Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • What’s in a Name? New Mastercard Logo Embraces Icon Age.
  • LendingFront Locks in $4 Million in Series A.

Around the web

  • Ledger introduces its Bluetooth-enabled hardware wallet, Ledger Nano X.
  • Matthijs Aler appointed as the new CEO of Ohpen.
  • PaySend launches new money transfer service, PaySendLink.
  • QNB Group to deploy digital cash management solution from iGTB.
  • Klarna teams up with Stripe and Poq to enhance Missguided’s U.K. app.
  • Oliver Weber takes the helm as the new VP of Digital Banking, Switzerland, for Crealogix.
  • Infosys Finacle announces partnership with Qatar National Bank.
  • Benedigo and Adelaide Bank deploys regtech reporting solution from Wolters Kluwer.

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 Global: Fintech News from Around the World

As Finovate goes increasingly global, so does our coverage of financial technology. Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World is our weekly look at fintech innovation in developing economies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Mastercard partners with Kenya-based PSP, DGO Group, to enable 40,000+ African merchants to accept Mastercard payments.
  • Forbes looks at the founding role of women in Africa’s fintech industry.
  • QuartzAfrica’s review of 2018 begins with a discussion of partnerships between Nigerian fintechs and “global payment giants.”

Central and Eastern Europe

  • Estonian fintech startup CostPocket wins Rockstart pitch competition at the Digital Freedom Festival.
  • Trulioo announces its ID verification services are now available in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
  • Russia-based Oz Forensics wins Fintech Startup of the Year award at India FinTech Awards 2018.

Middle East and Northern Africa

  • ACI Worldwide helps the National Bank of Kuwait launch Swift’s global payments innovation (gpi).
  • Albawaba asks “What UAE Startups Should Expect in 2019?”
  • Daily Sabah calls 2018: “The Year of Million-Dollar Startups in Turkey.”

Central and South Asia

  • InstaReM introduces new feature to enhance ability to make multi-currency payments to multiple beneficiaries.
  • Pakistan’s CareemPay is the latest fintech to challenge the country’s payment industry.
  • Indian government announces new initiatives to support fintech innovation.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Forbes profiles “corporate credit cards for startups” specialist Brex and the potential of the company to expand to Brazil by 2021.
  • Mexico’s El Empresario considers the potential for the country’s fintech sector in 2019. In Spanish.
  • iProUP’s Mundo Fintech looks at the fintech industry in Argentina i the wake of the financial crisis. In Spanish.

Asia-Pacific

  • Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing launches in-app financial services including credit, financing solutions.
  • PaySend inks payments partnership with Vietcombank.
  • TechCrunch features Chinese online consumer lending platform, 360 Finance.

Top image designed by Freepik

Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World

As Finovate goes increasingly global, so does our coverage of financial technology. Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World is our weekly look at fintech innovation in developing economies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Asia-Pacific

  • Singapore-based InstaReM announces new multi-currency feature to make overseas payments easier for SMEs.
  • Myanmar’s biggest privately-owned bank, Kanbawza (KBZ) Bank picks Finastra’s treasury management solution, Fusion Treasury.
  • Government ministries in South Korea partner for joint blockchain project to improve marine logistics and shipping.

Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Mastercard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity (FRP) invests $2.9 million three companies from Burundi, Malawi, and Uganda to support financial inclusion.
  • Nigerian Stock Exchange extends partnership with Nasdaq to continue using its matching engine technology.
  • Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority releases its “FinTech Sandbox Guidance Note” with an initial focus on robo advisors and blockchain technology.

Central and Eastern Europe

  • Intelligent CIO looks at the merger of Polish fintechs, Braintri and iCompass.
  • Mastercard partners with Polish Payment Standard to provide contactless payments.
  • New report from Deloitte and ID Finance analyzes the growth of Russia’s private fintech sector.

Middle East and Northern Africa

  • Iraq’s Hammurabi Commercial Bank to deploy ICS Banks Universal Banking Software Suite.
  • Ripple and UAE Exchange team up to launch blockchain-powered cross-border remittance payment services in Asia in early 2019.
  • Egypt’s Commercial International Bank introduces nation’s first fintech-focused venture capital fund.
  • Clinc Brings Conversational AI to Turkey’s Isbank.

Central and South Asia

  • Obopay teams up with Federal Bank and Mastercard to offer new pre-payment card in India.
  • Indian digital payments firm ePayLater teams up with Cashfree to bring its credit-based payment option to merchants.
  • YourStory features Pune-based fintech startup, Phi Commerce.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Brazilian lender Creditoo announces $1.2 million in new funding.
  • IDB, Finnovista report notes that four out of ten Peruvian fintechs has a female founder.
  • Costa Rica unveils new virtual currency, Ecolones, to encourage recycling.

Top image designed by Freepik

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • What Happens When a Lending Platform Goes Under?
  • Australian Challenger Bank Tyro Partners with Alipay.

Around the web

  • Coinbase leverages an electromagnetic signal blocking tent to secure assets from cybercriminals.
  • Klarna to provide pay later service for U.K. retailer, The Fragrance Shop.
  • Finastra to support fintech collaboration in the Middle East by joining Bahrain FinTech Bay.
  • AlphaPoint powers San Francisco-area, XRP-based cryptocurrency exchange, DCEX.
  • Check Point rumored to be developing a mini-firewall for IoT.
  • Bloomberg reports: Google and Mastercard Cut a Secret Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales.
  • Personal Capital launches “Retirement Paycheck” service to simplify retirement income.
  • Salesforce selects InvestGlass for EMEA fintech accelerator.
  • Black Enterprise profiles DarcMatter co-founder, Natasha Bansgopaul.

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

  • Feedzai Brings Automated Machine Learning to the Fraud Fight.
  • DriveWealth and Bambu Join Forces on Roboadvisory Tool.

Around the web

  • Your Legacy Federal Credit Union to deploy core account processing technology from Fiserv.
  • CYBG (Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank) partners with The ID Co. to integrate DirectID into CYBG’s B mobile banking app.
  • Coinbase unveils crypto plugin to make it easier for e-commerce merchants to accept cryptocurrency payments.
  • Bloomberg: Quantopian makes $50 million allocation to one of its quants.
  • OurCrowd named Most Active Venture Investor in Israel by PitchBook.
  • Jack Henry & Associates and Mastercard deliver Priceless Surprises campaign to 1.8 million cardholders.

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

  • Coinbase Makes Buying Crypto Easier, Faster for U.K. Customers.

Around the web

  • NuData Security embraces EMV 3-D Secure authentication.
  • Entersekt partners with Mastercard to enhance payment options for users of the Nedbank Money app.
  • StockTwits launches Rooms, a chat platform where users create new communities based on shared interests, specific stocks, or market trends
  • COCC leverages Segmint to offer data-driven marketing solutions for bank clients.
  • Roostify announces new Chief Financial Officer Eric Amblard, formerly of EverString Technologies.

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 Global: Fintech News from Around the World

As Finovate goes increasingly global, so does our coverage of financial technology. Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World is our weekly look at fintech innovation in developing economies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Central and Eastern Europe

  • Poland’s Horum Bank, a mobile bank based on blockchain technology, prepares for launch, most likely in the Baltics.
  • VTB Bank in Armenia goes live mobile banking and enhances internet banking services.
  • Emerging Europe examines the fintech industry in Romania “and beyond.”

Middle East and Northern Africa

  • Turkey’s İşbank opens API portal with 14 APIs including payments plans, credit scores, and customer accounts.
  • UAE’s Trriple announces upgrades to its mobile wallet app, making top-ups easier and adding a loyalty program.
  • Growth Business UK features Dubai-based crowdfunding platform, Eurecca.

Central and South Asia

  • Mastercard launches its Simplify Commerce platform in Sri Lanka.
  • Forbes looks at how the election of Imran Khan as Pakistan’s new prime minister could impact the country’s fintech industry.
  • Paysense, a fintech based in Mumbai, India, raised $18 million in funding in a round led by PayU.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Worldline and Brazilian fintech EBANX produce new payment method for Brazilian users of Spotify.
  • Bradesco and Banco do Brasil launch urban mobility payment company, Veloe.
  • International Tax Review looks at the tax policy and the crowdfunding industry in Mexico.

Asia-Pacific

  • Experian leads $28 million investment in C88 Financial Technologies Group as part of effort to boost financial inclusion in Southeast Asia.
  • U.K.-based Online Blockchain introduces ManilaCoin, a cryptocurrency designed to promote financial inclusion in the Philippines.
  • IBM lands managed services deal with Thailand’s Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya) valued at $140 million.

Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Kenyan fintech Tulaa raises $627k in seed funding. The Nairobi-based company helps small farmers access credit and markets.
  • Alpha Code, an accelerator and incubator headquartered in South Africa, begins accepting applications for its AlphaCode Incubate Programme.
  • Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission encourages private and public sector IT leaders to focus on digital inclusion.

Top image designed by Freepik

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Sberbank in Slovenia Partners with Open Banking Platform Provider Token.
  • Equifax Acquires DataX to Promote Financial Inclusion.

Around the web

  • Wirecard and Mastercard collaborate to make contactless payments using wearable technology more accessible.
  • Roostify expands leadership ranks with new Chief Customer Officer, new VP of Sales, and new General Counsel.
  • VyStar Credit Union ($7.6 billion in assets) to upgrade core banking solution with technology from FIS.
  • Hyperwallet to provide mass payment distribution for content processing platform, Wordapp.com.
  • Premier America Credit Union ($2.5 billion in assets) to deploy core processing technology from Jack Henry & Associates.
  • Santander integrates nCino’s Bank Operating System.
  • Carte Wealth Management to launch advisor engagement platform powered by DigitalReach from BlueRush.
  • TechCrunch reports: Coinbase Reportedly Gets Approval from US regulators to Start Listing Tokenized Securities.
  • Ephesoft releases new Swagger/OpenAPI-web services for Ephesoft Transact.

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.

Mastercard Teams Up with Worldpay to Launch ‘Pay by Bank’ in the U.K.

Mastercard Teams Up with Worldpay to Launch ‘Pay by Bank’ in the U.K.

With Pay by Bank, Mastercard and Worldpay are making it easy for shoppers in the U.K. to pay directly from their bank account when purchasing goods and services online. The technology, originally developed by Zapp (which was a division of VocaLink, a company Mastercard acquired in 2016) is expected to be available to customers of HSBC in the second half of 2018. Additional customers will be added later in the year, with new merchants to be added starting early in 2019.

“This is the latest way we’re able to deliver on consumer’s expectations, whether they’re shopping online or paying for utilities,” Mark Barnett, president of Mastercard U.K., Ireland, Nordics, and Baltics. “(Pay by Bank) is set to play a big role in U.K. digital commerce as more banks and merchants offer this as a payment option to millions of their customers.”

The initiative and partnership is also likely to play a big role in Mastercard’s ability to participate in the U.K. debit market, where Visa is common. The agreement will also enable Mastercard to leverage Worldpay’s strong market share in the U.K.

“Through this partnership, Worldpay and Mastercard will help expand payment acceptance options for U.K. consumers and retailers by leveraging account-to-account payments technology with Mastercard’s Pay by Bank app,” Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer for Worldpay Kevin McCarten said. “This – combined with our joint efforts in making digital payments even more convenient and secure globally – creates a powerful partnership that benefits all payments stakeholders.”

Some of the technical features of the new solution include support for EMVCo’s Secure Remote Commerce (SRC), a framework that provides a consistent payment experience for consumers, as well as Mastercard’s Digital Enablement Service which uses a token for enhanced payment security as opposed to a card’s primary 16-digit account number. Worldpay will also take advantage of Mastercard’s MoneySend to enable merchants to get settlement payments to Mastercard debit cards faster.

Mastercard partnered with Vipera for a demonstration of SME Pay at FinovateEurope 2018. SME Pay is a mobile payment solution geared specifically toward small business owners. The technology gives business operators the ability to control how and when company payment cards are used, and includes capture features to make record-keeping and expense reporting easier.

The company made its most recent solo appearance at a Finovate conference the previous year at FinovateFall 2017, where it demonstrated its Cash Pick-Up solution. The technology enables a wide variety of disbursers – from P2P providers and corporate entities to NGOs and government agencies – to deliver cash to consumers through enabled ATMs without requiring a card. In addition to helping serve the underbanked, the solution can be used for emergency funds when cards are lost or stolen, P2P payments, or even for disaster relief. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “MA,” Mastercard has a market capitalization of $213 billion. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.

Worldpay participated in our developers conference, FinDEVr Silicon Valley 2016. The company’s presentation, It’s Not Just About Getting Paid, It’s About the Payment Journey, discussed the importance of implementing a “consumer friendly buying journey” when it comes to growing sales. Worldpay provides technology-led payment products and services to more than 400,000 customers using more than 300 different payment types. Founded in 1989 and headquartered in London, U.K., Worldpay merged with Vanitv at the beginning of the year in a deal valued at $10 billion.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • ACH Alert Reports Record Growth, Stops More than $388 Million in Fraudulent Transactions.
  • Mastercard Teams Up with Worldpay to Launch Pay by Bank in the U.K.

Around the web

  • NetGuardians becomes a certified Avaloq software partner for real-time fraud prevention.
  • Temenos inks multi-year investor servicing contract with Northern Trust.
  • Worldline picks up PISP and AISP licenses from National Bank of Belgium.
  • Enveil earns Standard Technology Partner status in Amazon Web Services partner network.
  • Lleida.net credits new GDPR legislation in the EU for surge in sales for first half of 2018.
  • Equifax acquires specialty credit reporting agency DataX.
  • CFE Federal Credit Union implements Larky’s Engagement Platform.
  • Ledger launches Ledger Live, the all-in-one companion app to your Ledger device.
  • Xero integrates with BBVA’s API Market for small businesses.
  • Lendio expands the Lendio franchise in Rochester, New York.

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.

Strands, Mastercard to Develop Cash Management Platform for SMEs

Strands, Mastercard to Develop Cash Management Platform for SMEs

Strands and Mastercard are working together to provide issuing banks with an integrated platform of digital cash management and commercial payment tools designed for SMEs, reports Antony Peyton of FinTech Futures (Finovate’s sister publication).

According to the duo, Strands’ business financial management (BFM) will use Mastercard’s digital payment technology to deliver solutions to these businesses to understand their finances, project short-term cash flow and see personalised recommendations for customised solutions.

“SMEs are the backbone of the global economy and represent one of the biggest potential sources of revenue for banks; yet they are typically offered banking solutions designed with the retail customer in mind. Our in-house research shows that 61% of SMEs place cash flow management as one of their top three priorities to help them secure their financial future,” said Erik Brieva, Strands’ CEO.

Strands’ BFM solution helps manage accounts payables, receivables, budgets and provisions and is powered by a layer of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning models.

For example, SME users can predict income, expenses, forecast balances, receive alerts and notifications, and recommend products and/or services.

Going forward, Strands adds that users of this BFM platform will also have access to Mastercard In Control, which can help businesses track the use of commercial credit cards, Mastercard Merchant Match Tool to identify merchants that accept credit cards as a form of payment or Mastercard Easy Savings to provide loyalty rewards at select merchants and retailers.

Strands has done more than 600 bank implementations with over 100 million customers in 36 countries. Clients include Barclays, BBVA, Santander, Commercial Bank of Africa, Deutsche Bank, and Huntington.

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, Strands demonstrated its white-label BFM solution at FinovateAsia 2017. The technology leverages Strands’ API Hub, as well as machine learning, to enable banks to better analyze and understand the preferences and behaviors of their SME clients. Banks can then use these insights to make recommendations to help them improve their businesses.

Strands has raised $55 million in funding, and includes Dalbergia, Debaeque, Sequel Venture Partners, and Indigo Investment Corporation among its investors.

Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World

As Finovate goes increasingly global, so does our coverage of financial technology. Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World is our weekly look at fintech innovation in developing economies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Central and Eastern Europe

  • Raiffeisen Bank Romania unveils eight fintech finalists for its Elevator Lab Challenge.
  • Alfa-Bank Belarus migrates to WAY4 platform from digital payments solutions provider OpenWay.
  • 150Sec.com takes a look at the graduating cohort of 19 fintech startups emerging from Latvia and Estonia accelerator programs.

Middle East and Northern Africa

  • Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) signs MoU with Astana Financial Services Authority.
  • Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) announces closing $100 million fundraising round for its Al Waha Fund of Funds.
  • Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) introduces its regulatory framework for spot crypto asset activities.

Latin America

  • BlueRush teams up with Kunder to forge partnership with Chilean pension fund leader, AFPHabitat.
  • Integrated Biometrics announces its 10-print fingerprint scanners have become the standard for financial service organizations in Mexico.
  • Argentine fintech Increase earns Best of the World award for its positive social and environmental impact.

Asia

  • MatchMove powers the first contactless prepaid Mastercard in South Asia
  • Singapore’s PayNow service to be extended to corporate customers with launch of PayNow Corporate later this summer.
  • Cambodia announces plans to build $70 million data center to support development of the country’s digital economy.

Sub-Saharan Africa

  • IT News Africa’s 5 Most Innovative Startups in Kenya list features P2P micro lending marketplace Pezesha; SaaS mobile commerce platform, Sky.Garden; and FX and payment platform, BitPesa.
  • EcoFin Hebdo looks at the rise of insurtech in Africa. In French.
  • Online sports betting in Nigeria sees boost as popularity of digital payments agrows.

Top image designed by Freepik