The Winning Ten: Finovate Alums Earn Spots on the 2020 Fintech Power 50

The Winning Ten: Finovate Alums Earn Spots on the 2020 Fintech Power 50

The newly-released Fintech Power 50 for 2020 features ten Finovate alums. The roster is produced every December and bills itself as “meant to be controversial and provoke debate” while at the same time providing “inspiration to the rest of the industry.”

“Throughout its first year the Fintech Power 50 has seen consistent success for our members and we are very proud of the opportunities that being a member of the Power 50 has offered the companies involved,” Fintech Power 50 Managing Director and co-founder Jason Williams said. “We look forward to continuing the traction we have made this year with the 2020 cohort, with a more ambitious and exciting programme.”

The Finovate alums to make the cut are:

The Fintech Power 50 aims to help fintechs reach a broader audience around the world. Over the course of 2020, the program will offer media partnerships and networking, business development and branding support, and investment and talent acquisition. This year marks the third edition of the program; coincidentally, the 2019 Power 50 featured ten Finovate alums, as well.

“We’re incredibly excited at this announcement, which is clear recognition of Keepabl’s value to customers, and to trusted advisers alike, and our potential to keep disrupting compliance-as-a-service,” wrote Keepabl CEO Robert Baugh in an email.

CREALOGIX CEO David Joyce added that he was “looking forward to exchanging ideas with the renowned digital leaders in this unique group.” He praised the way the roster reflected “the breadth, diversity, and creativity of the global fintech scene.”

The Fintech Power 50 2020 also features ten fintech thought leaders whose names will be familiar to Finovate veterans. Nine of the ten – David Birch, Ghela Boskovich, Theo Lau, Brett King, Jim Marous, Devie Mohan, David Parker, and Ruth Wandhofer – have made major contributions to our Finovate conferences since we expanded our format in 2017. We’ll have to get Mr. Lawrence Wintermeyer, co-founder of Global Digital Finance and the tenth thought leader on this year’s Fintech Power 50, to a Finovate stage sooner than later!

See the full Fintech Power 50 2020 list.

The Faves of FinovateEurope: A Brief History of Best of Show Winners

The Faves of FinovateEurope: A Brief History of Best of Show Winners

With FinovateEurope right around the corner, we wanted to take a look at the companies that have won Best of Show trophies from FinovateEurope conferences since we first took the show across the pond back in the winter of 2011.

Specifically, we focused those FinovateEurope alums that have won multiple Best of Show awards to see how they reflect the development – and anticipate the future – of fintech in Europe.

eToro (FinovateEurope Best of Show 20172015, 2012, 2011) – Innovator in social trading and investing

  • Headquarters: London, U.K.
  • Founded: 2007
  • Total funding raised: $72.9 million
  • CEO: Yoni Assia (founder)
  • Most recent Finovate appearance: FinovateEurope 2017

Winner of a Best of Show trophy at the inaugural FinovateEurope in 2011 and picking up another three awards since, eToro is a pioneer in social investing. The company has more than 4.5 million traders and investors in currencies, commodities, indicies, and CFD stocks operating in more than 170 countries. Last month eToro launched GoodDollar, a new non-profit, open source initiative to use cryptocurrency to reduce income inequality.

Meniga (FinovateEurope Best of Show 20182015, 2013, 2011) – Digital banking solutions specialist

  • Headquarters: London, U.K.
  • Founded: 2009
  • Total funding raised: $23.4 million
  • CEO: Georg Ludviksson (co-founder)
  • Most recent Finovate appearance: FinovateEurope 2017

Meniga is a digital banking solutions provider with offices in London, Reykjavik, Stockholm, and Warsaw, Poland. With more than 50 million digital banking users in 20 countries, Meniga most recently demonstrated its technology at FinovateEurope 2017, presenting its new UX and API, Personal Finance Challenges. November was a big month for the company, picking up an investment of $3.4 million from long-time client Islandsbanki, and inking a deal with Singapore’s United Overseas Bank.

Backbase (FinovateEurope Best of Show 20182017, 2014) – Digital banking platform provider

  • Headquarters: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Founded: 2003
  • CEO: Jouk Pleiter (co-founder)
  • Most recent Finovate appearance: FinovateEurope 2017

A leader in banking digitization and modernization and a long-time Finovate veteran, Backbase provides FIs with the tools and platform they need to turn traditional core banking systems into platforms that offer modern, seamless, digital customer experiences. The company has more than 80 major financial entities around the globe using its technology – including Barclays, Credit Suisse, Fidelity, and Al Rajhi Bank. Backbase most recently announced that it would power omnichannel digital services for BGZ BNP Paribas Bank.

Dynamics (FinovateEurope Best of Show 2014, 2012) – Manufacturer of battery-powered, next-generation payment cards

  • Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
  • Founded: 2007
  • Total funding raised: $110.7 million
  • CEO: Jeffrey Mullen (founder)
  • Most recent Finovate appearance: FinovateFall 2017

One day plastic cards may become a thing of the past. Until then, with card usage for debit and credit remaining a strong preference for many consumers, companies like Dynamics will continue to innovate on that platform. The company builds next generation, battery-powered payment cards that give issuers the ability to offer customers single cards that are able to perform a wide variety of payment functions. Dynamics’ technology enables secure transactions across multiple networks, with global acceptance at most points of sale. Expanding to the Japanese market earlier this year, Dynamics announced a partnership with Mumbai-based IndusInd Bank last month.

Tink (FinovateEurope Best of Show 2017, 2014) – Builder of PFM solutions

  • Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
  • Founded: 2012
  • Total funding raised: $30.7 million
  • CEO: Daniel Kjellen (founder)
  • Most recent Finovate appearance: FinovateEurope 2017

Two Finovate appearances. Two Best of Show awards. Not a bad showing for the Swedish PFM designer Tink. The company’s solution marries account aggregation and information with payment initiation services to provide consumers with a virtual bank experience that is fully PSD2-compatible. Of late, Tink has teamed up with banks, expanding its offerings beyond B2C to bring its technology to FIs like Nordea, Klarna, and Nordnet (see the Tink Technology homepage pictured). The company also launched its developer platform, enabling developers to leverage the company’s Account Aggregation and Categorization solutions via API.

mBank (FinovateEurope Best of Show 2015, 2013) – Universal bank

  • Headquarters: Lodz, Poland
  • Founded: 1986
  • CEO: Cezary Stypulkowski
  • Most recent Finovate appearance: FinovateEurope 2015

mBank’s FinovateEurope appearances have been occasions to celebrate the power of partnerships. The fourth largest retail bank in Poland, mBank has shown through live technology demonstrations with firms like virtual reality specialist i3D, global management consultancy Accenture, and fellow Finovate alum Efigence how an openness to collaboration can enable banks to provide a better experience for customers while building their brand. Earlier this month, a corporate customer survey sponsored by Euromoney named mBank to be the Best Service Bank in Poland. In November, mBank unveiled a new, free, multi-currency service for its Visa cardholding customers.

Etronika (FinovateEurope Best of Show 2014, 2013) – Digital banking platform provider

  • Headquarters: Vilnius, Lithuania
  • Founded: 2000
  • CEO: Arnoldas Jankunas
  • Most recent Finovate appearance: FinovateEurope 2016

Out of our eight multiple-time Best of Show winners from FinovateEurope, four are digital banking platform providers. Lithuania-based Etronika, a member of the European FinTech 50, specializes in providing not just a state-of-the-art digital platform, but also solutions like a visualized API engine that makes it easier for FIs to connect, bundle, and offer a variety of financial services through an omnichannel user interface. The company forged a partnership with Comarch last spring and, last fall, Etronika’s mobile banking solution was featured in IDC MarketScape 2017’s vendor assessment.

CREALOGIX (FinovateEurope Best of Show 2018, 2017) – Digital banking solution provider

  • Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland
  • Founded in 1996
  • CEO: Thomas Avedik
  • Most recent Finovate appearance: FinovateEurope 2018

If recent Best of Show wins are any indication, digital banking solution provider CREALOGIX is one of our hottest Best of Show winning alums. The Swiss firm picked up its second trophy in February, impressing our audience with a live demo of its customer banking app. Since then the company has helped private bank Hauck & Aufhauser launch its digital asset management solution, gained a few spots in the IDC ranking of the global top 100 fintech companies, and reported record sales for a third consecutive year. With more than 450 bank customers around the world, CREALOGIX has more than 1,200 installations of its technology.

And here’s the full list of FinovateEurope Best of Show winners since 2011.

FinovateEurope 2018

  • Backbase
  • Be-IQ
  • CREALOGIX
  • iProov
  • Meniga
  • Microblink
  • W.UP

FinovateEurope 2017

  • Backbase
  • CREALOGIX
  • Dorsum
  • eToro
  • Memento
  • SaleMove
  • Tink

FinovateEurope 2016

  • Capitali.se
  • DriveWealth
  • EyeVerify
  • IDscan Biometrics
  • SwipeStox
  • Valuto

FinovateEurope 2015

  • Avoka
  • Coinjar
  • ebankIT
  • eToro
  • Jumio
  • mBank & i3D
  • Meniga

FinovateEurope 2014

  • Backbase
  • BehavioSec
  • Dynamics
  • Etronika
  • Misys
  • Luxoft
  • Tink
  • Toshl
  • Momentum (FKA YourWealth)

FinovateEurope 2013

  • Credit Agricole
  • Etronika
  • mBank & Efigence
  • Meniga
  • Moven
  • Pockets United
  • SumUp
  • Virtual Pigy (Oink)

FinovateEurope 2012

  • Cardlytics
  • Dynamics
  • eToro
  • Nutmeg

FinovateEurope 2011

  • eToro
  • Finantix
  • Liqpay
  • Meniga

FinovateEurope 2019 is only a few months away. Join us February 12 through 14 for three days of live fintech demonstrations and insightful keynotes and presentations on some of the most innovative technologies and trends in fintech. Tickets are on sale now, so be sure to visit our registration page and save your spot today.

Top image designed by Freepik

Doxo Provides the Missing Login at Small Billers

image I dropped by doxo’s Pioneer Square (Seattle) digs this morning to get an update on their latest news, payment capabilities added to its mobile app. That’s potentially game changing for smaller billers who still struggle with online payments, let alone the nuances of mobile delivery. We’ll get back to that later.

But what opened my eyes this morning was the website of one of doxo’s smaller clients, the Lake Stevens Sewer District, which serves 10,000 customers in a community a half-hour north of Seattle.

The utility, like 54% of the billers in doxo’s database, had no online account info available prior to adopting doxo Connnect. Now, customers visiting the utility’s homepage are directed to login in to doxo to view AND pay their bill online (via ACH), for free. Previously (note 1), customers could use an online form to pay via credit card. But this required filling out the form every month and paying an extra 3% to 7% convenience fee.

Not all customers are going to like the requirement of creating an account at a third party. But considering the alternatives, mailing a check or filling out a form and paying a $5 fee (note 2), it’s pretty compelling. And as more people get used to logging in at various sites with their Facebook or Twitter credentials, the doxo Connect option for bills makes perfect sense. You could even say it fits the bill (sorry).

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Lake Stevens Sewer District offers doxo Connect login on its homepage (link, 4 June 2012)

doxo payment at Lake Stevens Sewer District

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Notes:
1. The credit card option is still offered, see "Pay Here" link in the middle of the homepage (under the photo of the lake).
2. Of course, a number of the utility’s customers will continue to pay their bill via bank billpay systems, generally free of charge. But that’s not really a choice for customers visiting www.lkstevensewer.com looking to make a payment and/or review their account info. 
3. For more info, see our report on paperless billing and banking (Nov. 2010, subscription).

FinovateFall 2010 Demo Videos Now Available

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We’re pleased to announce that the demo videos from FinovateFall 2010 are now available for free download (or immediate consumption) from the Finovate archives.

This fall’s NYC conference showcased 56 handpicked companies doing 7-minute demonstrations (no slides allowed) of their latest technology innovations to a sold-out audience of 650 financial & banking executives, venture capitalists, press, analysts and entrepreneurs.

Check out these cutting-edge ideas in financial, banking, payments, mobile, lending, investing and security technologies today for inspiration and your next edge on the competition! 

(P.S. If you’re interested in joining us at the next Finovate event, tickets are now on sale for FinovateEurope (February 1st, 2011 in London). It is going to be an amazing showcase of European and global fintech innovation!)


ericphoto.jpgEric Mattson is CEO of Online Financial Innovations, the parent company of NetBanker, Online Banking Report and the Finovate Conference Series. He can be reached at eric@netbanker.com.