Boku Archives - Page 7 of 7

BOKU Forms Direct Carrier Billing Agreement with Two French Mobile Carriers

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on August 26, 2011
Categories: Boku

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.

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Alumni News — Week of July 11, 2011

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on July 18, 2011
Categories: Aptys Solutions, Balance, Bill Guard, BillFloat, Bling Nation, Boku, BrightScope, Cardlytics, ChargeSmart, ClairMail, Continuity Control, Cortal Consors, Cortera, Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, Currensee, Dwolla, Dynamics, Expensify, Guardian Analytics, ID Analytics, iPay Technologies, Lending Club, Lodo Software, mFoundry, Mitek, Monitise, Prosper, Q2ebanking, Receivables Exchange, SecondMarket, Standard Chartered Bank, TILE Financial, TradeKing, Tyfone, Wikinvest, Wonga, Yodlee, Zopa

Last week, AlwaysOn released its 2011 AlwaysOn Global 250 Top Private Companies List that represents the top emerging companies Worldwide. Twelve Finovate Alumni were selected:

BillFloat
Bling Nation
Boku
Cardlytics
ClairMail
Expensify
IDAnalytics
Lending Club
SecondMarket
Wikinvest
Wonga
Yodlee

_________________________________________________________________________

In other Alumni News:

Aptys Solutions

Aptys Solutions announced that the ACH functionality in its PayLogics payment platform provides same-day settlement. Link

Balance Financial

Balance Financial launched Balance Certified Pro, a new software that is geared toward professionals. Link
Balance Financial released an iPhone App. Link

BillGuard

TechCrunch reported that BillGuard’s “Anti-virus for Bills” is now completely free for users. Link

BrightScope

CNNMoney’s article, Simplify Your Retirement Savings, pointed to BrightScope to provide a clear understanding of retirement savings. Link

ChargeSmart

ChargeSmart announced that its Bill Payments customers can now pay many of their utility bills with an American Express card. Link

Continuity Control

Continuity Control raised $1.1 million in financing from convertible promissory notes and warrants. Link

Cortera

The Miami Herald reported that Cortera’s Risk Data and Reporting is now an SAP-endorsed business solution. Link

Cortal Consors

Institutional Investor ranked Oliver Le Grand, CEO of Cortal Consors, number 13 of 50 in its Tech 50 ranking of financial tech leaders and innovators. Link

Credit Karma

Credit Karma’s new feature, Credit Alerts is available for free to the first 200 people to click the link. Link

Credit Sesame

The Hands On Home Buyer blog recommended Credit Sesame for its interactive property taxes tool. Link

Currensee

The Business Insider reported that Currensee plans to launch its Trade Leaders program in China. Link

Dwolla

The E-News publication, Business Record, commented on Dwolla’s positive impact on Iowa’s startup culture. Link
Financial Plus Credit Union adopted Dwolla’s FiSync integration. Link

Dynamics

Dynamics revealed its angel investors in Series A and Series B funding rounds. Link

Guardian Analytics

American Banker reported that Guardian Analytics is planning to launch an outsourced fraud prevention service that will help financial institutions meet new FFIEC guidelines. Link
Guardian Analytics introduced its FraudDESK service to provide fraud analytics support to financial institutions. Link
Guardian Analytics is hosting a free webinar on Tuesday that will explore FFIEC guidance. Link

iPay Technologies

iPay Technologies helped Generations Community Federal Credit Union increase bill pay adoption and its number of transactions. Link

Lending Club

San Francisco ABC News Channel 7 explained the benefits of P2P loans from Lending Club. Link
Finextra news blog discussed Lending Club’s success. Link
American Banker reported that, in June, Lending Club saw an increase of 7% in loans originated that totaled a record $20 million. Link

Lodo Software

The Silicon Prairie News reported that Lodo Software is seeking to raise $5 million in a round of Series D funding. Link

mFoundry

Columbia Credit Union announced that it deployed mFoundry’s mBanking, a mobile banking platform. Link

Mitek

MSN Money reported that Mitek Systems began a NASDAQ market listing on July 14th, and is trading under the symbol MITK. Link

Monitise

CNBC reported that Monitise’s ReliaCard will be offered to U.S. Bank’s Visa cardholders in some states. Link
Monitise, US Bank, and FIS announced that they are planning to offer a mobile app for Visa’s ReliaCard users. Link

Prosper

San Francisco’s ABC News Channel 7 explained the benefits of P2P loans from Prosper. Link
Finextra news blog discussed Prosper’s success with its P2P lending service. Link

Q2ebanking

Q2ebanking’s director of security solutions, Ward Howell, published an article detailing a Credit Union’s perspective of the FFIEC guidelines in The Credit Union Ti
mes. Link

Receivables Exchange

Institutional Investor ranked Justin Brownhill and Nicolas Perkin, Co-Founders of The Receivables Exchange, as number 42 of 50 in its Tech 50 ranking of financial tech leaders and innovators. Link

Standard Chartered

Institutional Investor ranked Jan Verplancke, CIO of Standard Chartered, as number 37 of 50 in its Tech 50 ranking of financial tech leaders and innovators. Link

TILE Financial

Daily Finance interviewed Amy Butte, CEO of TILE Financial. Link

TradeKing

TradeKing announced the public availability of its API. Link

Tyfone

CoVantage Credit Union chose to implement Tyfone’s mobile wallet solution. Link

Zopa

Zopa founder Giles Andrews was interviewed on BBC’s The Bottom Line. Link
Finextra news blog discussed Zopa’s success as a P2P lending service. Link

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Alumni News — Week of July 4, 2011

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on July 11, 2011
Categories: Boku, BrightScope, ClairMail, Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, Dwolla, Dynamics, Enloop, eToro, Expensify, Finsphere, Geezeo, Guardian Analytics, Kony Solutions, Mint.com, Monitise Americas, PayNearMe, PayPal, ProfitStars, Prosper, Q2ebanking, Robot Dough, Silver Tail Systems, ThreatMetrix, TradeKing, Xero, Yodlee

Boku

CNNMoney examined Zong’s competition with Boku. Link

BrightScope

The Forbes blog recommended BrightScope as a tool to check your financial advisor’s history. Link
The Washington Examiner discussed how BrightScope helps consumers make informed decisions about their 401(k) plan. Link

Clairmail

Clairmail increased its security by using authentication from the RSA Secured Partner Program. Link

Credit Karma

The Forbes blog recommended Credit Karma as a tool to track and monitor your credit score. Link

Credit Sesame

The Forbes blog recommended Credit Sesame as a tool to track and monitor your credit score. Link

Dwolla

Dwolla updated its iPhone app to allow customers to send money via email. Link

Dynamics

American Banker discussed Dynamics’ adaptability to the mobile payment world. Link

Enloop

Small Biz Technology outlined three of Enloop’s features. Link

eToro

AlphaTrade Finance discussed eToro’s CopyTrader network. Link

Expensify

Expensify’s app was listed as Gearburn’s App of the Week. Link

Finsphere

GeekWire reviewed Finsphere’s new round of $1.75 million funding. Link

Geezeo

American Banker reported that Geezeo’s partnership with Sharetec Systems will help Geezeo reach more credit unions. Link

Guardian Analytics

The Street reported that Guardian Analytics’ Anomaly Detection & Fraud Monitoring will help financial institutions meet updated FFIEC guidelines. Link

Kony Solutions

Kony Solutions announced a partnership with Donriver for the delivery of multi-channel mobile apps. Link

Mint.com

The Quickbooks blog examined Mint.com’s PFM tool. Link

Monitise Americas

Monitise developed two banking apps designed for the iPad for NatWest and RBS. Link

PayNearMe

The Paypers interviewed Avangate and PayNearMe regarding their partnership and various future endeavors. Link

PayPal

TechCrunch speculated that eBay’s acquisition of Zong will advance PayPal’s mobile payments. Link

ProfitStars

Credit Union Times discussed ProfitStars’ partnership with Corporate One Credit Union. Link

Prosper

The Social Lending Network reviewed Prosper’s new Quick Invest feature. Link

Q2ebanking

Q2ebanking commented on the security implications of the new FFIEC guidelines. Link

RobotDough

The Motley Fool highlighted RobotDough as a powerful new tool for individual investors. Link

SilverTail Systems

Credit Union Times reported that SilverTail Systems’ capabilities enable financial institutions to comply with FFIEC guidelines. Link
Homeland Security Television profiled SilverTail Systems. Link

ThreatMetrix

ThreatMetrix enhanced its security in anticipation of FFIEC guidelines. Link

TradeKing

Stockbrokers4u.com analyzed TradeKing’s services. Link

Xero

Xero hired a CFO onto to its team. Link

Yodlee

Yodlee released its new MoneyCenter app. Link
Quickbooks’ blog examined Yodlee’s PFM tool. Link
TechCrunch reported that Yodlee reached 30M users. Link

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PayPal and Cortera Take Charge in May’s Web Traffic

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on July 7, 2011
Categories: Adobe, Andera, BancVue, Betterment, Bill.com, Billeo, BillFloat, Bills.com, BillShrink, Blippy, Boku, BrightScope, Bundle, Cardlytics, CashEdge, ChargeSmart, Check Point, CheckingFinder, Cortera, Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, Credit.com, DebtGoal, Discover, eRollover, eToro, Expensify, Experian, Fidelity National Information Services, Fiserv, HelloWallet, Infosys, Intuit, Jack Henry, Kapitall, Leadfusion, Lending Club, Lendio, Metavante, Mint.com, MoneyAisle, MyBankTracker, Online Resources, Outright.com, PayPal, Prosper, S1, SecondMarket, Seeking Alpha, Simple Tuition, smartcredit.com, SmartyPig, Standard Chartered Bank, Sybase 365, TransUnion Interactive, TrustedID, Wesabe, Wikinvest, wipro, Yodlee, Zecco

Each month we survey the Web-traffic performance of our alums, using data from Web-analytics company Compete to review the sites they operate.

Out of 255 alumni, 62 (24%) had more than 10,000 unique U.S. visitors in May 2011 (see tables below). Of the 62 reviewed, 25 (40%) had fewer visitors than in the previous month and 28 (45%) saw a decline year-over-year.

Private Companies
The 44 private companies are as follows:

Notable successes:

Cortera saw the highest number of unique U.S. visitors in May, with almost 2 million hits.
HelloWallet experienced the greatest month-over-month growth, with more than four times as many visitors.
Betterment saw its traffic increase an impressive 38 times from May of last year.

Private Finovate Alumni With More Than 10,000 Unique Visitors in May 2011

Source: Compete.com retrieved June 29, 2011

Public Companies
The 18 public companies are as follows:

Notable successes:

PayPal experienced the highest number of U.S. visitors in May, with over 32 million visitors.
TransUnion Interactive saw the highest month-over-month growth with more than two times the number of visitors in May than in April.
Sybase 365 experienced the highest year-over-year growth, with its traffic up almost 80% from last year.

Public Finovate Alumni With More Than 10,000 Unique Visitors in May 2011

Source: Compete.com retrieved June 29, 2011

_____________________________________________________________________________

Notes:

1. We reviewed 255 unique sites. Data was unavailable or irrelevant for 201 sites because:

They had been acquired.
They were no longer available online.
They were not covered by Compete for various reasons (including some that were not U.S. domestic companies).
The number of unique visits was too small to be considered accurate.
They were subdomains of larger websites.

2. Numbers have been rounded to three significant digits.

3. The charts include companies that did not have measurable traffic in May 2011, indicated by “N/A.”

4. Compete draws its information from the online 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.

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Alumni News — Week of June 27, 2011

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on July 6, 2011
Categories: ActivePath, AlphaClone, Bills.com, Blaze Mobile, Boku, Braintree, Credit Karma, Currensee, Doxo, Dwolla, Dynamics, eToro, eWise, Expensify, Fiserv, Guardian Analytics, HelloWallet, Intuit, Kony Solutions, Lendio, Outright.com, PayPal, ProfitStars, Prosper, Q2ebanking, Simple Tuition, SmartyPig, TradeKing, UBank, Voice Commerce, Wikinvest, Xero

ActivePath

A top Brazilian card issuer implemented an ActivePath solution. Link

AlphaClone

AlphaClone incorporated new sentiment scores into its stock view pages. Link

Bills.com

Bills.com released the results from its Consumer Money Survey that gauges money attitudes and behaviors. Link

Blaze Mobile

Blaze Mobile was awarded a patent for NFC on stickers. Link

BOKU

BOKU released 1-Tap Mobile Billing for the Android and took it live in 56 countries. Link

Braintree

Braintree received $34M in Series A funding from Accel. Link

Currensee

Reuters outlined the benefits of Currensee. Link

Credit Karma

Credit Karma CEO Ken Lin advised consumers how they should deal with credit card offers. Link

doxo

doxo won the Stevie Award for New Product of the Year for financial services in the 2011 American Business Awards. Link

Dwolla

Dwolla said its Grid payment network is more secure than Visa and MasterCard’s card networks. Link

Dynamics

Dynamics raised $35M for computerized smartcards and payment systems. Link

eToro

Reuters outlined the benefits of eToro. Link

eWise

gotoBilling, Inc. added eWise’s Secure Vault Payments as another payment platform. Link

Expensify

The Wall Street Journal listed Expensify as a must-have mobile tech tool for entrepreneurs. Link

Fiserv

Fiserv entered into an agreement to acquire CashEdge for $465 million to advance its digital payments and channel strategies. Link

Guardian Analytics

Yahoo! Finance reported that Guardian Analytics’ FraudMAP is helping financial institutions meet FFIEC guidelines. Link

HelloWallet

HelloWallet was added to Mercer’s Outsourcing business benefits administration. Link

Intuit

Intuit purchased Mobile Money Ventures’ web banking technology to augment its mobile banking capabilities. Link

Kony Solutions

The American Business Awards selected Kony Solutions as the Most Innovative Company of the Year. Link

Lendio

The Launch blog highlighted Lendio. Link

Outright

Outright rolled out a new report function allowing clients to view sales by state. Link

PayPal

PayPal reached 100 million active users. Link

Profit Stars

Profit Stars introduced its new Remote Deposit Anywhere solution. Link

Prosper

Former Lending Club director Joseph Toms joined Prosper as its Chief Investment Officer. Link

The San Francisco Times reported on Prosper’s growth. Link

Q2ebanking

Q2ebanking was noted as a service to help community financial institutions meet FFIEC Guidance. Link

SimpleTuition

SimpleTuition expanded its student loan payment options by partnering with Discover Card. Link

SmartyPig

SmartyPig was recommended by Mint.com as a way to save for impulse purchases. Link

TradeKing

TradeKing implemented SunGard’s MarketMap to deliver market data to its active trading platform. Link

UBank

Mashable highlighted UBank’s feedback forum. Link

Voice Commerce

Voice Commerce launched a payment solution for the iPhone. Link

Wikinvest

PC mag reviewed Wikinvest’s mobile app. Link

Xero

Tech Day assessed Xero’s Debtor Daddy service. Link

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Alumni News — Week of May 23, 2011

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on May 31, 2011
Categories: Aptys Solutions, Backbase, Betterment, Bill.com, Boku, Capital Access Network, Credit Karma, Doxo, Dwolla, edo Interactive, Expensify, Kabbage, Lending Club, LendingKarma, Lendio, Lodo Software, Monitise, Mortgagebot, PayDivvy, PayNearMe, peerTransfer, ProfitStars, Robot Dough, SecondMarket, Smarty Pig, Striata, ThreatMetrix, TILE Financial, TradeKing, Tyfone, Wikinvest, Wonga, Xero, Zecco, Zopa

Aptys Solutions
Aptys Solutions signed with Banker’s Bank, a top check depositor with the Federal Reserve Link

Backbase
Backbase to host webinar on how to use social media in financial services Link

Betterment

Betterment announced a growth of over $10M under management and over 4000 customers in first year Link
Betterment celebrated its first birthday Link

Bill.com
Bill.com is working to improve its mobile offering for small and midsized businesses Link

Boku
Mobile Entertainment explained how Boku will revolutionize pay-by-mobile for digital goods Link

Capital Access Network
CNBC explained how Capital Access Network solves the need to use financial creativity Link

Credit Karma
WiseBread Blog interviewed Credit Karma CEO Link

doxo

doxo’s first fan video was posted online Link
Oregon employees were the first to give its members doxo’s online file cabinet Link
TechFlash highlighted the benefits of using doxo to achieve paperless business Link
2Minute Finance interviewed doxo at FinovateSpring Link

Dwolla

Dwolla was listed by inc Tech as one of three startups you must know from Big Omaha Link
Credit Union Times listed Dwolla as a new P2P service rivaling ‘bank giants’ Link

edo Interactive
MyBankTracker interviewed edo Interactive COO about its Prewards service Link

Expensify
Slate explained how Expensify will help the ‘frequent flier’ Link

Kabbage
Technorati described how Kabbage works with eBay Link

Lending Club

Mint.com’s blog covered what you need to know about Lending Club Link
San Francisco Business Times commented on Lending Club’s strong backing from both investors and lenders Link
San Francisco Times reported that Lending Club stated it is not planning to go public for several years Link

LendingKarma
Entrepreneur featured LendingKarma as a good tool to use when borrowing money from family or friends Link

Lendio
San Francisco Chronicle reported that Lendio offers funding opportunities for new grads Link

Lodo Software
Lodo Software was described as a startup providing jobs in the “Silicon Prairie” region, a.k.a. Omaha Link

Monitise
Monitise released a report predicting that the majority of consumers will use mobile money services within the next three years Link

Mortgagebot
Mortgagebot reached 1000 clients, one of its goals from the beginning Link

PayDivvy
2MinuteFinanced interviewed PayDivvy about its services Link

PayNearMe
BillShrink examined PayNearMe’s cash payment service Link

peerTransfer
Mass High Tech interviewed Iker Marcaide from peerTransfer about becoming an entrepreneur Link

ProfitStars
ProfitStars announced a new version of Margin Maximizer that’s now available as a hosted solution Link

Robot Dough
2MiniuteFinance toured RobotDough’s demo during interview at Finovate Spring Link

SecondMarket

Wall Street Journal stated that SecondMarket helped fuel the tech boom Link
CNBC interviewed SecondMarket for an explanation of the change in trading numbers Link and Link

Smarty Pig
Smarty Pig launched new sharing features, including activity sharing and goal sharing Link

Striata
Striata will host a June 2 webinar for implementing successful ebilling strategies Link

ThreatMetrix
San Francisco Chronicle covered ThreatMetrix’s research around mobile transaction activity Link

TILE Financial
TILE Financial released a Financial Identity Profile to strengthen the connection between advisors and under-30 consumers Link

TradeKing
TradeKing divulged the lineup of its free webinars in June Link

Tyfone
Tyfone won 2010 Asia Pacific Smart Card Association Award for its NFC innovation and implementation Link

Wikinvest
Dow Jones Advisor highlighted Wikinvest as a way to analyze portfolios Link

Wonga

Wonga won 2011 Red Herring Top 100 Europe Award for exceptional accomplishments Link
Wonga won the Media Momentum Awards, a coveted award for digital media companies in Europe Link
Wonga’s Errol Damelin discussed consumer-centric credit Link

Xero

Diversity Limited commented on Xero’s move to the US markets Link
Xero and Keebo teamed up to help you manage and process receipts Link
New Zealand Herald commented on Xero’s surging revenue Link

Zecco

The Wall Street Journal reviewed Zecco’s new Facebook app Link
Zecco launched an app for stock trades & viewing realtime market data on Facebook Link

Zopa
Zopa shows how it helps consumers protect against inflation Link

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Alumni News — Week of April 11, 2011

By finovate Posted on April 19, 2011
Categories: Boku, Garland Group, GoalMine, Intuit, Striata, Sybase 365, The Receivables Exchange

To follow Finovate alumni companies’ latest news in real-time, see our live feed on Twitter.

GoalMine receives first Morningstar rating. The fund received a top rating of five stars and achieved returns that ranked in the top one percent of 400 funds in the mid-cap value category for the three-year period ending March 31, 2011, based on risk-adjusted performance. http://bit.ly/finovate41211

Intuit releases report outlining its vision for banking in the year 2020. http://bit.ly/finovate412111

MobileBeat: Why does NFC Matter? (Mentions of Boku, Sybase and others). Does tap beat swipe for mobile payments? http://bit.ly/finovate412113

Striata and Payments Gateway partner to securely deliver electronic property-tax bills. Allegheny County, in Pennsylvania, USA, will be billing electronically with Striata. http://bit.ly/finovate413113

The Garland Group announces strategic partnership with Deluxe Corp. The Garland Group’s RiskKey’s compliance program will now be included as a product within Deluxe Corp’s enterprise compliance programs. http://bit.ly/finovate413111

The Receivables Exchanges partners with Coupa to provide suppliers with working capital. Coupa, a developer of cloud spend-management solutions (CSM), is integrating the receivables exchange system into invoicing for suppliers, to provide greater working capital. http://bit.ly/finovate413112

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Alumni News — Weeks of March 7, 13 and 21, 2011

By finovate Posted on March 29, 2011
Categories: Andera, Bill.com, Boku, Cardlytics, CashEdge, Credit Sesame, eToro, eWise, Expensify, Guardian Analytics, Intuit, Pageonce, Thwakk, Yodlee

To view our alumni news updates in real time, follow us on Twitter.

Andera adds its 500th customer. http://bit.ly/finovate322116

Bill Harris and Mark Goines join the Pageonce Advisory Board. Harris was formerly CEO of Intuit and of PayPal, and Goines was formerly a senior executive at Intuit and Charles Schwab. http://prn.to/finovate322111

Bill.com named to the JMP Securities “Hot 100.” The list includes the 100 best privately held software companies for 2011 according to the investment bank. http://bit.ly/finovate38113

BillShrink adds Anil Arora, Yodlee president and CEO, to its board of directors. The announcement comes just after the launch of “Statement Rewards” from BillShrink. http://bit.ly/finovate322112

Boku moves from virtual-goods billing to real-goods billing in Germany. Now real goods can be added to wireless bills thanks to Boku’s technology. http://bit.ly/finovate324112

Cardlytics wins Judge’s Choice Award in the 2011 Paybefore Awards. The Paybefore awards are hosted annually by Prepaid Media. http://bit.ly/finovate38111

CashEdge signs Huntington for P2P PopMoney. http://bit.ly/finovate322117

Check out the Filene webinar with Thwakk on how to leverage financial education to increase youth membership. http://bit.ly/finovate322113

Columbus Water Works customers can now pay their utility bill via eWise’s secure payment platform. http://yhoo.it/finovate37113

Cedit Sesame closes on $6.15 million Series B funding round led by Melo Ventures. http://bit.ly/finovate322118

eToro launches “Trade Story.” This social platform helps traders learn the strategies behind other users’ trades. http://bit.ly/hQNDGc

Expensif y is featured in Money magazine. http://bit.ly/finovate322114

Guardian Analytics raises $11 million. This is Guardian’s fourth round of funding, this time led by Split Rock Partners. http://bit.ly/finovate323113

H&R Block and Yodlee partner to make it easier to file taxes. http://yhoo.it/finovate3236

ICICI and Intuit partner on a Mint-like platform for India. http://bit.ly/finovate324113

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