Can’t name the UK technology secretary? That’s because we don’t have one September 3, 2019 Do you know who our secretary of state for technology is? Or can you name the tech minister? No? That’s not surprising, because they don’t exist. While we all might agree that technology is a key ingredient to a successful and vibrant economy and to our advancement as a society, there is still no one [...]
Facebook libra: Could regulators crush Mark Zuckerberg’s dream cryptocurrency? August 27, 2019 Mark Zuckerberg’s decision this summer to launch a digital currency – Facebook libra – sparked the interest and concern of regulators around the world. Watchdogs have warned that without tight regulations libra could be used for money laundering and financing terrorism. They have also raised concerns over the potential risks it poses to data protection [...]
Meet Par Hedberg – the godfather of Sweden’s tech startups August 27, 2019 If you were asked where the most tech innovation comes from, you’d probably answer Silicon Valley – the home of Google, Amazon and Facebook. And you’d be right. But what you might not know is that Stockholm is a close second. The Swedish capital produces more billion-dollar companies per capita than any other region in [...]
Dutch fintech Adyen sees core profit jump 79 per cent August 22, 2019 Adyen, the Dutch fintech company that processes payments for companies including Facebook and Netflix, has reported a jump in first-half core profit, helped by an increased volume of transactions. The figures Adyen said its core earnings (EBITDA) for the first half of the year were up 79 per cent to €125.8m (£115m), up from €70.3m [...]
Whatsapp in talks to launch mobile payments service in Indonesia August 20, 2019 Whatsapp is said to be in discussions with several digital payments firms in Indonesia over plans to offer mobile transactions over its platform. If a deal were reached, it would make Indonesia only the second country worldwide where Whatsapp offers the service. Read more: NSO denies Whatsapp spyware can hack data The firm is currently [...]
Travelex-owner Finablr profit rise bolsters shares above float levels August 20, 2019 Travelex-owner Finablr enjoyed a nearly 10 per cent rise in half-year profits, in its second financial report since floating on the London stock exchange earlier this year. Shares in the United Arab Emirates-based payment solutions firm jumped as much as nine per cent this morning, above its original initial public offering price of 175p in [...]
Octopus buys wealth management fintech Seccl for £10m August 15, 2019 Financial services and energy firm Octopus has agreed to purchase Seccl, a wealth management technology startup, as it seeks to move into the investment platform technology market. Octopus will pay £10m for Seccl, a Bath-based firm that helps businesses build investment platforms using flexible software designed to reduce the administrative and cost burden of the [...]
Just Eat backer leads $11m raise for City fintech August 15, 2019 Prolific tech investor Index Ventures has led an $11m (£9.2m) series A round for London fintech firm Flatfair. Other participating investors included Onefinestay founder Greg Marsh, former Savills boss Jeremy Helsby, Transferwise co-founder Taavet Hinrikus, Revolt Ventures and Adevinta. Index has previously backed the likes of Facebook, Skype and Just Eat, among others. Flatfair allows [...]
Fintech giant Robinhood to launch commission-free stock trading service in UK August 8, 2019 Commission-free stock trading giant Robinhood is bringing its fintech platform to the UK after receiving the go-ahead from the UK’s financial regulator, it said today. The US startup, which is valued in the billions of dollars, will have to contend with rivals Revolut, Freetrade and Etoro in the UK space after the Financial Conduct Authority [...]
Credit providers must learn to embrace new technology August 8, 2019 Personal finance has a legacy problem. Until now, those who weren’t familiar with its inner workings have never truly understood financial products and services. A combination of technical jargon and a lack of clarity concerning the impact that certain decisions might have on a person’s credit rating has often left consumers very confused about exactly [...]