19 Finovate Alums Selected for 2014 European FinTech 50 Awards

The FinTech 50 awards highlight 50 European-based companies to watch over the coming year. The companies are selected by a panel of 15 fintech professionals. This year, 19 of the selected companies are Finovate alums.

Here are the Finovate alums selected, listed in alphabetical order:


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AcceptEmail, for its electronic billing and payment system that allows customers to make payments straight from their email.

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BehavioSec, for its technology that uses behavioral biometrics to verify users, creating a secure environment without extra friction.

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Credit Agricole Apps, for its online app store where financial apps are co-created between clients and developers.

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eToro, for its social trading and investment network

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ETRONIKA, for its full suite of ebanking channels and BANKTRON management platform.

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Fidor Bank, for its innovative online banking community.

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Five Degrees, for its integrated banking platform that extends from back-end systems to client-facing technology.

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FreeAgent, for its SMB-focused online accounting system.

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Help my Cash, for its recommendation engine that informs consumers of their options when choosing and negotiating financial services.
Holvi, for its smart checking account for group activities.
Ixaris, for its innovative global applications based on open-loop prepaid card schemes.

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Klarna, for its e-commerce payment solutions.

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mBank, for its Bank 3.0 approach to online and mobile banking.

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Meniga, for its white-labeled PFM and next-generation online banking solutions.

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Nutmeg, for its online savings and investing service that helps users manage their money.

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The Currency Cloud, for its Cross Border Payments as a Service product that optimizes exchange rates and payment networks for both parties in a currency exchange.

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TransferWise, for its platform that allows expats, foreign exchange students and businesses to move money globally.

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Wonga, for its service that provides small, short term cash advances to UK consumers online.

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Zopa, for its P2P money lending service that allows borrowers and lenders to deal with each other directly.

F5 Networks Buys Versafe to Boost Online Fraud Protection Capabilities

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Less than one week ago, Israel-based Versafe was in New York City, making their case for total fraud protection before a Finovate audience of more than 1,100, and hundreds more following online.

Who knew how closely F5 Networks must have been listening!

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F5 Networks announced today that it was purchasing the Internet security specialist and one-and-done Finovate alum for an undisclosed amount. All 40 employees, including Versafe’s three founders, are expected to remain on board and the company will continue to operate out of its headquarters in Rishon Le Zion, Israel.
Versafe chose FinovateFall 2013 to present some of the latest enhancements to its TotALL Online Fraud Protection Suite. Their technology relies on advanced encryption and real-time behavioral analysis to provide a layer of protection between the end user and the application. This protection is effective regardless of whether the app is access online or via a mobile device.
Versafe was founded in 2009 by Eyal Gruner (CEO), Boaz Zilber (COO), and Idan Amir (VP Sales EMEA). View our Live Blog post of Versafe’s FinovateFall presentation here. The company’s demo video will be available later this month.

Finovate Alumni News– November 27, 2012

  • Interactive Investor purchases DCisions, closes InvestorBee service.

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  • Finextra reports Rabobank Australia and NZ selects ThreatMetrix to secure online channels.
  • InComm & SkyMall Ventures partner to launch electronic gift card program.
  • Opus Research report recognises ValidSoft as leader in voice biometrics.
  • AloStar Bank of Commerce chooses Andera’s oFlows for online account opening.
  • TIO adds mobile bill pay app to its suite of services for El Paso Electric.
  • Radian Mortgage Insurance now available through Mortgagebot’s loan origination system.
  • E-invoicing Platform features AcceptEmail.
  • Xconomy examines how Giftly will disrupt traditional gift card market.
  • Luup signs partnership with Arab Link, provider of money transfer and exchange services in Abu Dhabi.
  • Personal Capital launches Android app.
  • Crunched lists On Deck in top 25 startups to work for.
  • TechCrunch reports Holvi Plans To Disrupt Traditional Bank Accounts With Simple But Powerful Services.
  • Citi Innovation Lab and SapientNitro honored at National Infocomm Awards in Singapore for next-generation banking experience.
  • ActivePath merges with PowerInbox.
  • Experian expands debt-collection product suite with TrueTrace.
  • DeviceFidelity launches moneto prepaid MasterCard.
  • BlinkMobile announces five more councils to adopt BlinkForms.
  • Klarna earns 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year award from European Tech Tour Association.
  • Money Smart Life reviews Betterment and Kapitall.
  • American Banker reports Betterment deepens finance advice features.
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– July 30, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgVirtual Piggy integrates its youth payment system into Arbor Collective’s ecommerce operations.
  • AcceptEmail featured in The E-invoicing Market Guide 2012.
  • BOKU receives A+Trust rating from the Better Business Bureau.
  • Barnard College partners with peerTransfer to streamline international education payments.
  • Simple begins on-boarding customers, loses CTO Alex Payne.
  • Xero reaches 100k paying customers, discloses additional metrics.
  • Tinkoff Credit Systems launches new online banking on Backbase.
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– June 28, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgThe Bank Of Marion selects Continuity Control for compliance platform.
  • Des Moines Register reports Inc. Magazine names Dwolla’s Milne to 2012 30-under-30 list.
  • Deutsche Card Services and AcceptEmail sign partnership.
  • Bill.com announces its cash mgmt feature that completes the Cash Flow Command and Control System.
  • Programmable Web considers Confident Technologies’ approach to security.
  • Wall Street Survivor launches to the public.
  • Billeo launches ZipThru Pay and ZipThru Buy to make bill payment and shopping even easier.
  • Jingit hires Tom Venable as the company’s Vice President of Revenue.
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– May 14, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgCU Insight reports cbanc Network Reaches 10,000 Users Milestone.
  • Bill.com Wins Barlow Research Client Conference Innovation Showcase Award.
  • Clairmail Wins San Francisco Business Times Tech and Innovation Award.
  • AcceptEmail and TrustWeaver announce partnership.
  • PYMNTS News reports Acculynk announces Alaska option issuers enabled with PaySecure internet PIN debit.
  • Aptys Solutions Offers Financial Institutions Affordable Archiving Alternative.
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– March 23, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgeMudhra partners with Monitise to help launch mobile payments service.
  • Credit Karma profiles SaveUp. Come see SaveUp at FinovateSpring in May.
  • David Stone, CashStar CEO, named business leader of the year.
  • VentureBeat explores PayPal Here’s packaging.
  • ChargeSmart blog looks at what’s behind Dynamics smart cards.
  • AcceptEmail and PostNL enter into a strategic partnership.
  • Meniga takes its PFM to Australia.
  • Lighter Capital makes borrowing even easier by launching Design-A-Loan.
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– March 16, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgCEO Interview: Peter Kwakernaak of AcceptEmail.
  • P2P-Banking reports Prosper CEO Chris Larsen steps down, will be replaced by Dawn Lepore.
  • Zopa states its P2P lending platform will help the food manufacturing industry spur innovation.
  • FreeMonee listed as 1 of 10 companies to receive the Netexplo 2012 Award for leading the world in digital innovation.
  • SmartyPig’s cash rewards card now offers 1% cash-back on all purchases.
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.

CEO Interview: Peter Kwakernaak of AcceptEmail

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This month, we interviewed Peter Kwakernaak, CEO of AcceptEmail, a company that enables e-billing and payments via email. Kwakernaak became CEO of AcceptEmail in August 2008, and before doing so founded two companies, OK Rent in the Netherlands and Coulorful Manor in South Africa.

AcceptEmail recently demoed at FinovateEurope 2012, where it unveiled its Short Invoicing Service (check out the demo video).

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Finovate: Can you take a shot at convincing our readers that AcceptEmail’s email billing and payment solution is the right solution in under 50 words?

Kwakernaak: Managing and paying all your bills straight from your inbox or mobile phone in just a few clicks is extremely fast, simple and safe. No duplications. No errors. No paper, no portals, no registration. AcceptEmail facilitates a smooth, transparent bill payment process. See for yourself and try our demo on http://www.acceptemail.com/en/ae_demo/video/ 

Finovate: How have you seen the billing industry changing and how is that affecting your strategy?

Kwakernaak: The billing industry is now really moving towards digitalization under the influence of trends in the payment landscape (SEPA), legal/tax regulations (level playing field for paper and digital bills) and efficiency goals (collecting your bills faster with less costs). This opens up endless opportunities for AcceptEmail. The billing industry used to be predominantly focused on business-to-business that shifts more towards business-to-consumer and business-to-small business, which is also helping us. Furthermore we see that billers are more open for a multi-channel approach towards billing – give the customer a choice. E-mail and mobile definitely play a role in that approach.

Finovate: What advice would you give a fintech entrepreneur who is just starting?

Kwakernaak: Find a niche, focus on that until the end, create credibility with all stakeholders and choose a sustainable and scalable business model.

Finovate: How do you ease consumer concerns of AcceptEmail’s security?

Kwakernaak: Communication is key. We help our billers educating and informing their customers about AcceptEmail. It is essential that billers explain their customers what to expect, how it works, how you can be assured an AcceptEmail is safe.  Furthermore we ease consumer concerns about security first and foremost by being completely transparent ourselves. We are very easy to find and to contact, our billers can be found on our website and so are our security measures. Also we are being audited by e.g. banks frequently.

Finovate: What are the biggest growth markets for AcceptEmail? 

Kwakernaak: Any replacement market for either paper bills, cheques, non-SEPA payment methods or my portals is a growth market for AcceptEmail. Geographically we focus on Europe and will make the step towards the US next year. Vertically the large growth markets are in Insurance, Telecom, Government and Retail.

Finovate: If you could have dinner with any other CEO or entrepreneur, who would it be and why?

Kwakernaak: If he was still alive I’d have liked to have dinner with Steve Jobs. I was fascinated by his biography and with what he has achieved with Apple and Pixar.

Finovate: Can you give us a sneak peek of what’s next for AcceptEmail? 

Kwakernaak: We will be announcing several key partnerships with global financial institutions and software companies shortly. That enables us to play in a different league and pave the path for serious international expansion.

To learn more about AcceptEmail, watch its FinovateEurope 2012 demo. Stay tuned for another CEO interview next month.

AcceptEmail’s Service Creates an Electronic Bill that Can Be Paid by Mobile

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Today, AcceptEmail demonstrated a feature that enables mobile bill pay:

“Recently we have added a Short Invoice Service, which creates an electronic bill, including payment capability for mobile phones using SMS, WhatsApp or Twitter. This new feature of AcceptEmail adds the mobile space to the service and enables fully automated credit management. AcceptEmail has also expanded their set of payments methods that can be used via PSP’s with the availability of many new international online payment methods, debit, and credit cards.”

Product Launched: July 2007

HQ Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Company Founded: December 2006
Metrics: Triple digit growth last 2 years, 120 customers (billers), 4 million+ registered users, 10 employees
Website: acceptemail.com

Presenting Peter Kwakernaak (CEO) & Geerten Oelering (COO)
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FinovateEurope 2012 Sneak Peek: Part 1

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Right now, over three dozen leading fintech companies, both hot young startups and established players, are gearing up to demo their latest innovations at the second annual FinovateEurope next February 7th in London.

To whet your appetite, we asked each handpicked company to provide a sneak peek of what it will be demoing on stage. Below is the first installment. We’ll have another installment next week.

Don’t miss your chance to see fast-paced demos of the newest ideas from each company and meet the execs responsible for the cutting-edge of innovation in financial and banking technology. Plus get your FinovateEurope ticket before December 23rd and you’ll lock in the early-bird price!

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AcceptEmail will launch a revolutionary way of billing and collecting. The inventor of billing and payment via email will introduce AcceptSMS, the world’s first Short Invoice Service. 
With this technology, AcceptEmail users will be able to send payment requests to a smartphone or PDA via SMS, WhatsApp Messenger or social media in an easy and clever way. Improve your customers’ payment behavior by offering multi-channel and customer friendly payment methods.
Innovation type: Communications, mobile and tablet UI, payments

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Find out more about a solution that Raymond James has already adopted to give its investment advisors authenticity on social networks. It also generated a $1 million prospect for another wealth management firm after just 96 tweets.  
Actiance will also demonstrate how you can measure and analyse your network growth to accurately plot your social graph.
Innovation type: Communications, marketing, security

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Brokertainment combines the fun and thrill of stock market trading with a reduced risk due to extremely low minimum investments (1 euro) and ultra-short term durations of derivatives (around 5 minutes). 
Brokertainment will present a new product called STOCKBATTLE.
Innovation type: Investing and asset management

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Business Centric Services Group (BCSG) will present an exciting new credit management tool to the SME market, which will break down the traditional barriers of cost, complexity and awareness. 
BCSG has identified a customer need for this product through research, which highlighted that over half of small businesses never run credit checks on new customers, and just under half do not monitor their existing customers and suppliers.
Its innovative tool allows complex information to be delivered in a simple and usable format, ensuring the best possible end-user experience. 
Innovation type: Banking products, online UI, small business

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Almost all banking today is being done in digital space. Why not communicate with computers in a natural way, as we do in the real world? 
Imagine a financial application that recognizes your face, congratulates you, analyzes your voice to identify you, and navigates you in online banking. You choose what is most convenient for you at that time: using your voice, gestures, keyboard, or a mix of all the approaches. You are smiling. 
Motion and speech belong to the game world or laboratory geeks– not to online banking solutions that refer to a serious, unshakable, respectable realm. ETRONIKA wants to challenge this point of view by introducing a new UX approach to financial online services.
Innovation type: Banking, identity, online UI

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InvestorBee puts data at consumers’ fingertips so they can make smart, confident investments.
    • It’s fact, not opinion. Users can tap into the database to learn from the experiences of over a million UK investors.
    • It’s an investment health check. Users can compare themselves to their peers to set realistic saving targets and investment goals.
    • It’s simple investing without guesswork. In a few easy steps, users can choose an objective risk-based strategy that’s right for them.
InvestorBee users extract wisdom from the crowd to make better, simpler investment decisions.
Innovation type: Investing and asset management, PFM

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Fiserv will demonstrate its next generation mobile P2P, small business an
d eCommerce merchant payments. As an international provider of digital banking and payment solutions, Fiserv delivers market-proven capabilities with innovations in both the mobile and online channels.
Innovation type: Mobile and tablet UI, online UI, payments

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IND Group gamified its white-label Internet Banking and Personal Finance Manager. It added these methods to its new Banking-Front Office. The solution is based on the fact that customers love to do almost anything if they are rewarded for it. 
With the two-level point system, banks can give points for things like function use, transactions, and product or service purchases. Customers can collect points and badges for dedicated actions. The system is closely connected with Facebook, where users can post their results and badges. With its strong visualization features and real rewards, the gamified IND Internet Banking and Personal Finance Manager creates a compelling, engaging user experience.
Innovation type: Online UI, PFM, rewards

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Luup will launch a mobile payment service for corporations and governments that is set to bring them cost-savings, efficiency and productivity gains. The service solves one of the biggest daily challenges that organisations face worldwide. 
Through an interactive live demo from various mobile devices, Luup will showcase how the new service is a fast, convenient and secure way to optimise processes. Attendees will experience how Luup solutions are unique in being universally deployable, bank-grade, live and proven– as well as scalable and easily managed.
Innovation type: Mobile and tablet UI, payments

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miiCard, My Internet Identity, is the first service that allows a consumer to prove their identity to the AML/KYC standard purely online.
Through miiCard, a vendor can identify an individual to a level of assurance that supports real-time online sales of regulated financial products, and replaces the need for a ‘wet signature’ reducing operational costs and increasing conversions. 
miiCard creates trust, protects consumers and fights against fraud. It helps realize the full potential of the digital economy by enabling higher value online business.
Innovation type: Identity, payments, sales and customer service

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Sandstone will be showcasing its next generation mobile banking app that contains sophisticated money management/ OFM tools, the latest anti-fraud and security measures, and user experience capabilities that enable financial institutions to better engage with their customers.
Using the latest HTML5 technology, the app can be developed once and then delivered seamlessly across all smart phone app stores to run on any smart phone mobile device. The registration process for the app locks the user to the device while the page-fingerprinting technology ensures that fraudulent users will not be able to connect to the secure server.
Innovation type: Banking, PFM, security

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Service2Media and Rabobank will introduce mobile payments via a banking app for all webshops. Customers of Rabobank that have installed the Rabobank Mobile Banking app can now pay for their mobile purchases as easily as their online purchases by using a mobile version of the online payment method IDEAL
The new mobile IDEAL payment is facilitated by starting the Rabobank Banking app on an iPhone once a payment request is issued on the merchant’s mobile site. The user then authorizes the transaction in the app with his account number and access code before being redirected to the merchant’s mobile site. Mobile banking is now possible without an e-reader as long as the balancing account is known.
Innovation type: Banking, mobile and tablet UI, payments

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Securing M-Banking
The advancement of technology is making our lives easier. Mobile banking, or m-banking, is here and with 800,000,000 smartphones already in circulation globally, it is going to grow. But how do we make m-banking safe and practical to use? You can’t hold your smartphone in one hand and your bank secure key in the other when walking down the street – that’s not “making our lives easier”.
A much simpler solution is using out-of-band, real-time, multi-factor authentication and transaction verification. ValidSoft will demonstrate how its products can do just that.
Innovation type: Identity, payments, security

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One of the primary tools direct sales agents need is a tablet variant of the unified desktop. Wipro has developed a customer acquisition framework on a tablet-based device, which is a step in this direction. 
CAMS on Tablet leverages mobile, analytics and intelligent processes for on-the-go pe
rsonalized offers and application capture. The solution is also relevant in next generation bank branches where a differentiated environment is created for HNI customers.
Innovation type: Mobile and tablet UI, PFM, sales

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