Onfido Teams Up with Checkr to Boost ID Verification and Background Checks

Onfido Teams Up with Checkr to Boost ID Verification and Background Checks

Courtesy of a partnership with ID document verification specialist Onfido, Checkr has launched a new solution that will enable businesses to add identity verification to their trust and safety programs. The new solution, Checkr Connect IDV, leverages Onfido’s technology to verify the user’s ID and conduct a biometric check comparing the image on the ID to a selfie taken by the user.

Combined with Checkr’s AI-powered background check technology, the new offering gives businesses a unified identity verification and background check solution. Available in the fall, Connect IDV will help businesses avoid some of the hurdles – from complex integrations to a dependance on multiple manual processes – that have discouraged businesses from using identity verification solutions more completely.

“Identity verification and background checks are becoming increasingly important in our digital society and (are) an essential step for every company that wants to grow its customer base or workforce,” CEO and co-founder of Onfido Husayn Kassai explained. “By embedding our identity verification technology within Checkr’s platform we can now offer customers what they have been asking for: a strong, seamless solution for their end-users.” Kassai called this a “shared priority” between the two companies.

“Every business today faces increased risk from identity fraud, and traditional anti-fraud methods are falling behind the capabilities of sophisticated bad actors,” VP of Product at Checkr Lydia Varmazis said. “We designed Checkr Connect IDV to make it simple for our customers to add identity verification into their hiring workflows, allowing them to elevate their trust and safety programs.”

San Francisco, California-based Checkr was founded in 2014 by Daniel Yanisse (CEO) and Jonathan Perichon (CTO). The company offers solutions for continuous background checking, quality screening, and well as security resources, and includes Uber, Instacart, and GrubHub among its 10,000+ customers. Checkr has raised $149 million in funding. T. Rowe Price, Y Combinator, and Accel are among the firm’s investors.

Founded in 2012 and based in London, U.K., Onfido demonstrated its Facial Check with Video technology at FinovateEurope 2018. More recently, the company announced a partnership with mobility-as-a-service firm Drover, and earned a spot in the inaugural cohort of cross-border regulatory sandbox, Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN).

Onfido picked up a major investment this spring, adding $50 million in new capital and taking the company’s total funding to more than $100 million. Onfido added C-level talent this year, as well, hiring Kevin Goldsmith as Chief Technology Officer and Thomas Ammirati as Chief Revenue Officer.

TSYS and Global Payments Announce Mega Merger

TSYS and Global Payments Announce Mega Merger

Merchant acquirer Global Payments has agreed to buy issuer processor firm Total System Services (TSYS) in a $21.5 billion deal, reports Jane Connolly of Fintech Futures (Finovate’s sister publication).

The two companies confirmed the deal today (May 28) in what will be the payment industry’s third “mega-merger” of 2019. The all-stock deal values TSYS at $119.86 per share, a rise of 20% since before news of the talks started to emerge.

Global Payments shareholders will own 52% of the combined company, while TSYS investors own 48%. TSYS CEO Troy Woods will become the chairman.

The combined entity will provide payment technology and software to more than 3.5 million small to medium-sized merchants and over 1,300 financial institutions worldwide.

It is expected that the deal, anticipated to close in the fourth quarter, will generate around $8.6 billion in adjusted net revenue annually plus network fees and make cost savings of $300 million.

The deal follows Fiserv’s $22 billion takeover of First Data and FIS’s acquisition of Worldpay for $34 billion earlier this year.

TSYS was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Columbus, Georgia. The company demonstrated its Authorization Controls solution at FinovateAsia 2013, showing how the technology enabled users to set their own default account parameters and authorization rules.

Brazil-Mexico Fintech Bromance Continues; Iran to Build Blockchain Network

As Finovate goes increasingly global, so does our coverage of financial technology. Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World is our weekly look at fintech innovation in developing economies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Central and Eastern Europe

  • FintechOS of Romania raises $1.23 million (€1.1 million) in post-seed funding.
  • Elvira Nabiullina, head of the Central Bank of Russia, talks about the state of Russian fintech.
  • Lithuania’s Evarest to launch a stock trading app in the second half of the year.

Middle East and Northern Africa

  • B.R. Shetty’s BRS Ventures Investment backs Dubai-based NewBridge Fintech Solutions.
  • A partnership between Alipay and Turkish payment platform ininal will help Chinese shoppers transact with Turkish merchants.
  • Iran to develop national blockchain network based on IBM Hyperledger Fabric.

Central and Southern Asia

  • Indian B2B payments firm PayMate announces plans to expand to the Middle East
  • Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank of Nepal, bans Chinese digital wallet Alipay and WeChat Pay over foreign currency earnings concerns.
  • Myanmar’s Global Treasure Bank (GTB) implements Infosys Finacle’s core banking solution.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • The fintech relationship between Mexico and Brazil grows stronger as Startup Mexico opens its first overseas campus in Sao Paulo.
  • The Association of Fintech Companies of Chile (FinteChile) reports on the “four pillars” of Chilean fintech: Talent, Capital, Regulation, and Demand.
  • The Financial Times looks at Brazil’s Nubank and its efforts to grow in the Mexican market.

Asia-Pacific

  • Temenos partners with UBX to bring digital banking to underserved communities in the Philippines.
  • Singapore-based cross-border payments firm Instarem teams up with Thailand’s KBank.
  • Bank of Shanghai and OCBC deepen strategic partnership.
  • Boku integrates with digital payments solution Grab in order to expand payment options in Southeast Asia.

Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Equities.com features Flutterwave, the company that designed the payments platform for newly-public African e-commerce startup Jumia.
  • Nigeria’s OPay Mobile Money solution reaches 20,000 agents.
  • Safaricom teams up with Vodacom to acquire intellectual property rights to M-Pesa’s mobile financial service platform.

Top image designed by Freepik

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Finovate Global: Brazil-Mexico Fintech Bromance Continues; Iran to Build Blockchain Network

Around the web

  • TSYS agrees to merge with Global Payments in all-stock deal valued at more than $21.5 billion.
  • Onfido to provide ID document verification and facial biometric technology for new background check solution from Checkr, Connect IDV.
  • Vents Magazine highlights Trustly’s Pay’N Play technology.
  • The 2019 Aspire Leaderboard recognizes Quadient as overall leader for CCM for the second year in a row.
  • Star Tribute profiles Sezzle and its plans to go public in Australia later this year.

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.

Fortress Identity Teams with Visa

Fortress Identity Teams with Visa

Biometric authentication specialist Fortress Identity has partnered with Visa this week. Under the agreement, Visa cardholders in Latin America and the Caribbean will have their transactions protected by means of Fortress Identity’s biometric technologies.

Fortress Identity will use voice prints, phone codes, as well as active and passive biometrics to authenticate users. “We want Visa cardholders to feel absolutely confident that their funds and personal data are safe whenever and wherever they use their Visa cards,” said Fortress Identity CEO Alessandro Chiarini.

“Multi-factor user authentication is critical in today’s interconnected commerce space, and verifying the identity of people attempting to access the network is key to reducing many types of fraud, including chargebacks,” said Eduardo Perez, SVP and Risk Officer for Visa Latin America and the Caribbean.

Fortress Identity will also collaborate with Visa technology partners including YellowPepper, a payment platform provider; NovoPayment, a banking as a service platform; and HST, an EMV vendor.

Founded in 2015, Fortress Identity leverages a suite of biometrics technologies to protect users in mobile iOS and Android applications, Microsoft Active Directory environments, and Citrix applications. The Miami, Florida-based company demoed its active and passive biometrics technology earlier this month at FinovateSpring. Fortress Identity has eight employees and has raised $3 million.

Infosys to Power GTB’s Digital Strategy in Myanmar

Infosys to Power GTB’s Digital Strategy in Myanmar

Global Treasure Bank (GTB) in Myanmar has implemented Infosys Finacle’s core banking solution to power its retail and corporate operations, reports Jane Connolly of Fintech Futures, Finovate’s sister publication.

Finacle is understood to have replaced the Kastle core banking system from another India-based vendor, 3i Infotech.

Since the implementation, the bank says it has signed up nearly 75,000 new accounts of various types, with each onboarding process taking just minutes. It has also seen improved control and productivity in its 163 branches, thanks to built-in workflow engines.

GTB is now processing an average 300,000 mixed transactions per day and is benefiting from the “360-degree view of customer relationships and transactions” that Finacle provides.

“For over two decades, GTB has stayed true to our mission of comprehensive economic development of Myanmar through reliable, inclusive and convenient banking services,” said U KoKo Aung, CEO of GTB. “Today, to continue to abide by this commitment in an increasingly complex regulatory and competitive environment, we felt the need for a modern platform to power our banking strategy.”

Venkatramana Gosavi, senior vice-president and global head of sales at Infosys Finacle stated that the Myanmar banking industry is undergoing a transformation.

He added, “With Finacle, GTB has gained a strong foundation to boost agility and efficiency of operations, and significantly improve customer experience across channels.”

The implementation process was aided by ACE Data Systems, Finacle’s business partner in Myanmar.

Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, a subsidiary of Infosys, showcased EdgeVerve Blockchain Framework for Financial Services at FinovateEurope 2017. At the start of 2018 Infosys teamed up with Tradeshift to help clients digitize supply chain management. At the start of this year, the company partnered with Qatar National Bank.

UBX and Temenos to Deliver Inclusive Digital Banking to Philippines

UBX and Temenos to Deliver Inclusive Digital Banking to Philippines

Banking technology vendor Temenos is partnering with UBX to deliver digital banking to millions of unbanked and underserved customers in the Philippines, reports Jane Connolly of Fintech Futures, Finovate’s sister publication.

The fintech subsidiary of UnionBank of the Philippines, UBX has developed a range of plug-and-play services to help rural banks reach customers in remote communities.

These include the blockchain-based i2i turnkey solution, which connects rural banks to each other and to the Philippines’ main financial networks.

Having partnered with Temenos, UBX can now offer core banking software to its partner financial institutions, through Temenos T24 Transact.

Temenos says its cloud-native, cloud-agnostic, API-first banking software will provide greater levels of agility and scalability for rural banks, cooperatives and microfinance institutions.

“At UBX, our mission is to build platforms that bring businesses and people together,” says John Januszczak, CEO of UBX. “As part of that, we provide access to needed technology and services while connecting communities.

“The rural banking community in the Philippines has been championing financial inclusion for decades. Temenos will help us provide the most tailored, innovative and advanced core banking solution to our rural banking customers.”

The partnership aims to deliver digital banking to millions of people over the next five years.

Founded in 1993, Temenos debuted its Connect Mobile Banking application at FinovateEurope 2015 in London. With clients in 145+ countries, Temenos employs more than 4,600 people in 63 offices. The company has a market capitalization of $12.5 billion.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Infosys to Power GTB’s Digital Strategy in Myanmar.
  • UBX and Temenos to Deliver Inclusive Digital Banking to Philippines.
  • Fortress Identity Teams with Visa.

Around the web

  • Chain.de interviews Bitbond CEO Radoslav Albrecht.
  • Persistent Systems recognized as an Innovator in Avasant’s Internet of Things Services RadarView Report.
  • Daily Entrepreneur interviews NestReady’s CRO Marcos Carvalho.

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.

MX Makes Meridian its First Canadian Customer for Pulse

MX Makes Meridian its First Canadian Customer for Pulse

According to financial data services innovator MX, if you’re going to bring your new, self-guided financial wellness tool in Canada, you might as well start big.

MX announced today that its Pulse solution will be available to members of Meridian, the largest credit union in Ontario, Canada, and the third largest CU in the country. The move will benefit not only Meridian members, but also those who are members of Meridian’s new digital entity, motusbank. According to the credit union, the partnership is part of its larger strategy to leverage digital technology to promote financial wellness.

“By investing in data and the latest personalized AI tools, we’re showing our members that we are serious about improving their financial health in the present and in the future,” motusbank SVP and COO David Baldarelli said. “Being able to get up and running so quickly with MX and work together as partners to customize Pulse for our members really sealed the deal.”

Pulse helps users make better financial decisions by providing AI-powered, personal, predictive, and proactive financial guidance. The solution benefits financial institutions by delivering customer engagement improvements like more logins (+60%), increased transactions per login (+32%), and an increase in NPS (+28%).

Founded more than 75 years ago, Meridian has grown into a credit union with 340,000 members and more than $21 billion in assets under management. The credit union has a network of 91 branches across Ontario, with commercial banking services available in 11 locations. Merdian launched its digital bank, motusbank, in April of this year, which offers savings and checking accounts, GICs and mortgages, as well as personal loans and lines of credit.

“We’re extremely excited about Meridian and motusbank choosing MX Pulse to provide AI-driven insights and advice to its members through online and mobile banking,” MX Chief Product Officer Brett Allred said. “This is a wonderful example of an industry leader using the power of clean data to deliver a world-class experience to its members while outpacing the competition in a rapidly evolving industry.”

The partnership news from MX is the second big fintech headline for the Utah-based fintech this month. Earlier in May, the company announced that it was teaming up with fellow Finovate alum, Kony, to bring PFM and spending categorization and classification to Kony’s digital banking solution, DBX.

MX most recently demonstrated its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateFall 2017. At the event, the company showed how its Discovered Accounts solution leverages enriched transaction data to help banks and credit unions build and deepen customer engagement.

Featured in PaymentsSource’s list of the Best Fintechs to Work For at the beginning of the year, MX announced a collaboration with Personetics in March that will bring AI-powered, real-time insights on customer behavior and preferences to more banks and credit unions. The company unveiled MoneyMap with Pulse, a self-guided financial wellness solution in April and, later that same month, picked up a 2019 Utah Genius award.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Lehi, Utah, MX has raised $75 million in funding. USAA, Digital Garage, and Commerce Ventures are among the firm’s investors. The company has partnered with 1,800+ FIs and 43 of the top 50 digital banking providers. Ryan Caldwell is CEO and founder.

FinovateSpring Demos Videos Are Now Live

FinovateSpring Demos Videos Are Now Live

Thanks to the power of mobile technology, you won’t have to leave the poolside, barbeque pit, or beach during this long Memorial Day weekend in order to enjoy your favorite demo videos from FinovateSpring.

Every demo video from our just-completed conference in San Francisco is now available for viewing – for free – in our video archives. Rewatch some of your favorites or catch-up on the demos you missed.

Here’s a sample of what’s waiting for you – courtesy of the Best of Show winners of this year’s FinovateSpring.

Finovate Alumni News

Around the web

  • Enveil launches its enhanced ZeroReveal 2.0 data-in-use security solution.
  • Boku integrates with digital payments solution Grab in order to expand payment options in Southeast Asia.
  • Equifax Canada announces partnership with SecureKey Technologies.
  • Artivest taps Paul Nobile as its new Chief Marketing Officer.
  • Lattice80 interviews Ashish Gadnis, Co-Founder and CEO of BanQu.

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.

TransferWise Doubles Valuation with $292 Million Funding

TransferWise Doubles Valuation with $292 Million Funding

UK-based international payments fintech TransferWise has doubled its value to $3.5 billion after raising $292 million in secondary funding, reports Jane Connolly of Fintech Futures (Finovate’s sister publication).

The Telegraph reports that the round was led by investors including Lead Edge Capital, Lone Pine Capital and Vitruvian Partners. The Sir Richard Branson-backed firm also received investment from BlackRock and existing investors Andressen Horowitz and Baillie Gifford.T

TransferWise’s strategy of providing cheap exchange rates by using two local transfers for each transaction, instead of more expensive single international payments, has attracted more than five million customers since the fintech was founded in 2011.

According to The Telegraph, TransferWise will use the funds to take on 750 more staff over the next year.

“TransferWise is experiencing phenomenal growth and this investment is testament to that,” said Kristo Käärman, chief executive and co-founder. “We don’t need to raise funds on this trajectory, but we’re humbled by the persistent level of interest.”

TransferWise handles a transaction volume of $5.1 billion across its 12 global offices every month. The company demonstrated its technology at FinovateEurope 2013.