How they describe themselves: CurrencyFair solves the pain experienced by anyone that needs to send money abroad. Expats, overseas homeowners, and SMEs typically pay large spreads (up to 3%) and high international transfer fees of around €25 on every payment. CurrencyFair’s solution is simple: we host an online, order-driven, peer-to-peer marketplace where customers can negotiate exchange rates anonymously with other customers exchanging in the opposite direction. CurrencyFair itself, as a trusted and regulated entity, holds the funds during the transaction and ensures that all payments are sent directly and efficiently to the required beneficiary. CurrencyFair also supplies liquidity where required to ensure that transactions of any size can be executed immediately.

How they describe their product/innovation: CurrencyFair has completely upgraded its interface, further streamlining the process of peer-to-peer foreign exchange transfers. This includes a new QuickTrade feature, which quotes an ‘instant exchange rate’ for any given amount, calculated based on the weighted average of the best rates of all opposing customer orders combined with CurrencyFair’s own liquidity. This allows any amount, large or small, to be exchanged immediately at exchange rates close to, and in some cases even better than, the interbank rate.

Contacts:

Bus. Dev. & Press: Brett Meyers, Managing Director, [email protected]

How they describe themselves: InvestorBee is powered by a growing database of consumer investment information, which is the heartbeat of the proposition. The database provides insight into the investment performance experienced by consumers and tracks their behaviours over time, including investment and saving decisions, using a patented process. This ‘Hive’ contains data on over one million UK investors. The model is applicable not just to the UK but also to the US, Australia, and other regions around the globe.

How they describe their product/innovation: For the first time, 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. Users can choose an objective risk-based strategy that’s right for them in a few easy steps.

Our users extract wisdom from the crowd to make better, simpler investment decisions – all for free at InvestorBee.

Contacts:

Bus. Dev. & Press: Maya Kuzalti, Information Director, [email protected], +44 (0) 20 7297 2510

How they describe themselves: Dynamics Inc. produces and manufactures intelligent powered cards such as advanced payment cards. Focused on introducing fast-cycle innovation to top card issuers, the company’s first innovation is the world’s first fully programmable magnetic stripe for use in next-generation payment cards. The company is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has offices in New York City and Silicon Valley, California.

Contacts:

Bus. Dev.: Chris Rigatti, Sr. Director, [email protected]
Press: Allen Bush, Edelman, [email protected]
Sales: Chris Rigatti, Sr. Director, [email protected]

How they describe themselves: MShift and ACI Worldwide formed an alliance in 2010 to offer mobile delivery of ACI Enterprise Banker, the industry leading business banking solution across web-enabled mobile phones. MShift has been deploying mobile banking solutions for over ten years and has over 200 North American deployments. ACI Worldwide has one of the most diverse and robust product portfolios in the industry, with application software spanning the length of the e-payments value chain.

How they describe their product/innovation: Mobile Enterprise Banker for Tablet is a tablet-optimized business banking solution. The solution is targeted towards business executives who are interested in robust and graphically rich presentations of company data as well operational tasks like ACH and Wire release and bill payment.

Contacts:

Bus. Dev.:
Jeff Chen, VP Business Development, MShift, [email protected]
Press:
ACI Worldwide: [email protected], 402-390-7600
MShift: [email protected], www.mshift.com, T: 408-437-2740, F: 408-437-2741

How they describe themselves: ActivePath: ActivePath’s secure transactional email and messaging solutions enable FIs to lower communication spend, improve customer relationships and long-term value. Using ActivePath technology, institutions can send account alerts and eStatements embedded with real-time, event-triggered rewards and offers that customers securely transact from directly within the email message – without clicking links or opening browsers.

Cardlytics: Through a highly relevant, “market-of-one” approach, Cardlytics unites banks and merchants to provide rich rewards to customers based on their individual purchase behavior. The rewards improve consumers’ banking behavior by increasing usage, reducing attrition and strengthening engagement with all digital banking channels (online, mobile, email, SMS).

How they describe their product/innovation: Offering bank customers an enhanced eStatement experience using secure and interactive e-mail messaging to view, activate and otherwise interact with their targeted rewards with the full functionality found in electronic banking.  Offers are embedded into relevant transactions using Cardlytics’ industry leading placement engine. Secure and interactive eStatement delivery is provided by ActivePath’s innovative ActiveMail solution.

Contacts:

Bus. Dev.:  ActivePath: Robert Mehler, VP Bus. Dev., [email protected], 212-946-4904;
Cardlytics: Jason Brooks, SVP Bus. Dev., [email protected], 404-425-5937
Press: Grace Cohen, Anthorne Group PR (for ActivePath), [email protected],
603-428-6640;
Rod Witmond, SVP Product & Marketing at Cardlytics, [email protected], 404-425-5957
Sales: ActivePath: Rob Dorney, [email protected], 617-594-7000;
Cardlytics: David Torgerson, [email protected], 404-425-5959

How they describe themselves: Andera is the leader in integrated online customer acquisition solutions for retail financial institutions. Its suite of products and services includes solutions for marketing, customer acquisition, automated online account opening, risk management, funding, and cross selling.

How they describe their product/innovation: Andera’s FortiFI product stops online new account fraud. It scans applications submitted online to over 500 financial institutions discovering patterns used by fraud rings only visible on an industry-wide scale, and flags applications matching known patterns before an account is opened at the bank. FortiFI is available as both a feature of Andera’s hosted account origination solution and its Software Development Platform (SDK). The SDK gives developers instant “plug and play” access to the many services and software components (e.g., ID verification, application risk management, funding risk management, funds transfer, etc.) used by Andera’s popular hosted online account opening solution, reducing the time and cost to bring innovative online services to market.

Contacts:

Bus. Dev.: Tom Sheehan, SVP Sales & Business Development, [email protected], 978 761-0544
Press: Bob Chatham, CMO, [email protected], 401-742-8264
Sales: Ted Brown, Sales Executive, [email protected], 401-574-4768

How they describe themselves: Authentify provides global online authentication services based on using an end user’s telephone as an authentication tool. An automated phone call, when synchronized with an online event, enables the end user’s telephone to become an effective proxy for a security credential. Authentify offers authentication schemas to suit many application requirements including user authentication and real time transaction approval or cancellation. Authentify offers a strong security process that is difficult to spoof. Voice channel and SMS options are available. The process thwarts today’s biggest threats to online commerce including keystroke loggers and other advanced persistent threats such as Zeus/Zbot, Carberp and others.

How they describe their product/innovation: Authentify 2CHK™ is a small app that establishes a separate, 2-way window into a user’s bank account from their mobile device or desktop. 2CHK permits a user to double check account transactions and approve or cancel them using controls provided by the app. Developed to combat MITM/MITB/Zeus SpyEye malware variants, the heart of 2CHK is its encrypted second communication channel established only when the user completes an out-of-band authentication with the application’s backend. Once established, the encrypted channel can be used to verify multiple transactions extending a financial institution’s ability to apply interactive OOB transaction verification against virtually all transactions types.

Contacts:

Bus. Dev.: John Zurawski, VP Authentify, [email protected], 773-243-0328
Press: Rachael Means, Marketing Manager, [email protected], 773-243-0343
Sales: Paul Witt, VP North American Sales Organization, [email protected], 773-243-0361

How they describe themselves: Backbase delivers Bank 2.0 Portal Software that provides a new, user experience layer on top of underlying infrastructure and IT systems. With our efficient design, Backbase Bank 2.0 Portal enables financials to create high-quality portals that empower both end-customers, as well as e-business professionals. This means faster time to market and more flexibility to optimize your online channels. Backbase Bank 2.0 Portal comes with powerful Web 2.0 functionalities to acquire and retain customers, drive self-service, fuel online revenues and turn the online channel into a true Customer Experience Platform. Global Financials such as ABN Amro, AIG, Al Rajhi Bank, Barclays, Bank of America, ING, UBS and Visa use Backbase technology to optimize their online customer experiences. Backbase was founded in 2003 and is privately funded with operations in New York and Amsterdam.

How they describe their product/innovation: Backbase is launching its ‘Retail Bank of the Future’ representing the e-banking engagement experience of tomorrow. It embodies the newest User Experience (UX) patterns based on input gathered from customer research, industry thought leaders and UX specialists. The Backbase Retail Bank of the Future uses the latest interaction patterns and stretches the limits of today’s front-end technologies across multiple devices and touch-points in order to create a centrally orchestrated Bank 2.0 end-user experience. In coming years, Backbase will continue to release updates to embrace emerging trends and lessons learned from our customers in the field. Access to these components and newer versions will be distributed through Backbase’s App Store (launched at FinovateSpring this year). With the underlying technology in place, including its award-winning Portal technology, Backbase is now focused on leading the way in customer engagement solutions.

Contacts:

Press: Jelmer de Jong, Head of Marketing, [email protected], +31623026012
Sales: Herber de Ruijter, General Manager, North America, [email protected], 646-275-4539

How they describe themselves: Personal finance stresses most people out. For many, it is just another chore that gets minimal attention. Free, do-it-yourself financial tools don’t work for most people either. Our team believes an alternative should exist in personal finance that delivers an affordable, professional service much like with tax preparation and financial advisory services. For those who are tired of tracking down bills, worried about missing payments and stressed over out-of-date spending reports, Balance is a place where you can have your financial chores managed for you.  With Balance, you get less stress, better results, professional support and everything in one place.

How they describe their product/innovation: Balance is innovative by leveraging technology to create service-based alternatives for dealing with daily financial chores. Balance uses highly automated financial tools and a nationwide network of professionals to manage your personal finances for you. At Finovate, our team will present a new $39.95 per month package focusing on reporting and filing. To go along with our core bill management capabilities, our new Essential package features account aggregation and expense tracking tools along with the ability to have your bookkeeper create custom spending reports. Also, look for our photo bill pay mobile app also with video chat.

Contacts:

Bus. Dev., Press & Sales: Devin Miller, CEO, [email protected], 425-458-4400

How they describe themselves: BankSimple is reinventing personal banking – modern online and mobile experiences, no surprise fees, and great customer service. In partnership with banks that hold customer deposits in FDIC-insured products, Bank-Simple is redesigning the way that consumers interact with their bank and their money.

How they describe their product/innovation: BankSimple will publicly demonstrate its product for the first time at Finovate Fall 2011.

Contacts:

Bus. Dev. & Press: Adam Erlebacher, VP Product Marketing, [email protected]

How they describe themselves: Betterment is the simple and smart answer to the common question, “What should I do with my money?” We empower customers to invest for their goals in an optimal blend of stocks and bonds with minimal effort. We do this by making trade-offs clear, giving questionnaire-based advice, and allowing customers to see how others like them invest. Betterment is a set-it-and-forget-it, no pain, smart investment.

To make the investing process seamless and easy, we have built an end-to-end platform that links to a customer’s checking account for free transfers, manages and rebalances portfolios of ETFs, handles fractional share purchases, and more.

How they describe their product/innovation:
Betterment is committed to helping consumers make the right investing decisions to meet their financial goals. Our new goal based tool enables users to make smart, goal-based investment decisions. In keeping with Betterment’s easy and intuitive user experience, we’ve created a simple three step process that empowers users to invest towards specific goals.

Step 1 – A user identifies their goal (i.e. retirement, buy a house, vacation, etc.), when they want to reach this goal, and how much they will contribute towards this goal.

Step 2 – User selects short term risk tolerance for this particular goal, based on Betterment’s projections of likely return, potential upside and downside.

Step 3 – Users selects long term risk tolerance for this particular goal, based on Betterment’s projections.

After completing these three steps, the user receives a recommended portfolio allocation, and, can set their portfolio for this goal with just one click. Reaching future goals through investing is now faster and simpler than ever before!

Contacts:

Bus. Dev.: Eli Broverman, [email protected]
Sales: Mary Biggins, [email protected]
Press: Johanna Scott, [email protected]

How they describe themselves: BillGuard, a personal finance security startup, recognized by O’Reilly Media as the 2011 Big-Data Startup of the Year and by TechCrunch as 2011’s Top Startup Runner-Up, has developed a groundbreaking new approach to identifying unwanted and unauthorized charges on consumer credit card bills. Powered by the collective knowledge of millions of consumers flagging and posting billing complaints online and BillGuard’s advanced transaction data mining algorithms, BillGuard scans card activity daily and alerts consumers to hidden charges, billing errors, misleading subscriptions, scams and fraud. BillGuard provides a free consumer service at www.billguard.com and partners with banks to offer its advanced card protection services as a seamless part of your online and mobile banking experiences.

How they describe their product/innovation: BillGuard is people-powered antivirus for bills. BillGuard.com is a free online service that enables consumers to protect their credit cards and debit cards from hidden charges, billing errors, misleading subscriptions, scams and fraud. BillGuard will also unveil its new browser extension that brings the power of BillGuard into online bank statements.

Contacts:

Bus. Dev. & Sales: Justin Bonar, VP Business Development & Sales, [email protected],
203-653-5098
Press: Kelly Fitzgerald, [email protected], 917-731-5734