Do you have a startup idea that you’d like to share? Or are you an SME working with a great product? Apply to win € 50,000 in July! It’s your chance to secure a professional collaboration worth €50K!! UniCredit and the Open Bank Project have launched the 2016 global competition for financial technology developers and startups which will be held… Read more →
I recently had a chance to catch up with Renu Bhatia, Co-Founder and Managing Director of SuperCharger, a dedicated Fintech accelerator in Hong Kong. Pioneering the Fintech Pivot to Asia with SuperCharger [Kevin Moseri] How has the Fintech space in Hong Kong grown so quickly? [Renu Bhatia] About 18 months to 2 years ago, there wasn’t a whole lot happening… Read more →
Introduction: Preparing for the Bank of the Future with PSD2 For the last two years, many industry commentators and analysts have been warning that banks are facing a huge disruptive force as new fintech startups emerge to offer a similar group of services to some of the more traditional banking operations. Now, across Europe, the Second Payments Services Directive (PSD2)… Read more →
PayPal and Village Capital have decided to answer the call to action on financial inclusion. In December 2015 I commented on the number one factor that would end up helping financial inclusion in 2016. Call to action for social impact entrepreneurs Yesterday PayPal and Village Capital announced that they would build a supportive ecosystem for Fintech social impact entrepreneurs, which… Read more →
Just as a follow-up on an open API ecosystem conversation with Ismail Chaib, COO of Open Bank Project in July, I decided to find out why banks might not want to fully embrace an open API ecosystem. Open API Ecosystem: Third Party Access vs. Direct to Customer Downloads PSD2 puts the spotlight on the banks. It forces them to figure… Read more →
Are you fed up with your bank? Do you think that bank fees are too high? Does your bank lack the ability to know you? YES! Well, sorry Traditional Banks. 99% of account holders are more likely to say yes. Switching checking/current accounts takes as little as 7 days. As an account holder, I would rather switch my account to… Read more →
I was just reading a fantastic article by John Boitnott, 8 Ways Financial Technology Will Evolve in 2016 (well, I had to go easy on the Christmas turkey helpings and find something interesting to concentrate on!) and one thing that I agree with is the concept of educating consumers into making smarter decisions. The consequence of this education is the… Read more →
If you haven’t heard about the Open Bank Project (OBP), then you haven’t been paying attention to the open bank API standard discussion that’s center stage in the UK or the with the PSD2. The UK government is already setting out plans to go further through an open API standard in UK banking. The whole point of the standardization is… Read more →
The UK government is currently working with banks and Fintech firms to have a detailed framework set out for an open API standard ecosystem by the end 2015, in a move it claims will empower consumers and boost competition. (Download a PDF copy of the UK Government report here) The standardization that ensues is envisioned to allow the development of… Read more →
Just as a follow-up to the Open API initiative conversation in the UK, I decided to see what’s available in Germany. Berlin is known for its very vibrant start-up scene. So it wasn’t like looking for a needle in the haystack when I decided to take a look at startups that are making a difference with banking APIs. The Open… Read more →
I have to admit that I’ve watched the Back to the Future trilogy more than once. Who could resist! So just like Marty and Doc, I got to wonder about the direction that mobile payments and mobile banking is taking. Payments and Banking- in 2025 Mobile payments as we know them in 2015 have all but disappeared. No longer do… Read more →
Chris Gledhall and Secco (bank) are on a mission. I have to admit the whole premise of doing away with banks and banking apps is ingenious! Since the advent of social media channels, banks have always had a weakness ready to be exploited. It certainly could be attributed to rigidity and an inherent unwillingness to adapt to new realities.… Read more →