software Development Platform that gives developers “plug and play” access to the services and software components (e.g., ID verification, application risk management, funding risk management, funds transfer, etc.) used by Andera’s popular hosted online account-opening solution, reducing the time and cost to bring innovation to market.
Innovation type: identity, marketing, sales

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Online and mobile banking has created a new breed of cybercriminal. New forms of defense are needed.  
Authentify will unveil publicly for the first time, Authentify 2CHK. It is an app that will transform an end user’s mobile device into a secure transaction authenticator. The device becomes a defensive weapon in the battle against cybercrime. Authentify 2CHK is a natural extension of Authentify’s out-of-band technology and will help satisfy audit requirements for end user and transaction authentication spawned by FFIEC guidance updates.
Innovation type: Identity, payments, security

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BillGuard is the world’s first antivirus for bills. This free, Web-based solution empowers consumers with the assurance of an unheard-of level of personal finance security. The easy-to-use service has already saved consumers more than $300,000 from unwanted or unauthorized charges.  
BillGuard aims to be the “seal of approval” that merchants and financial institutions display so consumers recognize that their accounts are protected and that all posted charges are accurate. In the future, it will be imperative to display a BillGuard badge to gain customers.
Innovation type: cards, identity, security


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Gen Y embraces frugality and seeks “engagement banking” with rich, interactive online experiences around their $200 billion in income.
Bobber represents a profound shift in how Gen Y relates to their money, integrating the most effective social engagement mechanics for cost-efficient acquisition, sustained loyalty, and increased wallet share. Bobber’s cash-management tool simplifies daily spending and incentivizes goal achievement. Users engage in a highly interactive debit rewards program grounded in their personal savings goals.
Bobber’s technology is architected into the Facebook ecosystem for low-friction onboarding, social collaboration, and experiences tailored to users’ Facebook data.
Innovation type: banking products, cards, marketing, online UI

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CarryQuote IntelliCast is a private-labeled solution that allows you to securely deliver proprietary research and mul
ti-media content directly to your clients’ Apple, Android, BlackBerry, or Microsoft smartphones and tablets. 
Through CarryQuote’s unique, SaaS-based mobile technology platform, which offers compatibility across all five major mobile platforms, CarryQuote IntelliCast allows you to place a highly advanced, branded mobile application in your clients’ hands, and become their “go to” source for the latest financial research. Notably, this turnkey solution can be customized and deployed across all platforms in fewer than six weeks.
Innovation type: communications, investing, mobile and tablet UI

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Cartera Commerce is re-inventing the deal with card-linked offers. 
Cartera, the leading provider of card-linked marketing solutions, will unveil its solution that enables banks to tap the explosive growth of the local deals market popularized by daily deal sites.
For banks, issuers and loyalty programs, Cartera provides the industry’s most comprehensive card-linked offer platform powering personalized in-store and online shopping programs that build consumer engagement, maximize card spend and create new revenue streams. For merchants, Cartera powers the industry’s largest card-linked advertising network, targeting and tracking shopping offers to 150 million+ loyal consumers. 
Innovation type: cards, marketing, rewards

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CashStar, the preferred digital gifting and incentives partner for retailers and incentive partners, provides consumers with the most personal, compelling and convenient gifting experiences available. The only company to successfully combine an on-demand digital gifting and incentives platform with innovative multichannel marketing strategies, CashStar is changing the way rewards currency is exchanged from the digital world to the brick and mortar.
At FinovateFall 2011, CashStar will unveil a first-of-its-kind, location-based iPhone application that enables consumers to instantly turn credit card points into digital currency while they are in a participating retailer’s store.
Innovation type: cards, marketing, rewards

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How do you know whether to trust online profiles? Where do you turn for assurance or accountability? The ability to demonstrate financial ‘good sense’ would give you an invaluable edge to stand out and succeed in career, business and personal objectives.
At FinovateFall 2011, Credit Sesame, one of the Internet’s most trusted credit management sites — backed by global financial institutions and world-class science, technology and financial experts — will reveal how to get that “edge.”
Whether you’re applying for a new job, transacting commerce online, or interacting with someone on the Web for business or personal reasons, Credit Sesame can help.
Innovation type: identity, lending, PFM

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You’ve seen it all: savings tools, financial games, virtual banks and so on. But these products have a limited reach with your customers. DoughMain is the first and only service to combine family coordination and financial education into one simple and convenient platform.  
Achieve a new level of engagement with your adult customers who have active families. Integrate your bank and financial service products in a completely new way and upsell your offerings to a lucrative market.
Innovation type: banking products, marketing, PFM
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Samurai is the easiest and most elegant gateway on the market. It gives you ultimate flexibility at an affordable price.
With Samurai, you’ll be able to integrate payments on your site in minutes. Samurai boasts premium features such as intelligent routing, data portability, and gateway emulation. Send payments anywhere with Samurai — it’s universally compatible. Oh yeah, and that’s just a sneak peek at all that Samurai has to offer.
Innovation type: back office, payments, small business

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Google Advisor makes it fast, safe, and easy for consumers to find personal finance products. Google will be showing the latest version of Advisor and be available for conversations with potential partners who are interested in the platform.
Innovation type: banking products, online UI

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IND Group “wow” innovation is a new online and mobile banking platform that has reinvented the way a bank can communicate with its customers. The platform’s simplicity and ease of use is underpinned by natural language and data visualization — key differentiators.
Easy-to-use main features are the account and transaction visualization, wizard-type money transfers and investments, zero-effort personal finance management, online sales engine and
the support center. IND Mobile banking is more than just the extension of online banking features, unique ergonomic design, user experience, security and the fact that it is always-online.
Innovation type: mobile and tablet UI, online UI, PFM

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See Kony’s mobile commercial banking solution in action. It allows the corporate treasurer and executives to approve transactions from any mobile device, including tablets. 
Each user is able to view the transaction amount, date, account involved, the approval status of other users, and a memo. This speeds the process of approving transactions as well as tracking the progress. Plus, from the development perspective, the application is updated and deployed to any mobile device, mobile Web or tablet from a single application definition.
Innovation type: banking products, mobile and tablet UI
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LearnVest believes that financial planning should not be a luxury.
LearnVest is making personal financial advice accessible and affordable to millions of Americans. The company does this by providing the content, tools and advice to help women get informed, get organized, and get support.  
LearnVest’s new My Money Center and the LearnVest Advice Center are the keys to this transformation. By helping members create everything from a personalized budget to a retirement savings plan, LearnVest empowers women to build their wealth and afford their dreams. Come learn more about the new LearnVest Method and see where the company is headed.
Innovation type: communications, PFM

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There’s a tremendous opportunity to gain share of cash and check spending by small businesses; if only business owners felt they could adequately delegate and manage the credit, debit or prepaid card spending of their employees. Now they can. 
MasterCard inControl Small Business Controller empowers small business owners to more confidently and securely delegate card spending to employees, improving expense control and helping to better manage cash flow. Small business owners can also create profiles with controls and alerts for each employee card and use virtual card numbers to shop more safely online.
Innovation type: cards, online UI, small business

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miiCard is a revolutionary digital passport. It enables users to prove their identity online to the same level of authority as a drivers license or passport would do offline. 
By creating trust in an environment characterized by anonymity and transient identities, miiCard will open up opportunities for business online and put Internet users back in control of their personal information on a global basis.
Innovation type: identity, payments, security

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Retailers are constantly looking for new ways to increase sales.
Over US$20 billion is spent on consumer promotions each year, but while promotions can be effective, they are costly and reduce margins.
Offermatic already enables any merchant today to precisely target Offermatic members based on their actual spending history. Merchants can acquire guaranteed-new customers, who are already spending in the category, on a 100% pay-for-performance basis.
At FinovateFall 2011, Offermatic will announce its latest innovation. This new model will enable merchants to run a free promotion and grow sales at no cost!
See you on September 21st.
Innovation type: marketing, rewards, coupons, small business 

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PayNearMe offers a convenient payment option to individuals who prefer to make payments in cash, as well as the more than 60 million adults who are unbanked or underbanked. 
PayNearMe will demonstrate an easy and inexpensive way for these consumers to pay their rent and auto loans with cash at their local 7-Eleven store. And with our self-service portal, merchants of any size will soon be able to take advantage of this simple payment alternative.
Innovation type: payments

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RobotDough will be presenting a new product that helps people protect their investments.
Innovation type: investing and asset management, PFM

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Wall Street Survivor is relaunching at FinovateFall 2011 with a website that finally demystifies investing. Wall Street Survivor couples a real-time stock market simulator with content t
o create missions. 
The product helps users understand financial concepts, such as creating a virtual portfolio, how to manage it, and how to find good stocks, all in a fun and rewarding way. If you want to learn how to invest better, or just want more confidence when speaking to your financial advisor or stockbroker, then the new Wall Street Survivor is for you.
Innovation type: Investing and asset management

Betterment Expands Portfolio Options by Adding International Investments

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Investment platform Betterment recently expanded portfolio options for users to include international investments. The New York Times blog, Bucks, reports:
“As of last month, Betterment’s portfolio includes international exposure through the addition of two new exchange-traded funds: Vanguard Europe Pacific and Vanguard Emerging Markets.”
New users will have immediate access to this while existing users will transition into the new options throughout the course of the next few months.
To learn more about Betterment, check out its FinovateFall 2010 demo.

Dwolla Announces New Proxi Service

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Payment startup Dwolla announced a new service called Proxi that will allow its 40,000 users to pay each other or a business via mobile device, based on proximity.
“The new tech will allow users to convert their Dwolla enabled devices into movable Spots to seamlessly take payments without additional hardware, like NFC or dongles.”
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This service uses GPS to enable consumers to locate nearby contacts (businesses or individuals) and pay them using nothing but their mobile device. 
To learn more about Dwolla, watch their demo from FinovateSpring 2011.

What Online Banking and the Weather Have in Common

It's always 73 on the iPhone I’ve always been a bit obsessive about the weather. I blame it on my Iowa roots, where the economy ebbs and flows depending on the rain and sunshine, and where you have just about every type of weather condition, sometimes in the same day.

One of the main reasons I wanted an iPhone back in 2007 (in the days before the App Store and mobile banking), was to get a weather button in my pocket 24/7. But it wasn’t until today I realized that weather info is a decent metaphor for where remote banking is headed.

Weather forecast on Google

Think about the weather displayed on your mobile or PC. You get some pretty good info about what’s going to happen today, plus decent estimates on the next few days, followed by a SWAG on what might happen a week or two out. This is helpful for planning your clothes, weekend activities, and as a last resort, for making conversation (sorry family).

This is exactly what’s needed in online banking, a FORECAST of your finances. You need to know exactly where you stand today, plus you need an accurate prediction of your cash flows for the rest of the week based on pre-scheduled payments, followed by reasonable estimates of how things stand for the next month based on historical income and expenses. 

image Most of the major PFMs are incorporating forward-looking views into their interfaces. It’s probably THE most important missing element in today’s online banking. A financial forecast should be shown right next to the current balance on the main account page.

Bottom line: It’s not a perfect analogy. It’s still important to track historical spending to look for waste, fraud, and opportunities to save (note 1). But consumers need help understanding their financial position going forward. So crunch the numbers for them and let your customers get back to their mobile entertainment, even if it’s checking the weather in Yakutsk (notes 2, 3).

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Notes:
1. And you can help with that too; see BillGuard post.
2. Yakutsk, Russia, is the coldest city you can track on the iPhone (hat tip to my nephew Marcus).
3. And yes, that’s an actual image stored on my iPhone. I don’t make these things up.
4. For more on online personal financial management (OFM), see Online Banking Report (published May 2010). 

Bill.com Launches Invoice Mailing Service

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California-based Bill.com launched a billing feature that allows small businesses and accountants to invoice their customers via snail mail.

“Bill.com’s Accounts Receivable (AR) update enables users to send printed bills to their customers via U.S. mail at below the cost of what a typical company would spend printing, stuffing and mailing invoices.”

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This new service will benefit those who prefer paperless billing methods by allowing them to send invoices to customers who still use paper invoices.

It also includes new features such as:

  • The addition of a Quick Response (QR) code on the invoice that allows the recipient to scan the code and link directly to their Bill.com Payment Portal.
  • The ability to integrate with QuickBooks and Peachtree accounting software

To learn more about Bill.com, watch its FinovateSpring 2011 demo here.

Mint.com Adds Bill Payment Reminder Feature

MintLogo.jpgMint.com launched a new bill payment reminder feature today that provides one place where users can track upcoming bills. This timeline format lets users see their bills over time and allows them to set customized due date reminders.

“‘Juggling due dates and amounts owed, and jumping from websites to paper statements, is tedious and confusing. Busy people have better ways to spend their time and money, such as saving toward a goal,’ said Aaron Forth, VP and GM of Intuit’s Personal Finance Group”

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Mint.com will automatically recognize user’s bills based on prior bank statements and monthly patterns.

To learn more about Mint.com, check out its FinovateSpring 2011 demo here.

Out of the Inbox: Discover Card’s Birthday Present

Although worth only $5 at most, Discover Card’s month-long Double Cashback Bonus (on the first $500 spent) sure sounds impressive. And combined with the cute penguin visuals, it’s an effective birthday greeting. And probably the first one you’ll get since it’s sent two weeks in advance of the first day of the month of your birthday.

Recipients must register to receive the bonus, a common technique to keep costs down. The card issuer continues to display dazzling graphics throughout and even sends a confirmation email (below). Great attention to detail.

It would be nice if you didn’t have to do a full login to register. But for extra reward points, most users will put up with the hassle.

Grade = A-

Discover Card birthday email (18 Aug. 2011, 2 weeks in advance of the birthday month)

Discover Card birthday email (18 Aug 2011)

First landing page: Log in (link)

Discover landing page

Second landing page: Register (link, must be logged in to your Discover account)

Second landing page: Register

Confirmation screen

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Confirmation email

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