Fenergo Moves into Middle Eastern Market

Fenergo Moves into Middle Eastern Market

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Ireland-based Fenergo has opened up a new office in Abu Dhabi as a foothold to begin offering its regulatory onboarding and client lifecycle management software solutions to the Middle Eastern market.

During an event celebrating the new opening, Fenergo CEO Marc Murphy referred to a “perfect storm” in which stringent regulations have increased the time and cost of onboarding clients, leading to a poor client experience and increased cost for banks. Murphy says Fenergo’s solution presents “a unified approach to solving regulation across the world, delivering enhanced operational efficiencies and an improved client onboarding experience.”

Fenergo was founded in 2009 and for the past four years has grown 100% YOY on average. Last year the company pulled in $96 million in funding which it has used to expand to Singapore, Japan, and now the Middle East.

At FinovateEurope 2012 the company launched Deal Manager, a solution for client onboarding and account opening that integrates policy, document and regulatory requirements. Earlier this month Fenergo won Best Compliance Product at the Sell-Side Technology Awards in New York.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “SuiteBox Teams Up with Midwinter to Ease Compliance Burdens for Investment Advisers”
  • “SigFig Partnership with UBS Features Equity Investment, Tools for Wealth Managers”

On FinDEVr.com

  • “PIMCO Selects Markit and KYC.com to Bolster Onboarding”

Around the web

  • PaymentEye interviews Azimo CEO Michael Kent in discussion with Ricky Knox, Tandem CEO.
  • Sberbank introduces fundraising function in mobile application.
  • Guardian Analytics partners with the Norman Group.
  • WePay unveils its white-label mPOS solution.
  • Misys wins awards for its work with Bank of Beijing and Vietnam Technological & Commercial Joint Stock Bank.
  • Green Dot announces plans to divide chairman and CEO roles.
  • Michigan First FCU leverages Insuritas to power Michigan First Insurance Agency for its members.
  • Bleu selected for VC Fintech Accelerator in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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.

Tagit Locks in More than $8 Million in New Funding

Tagit Locks in More than $8 Million in New Funding

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Mobile technology solutions provider Tagit has raised $8.75 million (S$12 million) in funding from Japanese IT specialist, SRA Group. The investment will help both companies grow their market exposure in Asia. Tagit is headquartered in Singapore and was founded in 2004.

Tagit CEO Sandeep Bagaria said the investment would help speed growth in sectors like digital banking and “Smart City” technology. In addition to leveraging the partnership to pursue opportunities in Japan and North Asia, Tagit plans to use the financing to add to its staff in Malaysia and Indonesia.

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Pictured (left to right): CIO Parikshit Paspulati and CPO Neelima Subramanyam demonstrated Mobeix Open Platform at FinovateAsia 2012 in Singapore.

Tagit builds open-architecture, mobile banking and ecommerce platforms for FIs and other businesses. The company’s signature solution, Mobeix is a mobile middleware platform that helps migrate web-based services to the mobile environment. With customers including Axis Bank, Citibank India, Maybank Singapore, and the Royal Bank of Canada, Tagit demoed its technology at FinovateAsia 2012 in Singapore. Tagit was recognized as a “leader” by Forrester in their Q4 2015 Mobile Banking Solutions report, and was one of the first companies to be accredited by the Accreditation@IDA programme sponsored by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA).

Deal Street Asia’s analysis of the deal suggested that SRA Group’s investment in Tagit was part of a trend of Japanese companies preferring investment in Southeast Asia over China. The article cited a 2014 report that cited Japan as the second biggest investor in the 10 ASEAN nations for the previous three years, a sum that was triple the amount invested in China over the same time. The investment was made via SRA Group’s Singapore subsidiary, SRA IP Solutions (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd.

Zenmonics and Geezeo Form Partnership

Zenmonics and Geezeo Form Partnership

Core banking specialist Zenmonics today partnered with Geezeo. The North Carolina-based company will integrate Geezeo’s PFM features into its channelUNITED platform to offer users enhanced budgeting and spending analysis across web, tablet, and mobile interfaces. Financial institutions using DigitalBANKING, mobileBANKER, and Kiosk solutions from Zenmonics will have access to the new PFM capabilities.

Tracey Dunlap, director of digital channels at Zenmonics, noted the value of moving PFM from a separate, standalone tab in an application into a concept that is integrated throughout the entire experience. Dunlop noted that Geezeo “gives us the ability to bring PFM content throughout the application to provide a more natural financial relationship to the user.”

Founded in 2007, Zenmonics debuted its mobileBANKER at FinovateFall 2013. The tablet app offers branch employees access to sales tools, service features, and product information both in and out of the branch location. The company’s recent partnerships include IBERIABANK and BBVA. Zenmonics was featured as a Top Workplace in 2015 and was recently highlighted in the Charlotte Observer for its office renovations.

Geezeo demoed at the first Finovate, held in 2007. The company’s last demo was at FinovateFall 2014 where it debuted TruBusiness financial management software.

FinovateSpring 2016 in the Press

FinovateSpring 2016 in the Press

FSPressEven if you attended FinovateSpring in San Jose last week, it’s likely you need a recap of the 72 demos from companies across a range of fintech industries. We saw everything from using the blockchain to create an identity for underserved populations to checking your net worth on VR.

Fortunately, we had plenty of press representatives on the ground to offer us a full report:

ABA Bank Marketing
On the Floor at Finovate
by Grace Dinn

Australian Financial Review
Blockchain is over-hyped but still part of the solution
by David Rowe

Bank Innovation

Barron’s 
Two New Employee Benefits Aimed at Millennials
by Theresa W. Carey

Beyond the Arc Blog

Business Weekly
Adams Hub investment still showing promise

The Cointelegraph
Russia’s Largest Bank Adopts Blockchain, Develops App for Conversational Commerce
by Alisa Tciriulnikova

Crowdfund Insider
OurCrowd Launches Social Investor App. Invest in Equity Crowdfunding Offers on Your Smartphone
by JD Alois

Cryptonoticias
Los Finovates del 2016 han sido Conquistados por la Blockchain
by Mariano Puigvert

Earnix blog
Fresh Focus From FinTech During FinovateSpring 2016
by Marc Trudeau

The Financial Brand
Using Digital Lending Solutions to Fuel Growth
by David Gerbino

Fintech Business
Fintech’s Woodstock
by Aleks Vickovich

FP Pad
FPPad Bits and Bytes for May 13
by Bill Winterberg

Handelsblatt
Wie Banken sich selbst überflüssig machen
by Axel Postinett

Ignition Wealth

Javelin
What to Look for at Finovate in Silicon Valley
by Mark Schwanhausser

Members Development Company
FinovateSpring 2016– MDC and Owner Insights

Kofax blog
Finovate Spring 2016: 4 Ways to KYC with Robotic Process Automation
by Darren Collins

LinkedIn Pulse
My Finovate State of Mind
by Sandhya Krishnamurthy

meetinvest blog
meetinvest report from Silicon Valley

OurCrowd blog
Introducing the new OurCrowd social investor app!

PayActiv Blog
PayActiv Awarded Best of Show at FinovateSpring 2016

Roboadvisor Pros

Sezzle blog
Sezzle’s Fintastic Finovate Experience
by Mia Bernad

Student Loan Genius blog
Finovate, 401(k)’s, and the Future of Student Loans
by Tony Aguilar

William Mills Agency Blog

Thanks to everyone who attended and covered the show. Check out our other FinovateSpring coverage, Tales from the Tweet Side and Best of Show Winners Announced.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “Tagit Locks in More than $8 Million in New Funding”

On FinDEVr.com

  • “Symbiont to Help Delaware Embrace the Blockchain”

Around the web

  • “OutsideIQ Launches Real-Time Risk Monitoring Tool”
  • Check Point launches free Security Checkups for Australian and New Zealand enterprises.
  • Business Insider covers the birth of BlackRock’s FutureAdvisor.
  • NuData Security more than doubles behavioral transaction volume in the past year, following rapid adoption of its NuDetect solution.
  • Ayondo doubles Revenues in 2015 to £7.3 million.
  • Jack Henry extends Banno platform to Windows 10.
  • Avalara discusses plans to use blockchain technology to track asset ownership.
  • Matchi to host the Liberty Fintech Challenge 2016.
  • CIO.com quotes Bazaarvoice CMO Sara Spivey on marketing to millennials with user-generated content.

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.

FinovateSpring 2016: Tales from the Tweet Side

FinovateSpring 2016: Tales from the Tweet Side

Twitterlogo_lightblueFrom expressing in real-time the “wow effect” of live fintech demos to the way a 140-character limit sharpens the wit of some of our industry’s most clever and insightful, our showtime Twitter feed #Finovate was certainly one of the stars of FinovateSpring 2016.

We’ve always loved the passion and energy of our Twitter followers, whose observations—on everything from the profundity of using blockchain to help the underbanked to the novelty (and utility) of a dancing ninja mascot—almost turn #Finovate into “the show within the show.”

See for yourself. And while we’ll let you pursue some of the cheekier tweets from the week on your own, we hope you’ll enjoy this innovative, revolutionary, game-changing, omnichannel, Uber of Twitter review posts.

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Our next event is FinovateFall 2016, September 8 & 9 in New York City. But don’t wait until the fall to join our fintech community on Twitter. Follow us @Finovate today!

And if you’re looking for something a little more developer friendly, check out our showcase of developer tools at FinDEVr, which will take place October 18 & 19 in Silicon Valley. Keep up with our FinDEVr alums on Twitter @FinDEVr.

 

 

 

 

 

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “FinovateSpring 2016: Tales from the Tweet Side”

Around the web

  • i-exceed Technology celebrates its fifth anniversary.
  • Quantopian launches weekend hackathon.
  • Xpenditure board member Jonas Dhaenens awarded ICT Personality of the Year by Data News.
  • BankNxt interviews Sebastian Siemiatkowski on the origins of Klarna.
  • Persado announces new Chief Operating Officer, Greg Dale.
  • Entrepreneur profiles DriveWealth and TD Ameritrade in a look at finalists for the Benzinga Fintech Awards 2016.

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.

Fiona Tee Takes the Helm as Currency Cloud’s New CFO

Fiona Tee Takes the Helm as Currency Cloud’s New CFO

CurrencyCloud_homepage_May2016

Currency Cloud has a new Chief Financial Officer.

Formerly CFO of fellow Finovate alum Intelligent Environments, Fiona Tee (below) will bring more than 20 years of experience as a senior finance professional to the London-based global payments processor. At Currency Cloud, Tee will lead international development of the company’s finance, human resources, compliance, and operations. She will also be involved with helping Currency Cloud forge partnerships in pursuit of expansion in the U.S. and Asia.

CurrencyCloud_FionaTeeCurrency Cloud CEO Mike Laven praised Tee’s “deep understanding of the payments industry” which he credited to the diveristy of her executive background. Prior to Intelligent Environments, Tee worked as CFO at Omnico Group, and has held executive positions at MasterCard, Anite, and Mondex International. She is a graduate of the Imperial College London and has an ACA certification from the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales.

“For me, the CFO role extends far beyond taking care of the numbers,” Tee said. Describing herself as “commercially focused” with a reputation as an “entrepreneurial CFO” she added, “I’m looking forward to working in close partnership with the strategic and commercial teams (to) help guide Currency Cloud on its ambitious journey.”

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in London, U.K., Currency Cloud processes $15 billion in payments annually via its payment engine. The company’s solution powers more than 125 platform customers, with more than 150,000 end customers using the service. Currency Cloud processes payments in more than 40 currencies and operates in 212 countries. With investors Anthemis Group, Anthem Venture Partners, Atlas Venture, Notion Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, and XAnge Private Equity, Currency Cloud has raised $35 million in funding.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “Fiona Tee Takes the Helm as Currency Cloud’s New CFO”

Around the web

  • Partnership between TransferTo and Barri Financial Group to enable real-time money transfers in El Salvador.
  • Green Dot launches online lending marketplace, Green Dot Money.
  • Technology from Fidor Bank to drive new mobile banking service from Telefonica Germany.

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.

FinovateSpring 2016 Best of Show Winners Announced

FinovateSpring 2016 Best of Show Winners Announced

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Heading into FinovateSpring 2016, we knew that one of the big themes would be the use of video for everything from authentication to improving customer engagement. And it seems like the hundreds of votes cast in our FinovateSpring 2016 Best of Show awards saw it the same way. Of the six Best of Show trophies awarded on Wednesday afternoon, two went to companies—SaleMove and Silver6that are helping to make visual technology a bigger part of fintech innovation.

In fact, the more we think about it, the more we see how Best of Show award winner Quid—with its interactive maps that help businesses better navigate big data—is part of this larger trend toward leveraging the visual. Whether to better connect customers and clients with merchants and advisers, or to help make data more accessible and actionable, when it comes to fintech innovation, the “eyes” have it.

Our Best of Show voters were also impressed by the way innovators are using technology to solve the challenges of refugee populations and the underbanked (BanQu); the cash-flow struggles of working families (PayActiv); and even to help middle-class investors better track their finances across peer lending platforms (LendingRobot). This year’s Best of Show vote is real testament to both the diversity and social engagement that defines fintech in 2016. And truth told, it is a beautiful thing to see.

So let’s take a closer look at the award winners for Best of Show at FinovateSpring 2016 (in alphabetic order):

BanQu - true vector copyBanQu for its blockchain-based identity platform that enables financial inclusion and empowers the underbanked to join the global economy.

 

 

LendingRobot copyLendingRobot for its dashboard that helps investors track investments across peer lending platforms like Lending Club and Prosper.

 

PayActiv Logos CMYKPayActiv for its real-world alternative to payday loans that gives workers access to earned but unpaid wages.

 

Quid copyQuid for its web-based intelligence platform that leverages big data analytics, natural language processing, and network science to turn data searches into visual explorations.

 

SaleMoveSaleMove for its engagement platform that creates high-touch customer interactions using video, voice, and chat.

 

Silver6 copySilver6 for its financial video platform that enables businesses to use video personalization to provide custom communications.

 

We hope you enjoyed FinovateSpring 2016. We had a great time hosting this year’s event and are already looking forward to our return to San Jose next year. Many thanks to all those who supported, attended, sponsored, partnered with, and demoed their latest and greatest innovations live on stage. We’ll see you again in 2017!


Notes on methodology:
1. Only audience members NOT associated with demoing companies were eligible to vote. Finovate employees did not vote.
2. Attendees were encouraged to note their favorites during each day. At the end of the last demo, they chose their three favorites.
3. The exact written instructions given to attendees: “Please rate (the companies) on the basis of demo quality and potential impact of the innovation demoed.”
4. The six companies appearing on the highest percentage of submitted ballots were named “Best of Show.”
5. Go here for a list of previous Best of Show winners through 2014. Best of Show winners from FinovateEurope 2015 are here. Best of Show winners from FinovateSpring 2015 are here. Best of Show winners from FinovateFall 2015 are here. Best of Show winners from FinovateEurope 2016 are here.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “FinovateSpring 2016 Best of Show Winners Announced
  • “Vera Reels in Strategic Investment; Adds Former Veritas CEO & Founder to Board”

Around the web

  • Virtual Piggy appoints John R. Coyne as its new CEO.
  • Envestnet | Yodlee initiates strategic partnership with African incubator, AlphaCode.
  • Fiserv launches accounting suite, Prologue Financials.
  • Tuition.io announces support for repayment of Federal Parent PLUS loans.
  • IBM unveils Watson for Cyber Security in collaboration with eight leading universities.

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.