Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Q2 Leverages MX Technology to Launch Contextual PFM
  • PTIN Gives Members Access to BizFi’s Aggregation Marketplace

Around the web

  • iSignthis to verify ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs) for fellow Finovate alum, Ixaris.
  • ABA Bank leverages TranzWare from Compass Plus to launch new Cash by Code service.
  • Top Image Systems earns spot as sample vendor in Gartner Hype Cycle for Digital Banking Transformation 2016.
  • Coinbase to extend its Bitcoin, ether services to both Canada and Singapore.
  • The Economist reports how EquityZen is catching on.
  • PC Magazine labels Xero the fastest accounting-software innovator.

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

On Finovate.com

  • Ping Identity Unveils Security, Usability Upgrades to IDaaS Platform.
  • defi SOLUTIONS to Launch Full-Service Analytics and Reporting Platform by Year’s End
  • Coinbase Lands $10.5 Million in Strategic Investment from Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ

Around the web

  • Misys honored by Celent Model Bank Awards for its work with Russia’s Alfa-Bank.
  • Holvi launches new debit card, Holvi Business MasterCard.
  • Risk Ident CEO Roberto Valerio writes about fighting account-takeover fraud.
  • Ixaris helps Amadeus build prepaid B2B wallet.
  • WattzOn unveils three new web and mobile tools for monitoring and managing utility bills.
  • The Street: Lending Club ‘Platform Investors’ Are Slowly Returning Despite Recent Hiccups
  • Buzz Points joins Jack Henry’s Symitar Vendor Integration Program.
  • iSignthis integrates with XM.COM to deliver due diligence Digital KYC service.
  • ProfitStars Ranked Among Top-50 Providers in MSPmentor 501 Global Edition.

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.

Ixaris Receives $6 Million in Funding After Spinning Off from Parent Company

Ixaris Receives $6 Million in Funding After Spinning Off from Parent Company

IxarisHomepage

Payments-solutions provider Ixaris has spun off Ixaris Technologies, a dedicated B2B tech-focused arm that will support its Open Payment Ecosystem Platform, an offering that launched last June.

With the launch of Ixaris Technologies as a distinct company, the London-based company’s shareholders have contributed $6 million in launch funding to accelerate growth. Combined with its previous $10 million in equity funding, Ixaris’ total funding is $16.

CEO Alex Mifsud highlights the fiscal reasoning behind the spinoff: “Our B2B payment offering now accounts for 25% of Ixaris Group revenues, which exceeded $16 million in 2015.” He continues by explaining the market reason behind the separation: “The payments industry is shifting focus towards APIs and technology solutions to help drive open banking, further reinforcing that the time is right to launch a company dedicated to open payments.”

Ixaris’ sister-company EntroPay will focus on its self-service consumer and SMB virtual card business.

At FinovateEurope 2015, Ixaris launched a UI editor for its Open Payments Platform.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Check out this week’s FinDEVr APIntelligence.
  • “Avalara, Signifyd Bring Sales Tax, Fraud Solutions to Magento E-Commerce Marketplace”
  • “Ixaris Receives $6 Million in Funding After Spinning Off from Parent Company”

Around the web

  • BankNxt’s BIGcast interviews CEO Steve Hoffman of SayPay Technologies.
  • OutsideIQ joins fintech accelerator, Bank Innovation INV, as an API partner. See OutsideIQ at FinovateSpring in San Jose next month.
  • Vix Verify opens new offices in Atlanta, Georgia’s Transaction Alley as part of American expansion.
  • Algomi partners with IPC Systems to support buy-side users of its Honeycomb network.
  • Bank Innovation takes a look at CBANC and its effort to make social media work for banks.
  • “AuthenticID Wins All Payments Expo Shark Tank with CatfishAIR Identity Verification Solution”
  • Chase launches OnDeck-powered SMB Loan platform.
  • “CardFlight and Miura Systems Partner to Offer EMV and NFC Mobile POS Solution to the U.S Market”
  • MIT adopts Ripple validator to advance consensus and blockchain research.
  • “LPL Selects BlackRock’s FutureAdvisor as Robo Platform”
  • CIOReview names Praesidio in list of top 20 Most Promising Banking Technology Solution Providers for 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.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “Scalable Capital Scores $7.9 Million”
  • Check out this week’s FinDEVr APIntelligence.
  • “Finovate Alums Dominate The FinTech50’s Inaugural Hall of Fame”

Around the web

  • New strategic partnership connects Klarna’s checkout solution with Modo’s digital payments hub.
  • NICE Actimize unveils its Actimize AML Essentials, AML cloud solution.
  • Ixaris spins off its payment technology division, Ixaris Technologies.
  • European payment providers partnered with TSYS to get access to alerts service.
  • Misys teams up with Dorsum to enable FusionBanking Essence customers to trade directly from their accounts.
  • Payroll in Xero now available in Georgia, reaching 21 states.
  • Richard Steggall, co-founder and CEO of Urban FT, chats with PYMNTS.

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

On Finovate.com

  • FinovateEurope 2016: Meet the Faces of Fintech.

Around the web

  • Ixaris CEO Alex Mifsud shares his payment predictions for 2016.
  • i-vest.de reviews social trading platform, ayondo.
  • PYMNTS.com takes a look at App Annie’s recent $63 million funding.
  • Currency Fair considers plan to offer Irish businesses free money transfers abroad.
  • EyeVerify earns FIDO Alliance certification for its Eyeprint ID authentication technology.
  • Investment News features several Finovate alums in a look at roboadvisors attracting investment dollars as 2016 begins.
  • Zopa gives account views a makeover for the new 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.

 

Ixaris Launches Initial Phase of Open Payments Ecosystem (OPE) Project

Ixaris Launches Initial Phase of Open Payments Ecosystem (OPE) Project

Ixaris_homepage_June2015

In fintech, compliance and security concerns often trump the promise of developer-friendly, open technologies. Payments solutions provider Ixaris has launched the initial phase of its €4 million Open Payments Ecosystem (OPE) project to change that.

The OPE is made possible with the support of the European Commission’s Horizon2020. The goals of the project are twofold:

  1. To make it easier for developers to build payment apps for banks by embracing Open APIs.
  2. To make it easier for banks to safely access new payment technologies by providing resources like curated app marketplaces.

The project features six “sub-systems,” each representing a different stage in the life cycle of payment services.

  1. A developer environment for payments app development and testing.
  2. A payments application store.
  3. A secure execution environment that prevents the original developer from accessing live customer data.
  4. A compliance system for the life cycle of the app.
  5. The ability to add additional service offerings for payment service providers
  6. A comprehensive data warehouse for business intelligence

Alex Mifsud, Ixaris CEO, hopes to bring the innovation-driving power of Open APIs to the world of fintech. “Unlike in other industries, Open APIs have yet to emerge as a key driver of innovation in the payment industry,” Mifsud said. And while citing understandable compliance and security concerns, Mifsud believes OPE can provide a model of “how an open access approach to payments will create truly game-changing payment applications.”

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From left: Patrick Abela, product director, and Reno Scerri, pre-sales and solutioning manager, of Ixaris demonstrated Ixaris Payment Server at FinovateEurope 2015 in London.

EU Horizon2020 is dedicated to ensuring European technology competitiveness through innovation. The program will spend nearly €80 billion over seven years (from 2014 through 2020), as well as additional private investment, to help companies develop technologies that will ultimately lead to greater economic growth and more jobs.

Companies and organizations select projects from a wide variety of “calls for proposals” available for viewing online at the program website. Proposals are judged by an independent panel of specialists in the respective fields, and companies are typically informed of the funding decision after five months. A grant agreement is then provided specifyng the innovation or research to be pursued, duration of the project, and budget, including the European Commission’s contribution. Learn more about the process here.

The project Ixaris will be working on through mid-2017 is designed to meet the objective of an “Open Disruptive Innovative Scheme”, implemented through SMEs, that helps move innovative ideas in the ICT sector from initial harvesting through prototyping, real-world demonstration, and eventual market deployment. The goal is to increase profitability and growth of the SMEs using the technologies, to gain market penetration and distribution of the innovations, and to encourage private investment, either in the form of co-investment or follow-on investments in previously supported companies. The total cost of the project is €4.2 million with the European Commission contributing €2.5 million.

Founded in September 2000 and headquartered in London, Ixaris has demonstrated its technologies on the Finovate stage as recently as February at FinovateEurope 2015. The company is a specialist in developing apps based on open-loop prepaid card schemes such as Visa and MasterCard, and was named to the FinTechCity’s FinTech 50 in January. As of March 2015, Ixaris had raised $10 million in equity financing.

Looking for an opportunity to hear from and network with fintech’s most innovative developers? FinDEVr returns to San Francisco, 6/7 October 6. Don’t miss out: presale discounts for both builders and non builders are available. Visit our FinDEVr San Francisco page for more information.

And be sure to keep up with fintech developer news in our weekly FinDEVr APIntelligence developer-news roundup every Wednesday.

 

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • SumUp Unveils New Financing of Undisclosed Amount
  • FinDEVr 2015: First Round of Presenting Companies Revealed
  • Ixaris Launches Initial Phase of Open Payment Ecosystem (OPE) Project

Around the web

  • Prosper to charge fee for investors who bundle loans into bonds.
  • Spreedly now supports third-party tokens.
  • US Bank signs five-year renewal for Fiserv digital payment suite, including CheckFree RXP, Popmoney, and TransferNow solutions.
  • LendingTree announces new CFO, COO, CTO, and CRO.
  • PYMNTS.com interviews Jonathan Hancock, TSYS director of fraud-management solutions.
  • Lending Robot launches new, default ‘fully automated’ mode, that allows users to set a risk profile on a slider bar.
  • Lending Club partners with nonprofit Opportunity Fund to feed loans rejected by Lending Club.
  • Backbase set to launch its first hackathon, 19/20 June 2015.
  • EuroNews features Kabbage, Lending Club, and On Deck.
  • Actiance launches Actiance Trusted Communities to enable companies to communicate with counterparts while meeting regulations.
  • Blackhawk Network to acquire Achievers Corp.
  • Global Debt Registry makes Account Extinguishment Reports (AERs) available free to consumers using its Debt Lookup service.
  • Top Image Systems Achieves Certification with PaperStream IP Image Enhancement Solution.

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

On Finovate.com

  • “Finovate Debuts: TrueAccord Provides Kinder, Gentler Automated Debt Collection”
  • “HedgeCoVest Adds Two New Models to its Platform”
  • “CashSentinel Closes Seed Round of Undisclosed Amount”

Around the web

  • Dunkin’ Donuts, Fandango, Sundance Catalog and Williams-Sonoma now accept Visa Checkout.
  • Moven updates Android mobile app.
  • The Fintech blog features Q&A with LendUp CEO Sasha Orloff.
  • Bank Innovation profiles Hedgeable and its “one simple trick.”
  • Westpac Banking Corporation and New Zealand Banking Group are testing Ripple for payment transfers between subsidiaries.
  • Ixaris announces €4m Open Payments Ecosystem (OPE) project to support developers building payment apps.
  • TSYS to support Apple Pay when it launches in the U.K. in July.
  • Omnichannel account-opening solution from Zenmonics goes live at BBVA.
  • Austin Energy to adopt PaySecure platform from Acculynk.
  • Investopedia column on the “Top 5 Myths of Robo-Advisors” features Betterment, Wealthfront, and Vanguard.
  • BrightScope launches Fund Pages to provide detailed information about open-ended mutual funds.
  • Sam’s Club using Lending Club to offer financing to SMB customers.
  • FitSmallBusiness.com names OnDeck best provider of small business loans.
  • SunGard terminal selects Heckyl news and sentiment analysis.
  • Pindrop Security granted patent for phone antifraud and authentication technology.
  • Top Image Systems taps Bob Fresnel as new TIS Americas President.

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.

Ixaris Systems’ UI Editor Allows for Easy Customization

IxarisSystemsLogo2.jpgThis post is part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2015.

Ixaris Systems debuted its user-interface editor.

Ixaris is demonstrating a UI editor that banks can provide to a corporate customer so that the entity can safely, and in a compliant manner, customize the instance of the application that the bank has deployed for them.

Critically, this patent-pending technology enables customization to be carried out by non-technical staff, either operational staff or web agency, without compromising security.

In addition to static web-page and cardholder-portal content, the customer can change the way in which transactions and payment instruments are handled. Tools are also provided for the bank to review, approve, and control the entry of changes into production.

 

Presenters: Patrick Abela, product director; and Reno Scerri,
pre-sales and solutioning manager 
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Product launch: April 2015
Metrics: $10M in equity finance raised to date; 130 employees; 2013 revenues $15M

Product distribution strategy: Direct to Business (B2B) through financial institutions and through other fintech companies and platforms

HQ: London, United Kingdom
Founded: September 2000

Website: ixaris.com
Twitter: @ixaris

Finovate Alums Populate the FinTech50

Looking for the most innovative startups in fintech? The FinTech50 is a great place to start.

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It also turns out to be a great place to find Finovate alums. Of the 50 companies recognized by FinTechCity’s panels of judges as being “game-changers transforming the future of finance,” nearly half are alumni of Finovate conferences – including our upcoming event in London.
Here is the list of alums in alphabetical order:
According to Chris Skinner, who was one of the panelists, more than 700 companies competed for spots in the FinTech50. The selection panel included veterans of finance and technology from companies ranging from American Express and Google to Silicon Valley Bank and UBS. The FinTech50 winners were announced at an invitation-only event in London.
Speaking of London, Five Degrees, InvoiceSharing, Ixaris, mBank, and Trunomi will be in town next month, demonstrating their latest solutions at FinovateEurope 2015, February 10 and 11. More information on the event available here.

FinovateEurope 2015 Sneak Peek: Part 4

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Will you be joining us live for FinovateEurope 2015? Following the action via the Finovate Live Blog and Twitter feed (@Finovate)? 

However you plan on participating in the first Finovate conference of the year, our Sneak Peek series helps you get to know the presenting companies before they hit the stage next month.

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We’ve already highlighted 18 out of the more than 70 companies demonstrating their latest technologies. If you missed them, you can get up to speed with Parts 1, 2 and 3 of our Sneak Peek series below.
Today we bring you another set of six presenters: Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, CPB SOFTWARE, Ixaris, JSC Delta Bank, QCR, and Topicus.Finance.


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Bendigo and Adelaide Bank have a long, 156-year history of innovation. Our latest innovation is redy, a mobile commerce platform.
Features
  • A mobile commerce platform that connects shoppers, businesses, and the community for a common cause
  • Fast and secure mobile payments
  • Easy, fast, and secure donations
Why it’s great
redy is a fast and secure mobile commerce platform that improves the shopping experience and connects shoppers, businesses, and communities for a common cause.
Presenters
Robert Musgrove, Executive Community Engagement
Musgrove played a pivotal role in the expansion of Community Bank. He is always on the lookout for ways to give back to his community.
Rick vanEmmerik, Mobility Manager
vanEmmerik has been with Bendigo and Adelaide Group for 7 years. He has been part of the redy team since its inception.


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CPB SOFTWARE offers profound expertise, creativity, flexibility, and high quality financial software solutions including premium ASP and BPO services.
Features
  • PROFOS is the app for bankers
  • Manage your clients anytime and anywhere
  • The best way to support your advisors and clients
Why it’s great
PROFOS – The Bank is where Clients are!
Presenters

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Peter Thomayer, CEO
Thomayer is founding member and since 2000 CEO of CPB Software. Areas of responsibility: strategy, human resources, marketing, and sales. Held different leading positions in some banks before.

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Barbara Aigner, Consultant
Aigner is founder and CEO of emotion banking, a consultant company for banks and founder of victor, the main analysis and championship for banks in the German-speaking area.

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Markus Nekham, Consultant / Advisory Board
Nekham is founder and CEO of networx business services. He is lecturer at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and a negotiation and communication consultant and coach.



Ixaris_FEU15_hires_logo.jpg

Ixaris is a fintech company specializing in the delivery of next generation card programs.
Features
  • Extend your card programs offering with apps from our App Store
  • Reduce burden on your IT through an on-the-cloud platform
  • Reduce card program management overheads with self-service tools
Why it’s great
Card programs tailored to your customer needs by your own customers
Presenters
Patrick Abela, Product Director
Abela has 15 years experience specializing in leveraging technology to deliver innovative and competitive payment products and solutions.
Reno Scerri, Pre-sales and Solutioning Manager
Scerri has over 10 years’ experience in technology products, with special focus on design and delivery of solutions for the payments industry.


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JSC Data Bank is a Ukranian innovative universal bank that provides a wide range of products and services for all types of clients.
Features
  • Transfer money via Facebook
  • Transfer money using only the recipient’s mobile phone number
  • Service is available without registration for everyone
Why it’s great
Pay2You is a service that makes your communication channels available for transferring money.
Presenter
Stanislav Ostrovsky, Head of R&D Department


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QCR has developed RiskAware, an innovative credit risk assessment technology which can add major value to existing risk management practices at financial institutions.
Features
  • Drastically improved corporate default predicting power
  • Deeper credit risk analysis and more accurate quantification of credit risk
  • Faster credit risk management, quicker SLA times
Why it’s great
Through faster and more accurate credit risk management, RiskAware can save millions of USD a year in credit losses for financial institutions.
Presenters

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Tamas Varkonyi, Founder and CEO
Varkonyi’s professional career in credit risk management spans 12 years. Before founding QCR, he managed a credit portfolio at CIT Group and underwrote loans at Barclays.

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Sandor Kocso, CTO
Kocso is a seasoned technologist with 10 years of experience developing financial software applications at Morgan Stanley and Leonteq Securities, Switzerland.


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Topicus.Finance is a flexible, process-oriented business lending platform with self-service capabilities.
Features 
With FORCE Business Lending:
  • Enable automatic loan origination
  • Achieve seamless fulfillment for all parties
  • Facilitate everything from orientation to a fully-repaid debt
Why it’s great
“Customer centric” is no longer a hollow phrase. FORCE Business Lending enables your employees to fully focus on (the business of) your customer.
Presenters

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Michiel Schipper, Managing Director

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Jamie Burink, Head of Business Lending

FinovateEurope 2015 will be held February 10 and 11 in London. Pick up your tickets today and join us for the first Finovate conference of the year.