We’ve not even scratched the surface of fintech’s true potential – and banks will struggle to keep up May 26, 2016 Fintech innovation has seen rapid growth over the past few years and is producing businesses with scalable products. In turn, senior executives at banks are responding to the challenge these businesses present and have begun to set up their own incubators to capture this rapid innovation. Driving much of this has been the rise of [...]
Here’s why banks have – and can keep – the upper hand over P2P lenders May 26, 2016 I asked a former chief investment officer of a huge bank a couple of years ago which bank would buy up P2P firms first. They replied: “no, which P2P firm will buy a bank?” Deloitte’s report this week on marketplace lending (MPL) suggests they were wrong. It concludes that the success of P2P lenders is [...]
Samsung’s Apple and Android Pay rival will launch in Europe next week May 25, 2016 Samsung is heading into battle with Apple and Google in the war for mobile tap and pay users by focusing on extras such as membership and loyalty schemes as it launches Samsung Pay in Europe for the first time. The Korean smartphone maker is facing stiff competition from Apple Pay which launched last year and Google’s Android Pay [...]
No, P2P lenders aren’t going to topple banks – but we don’t want to May 25, 2016 Peer-to-peer lending was born a decade ago and has offered an alternative and often more accessible route to funding for thousands of small and medium sized businesses. The sector’s popularity has exploded in recent years, leading many, including a newly published report from Deloitte, to assume that platforms now have the established banking sector in [...]
China just joined a major blockchain consortium May 24, 2016 A Chinese insurer is the latest business to join the major R3 blockchain consortium and the first financial institution in the country to become a member alongside the likes of Barclays, HSBC and Goldman Sachs. Ping An, the second largest insurance firm in China, has joined the group, which was formed late last year to work on [...]
We’re fintech investors, but here’s why we’ll never be based in Silicon Valley May 23, 2016 In 1934, Willie Sutton was asked by FBI agents “why do you rob banks, Willie?”. Sutton replied dryly, “because that's where the money is”. We create rather than rob banks, so why did we set up outside of Silicon Valley, where the tech money is? Because that’s where the banks are. Anthemis is in London, New York and Geneva, [...]
Traditional banks’ dominance of lending market set to continue despite peer-to-peer growth, report finds May 23, 2016 Banks will fight off competition from non-traditional lenders and continue to dominate the borrowing market over the next decade, a Deloitte report has suggested. The firm’s Marketplace Lending report estimates that by 2025 marketplace lenders (MPLs), previously known as peer-to-peer (P2P) lenders, will account for up to around six per cent, or £35.5bn, of the [...]
The four things which could tip the scales in favour of fintech startups over banks May 19, 2016 Banks can breath a sigh of relief. Fintech isn't going to make them obsolete any time soon, according to Moody's, but there are four things to look out for that have the potential to swing that balance in the other direction. There won't be a major shock of disruption from fintech, the credit agency has said [...]
Zopa’s got a new finance product, expanding into car refinancing loans and more May 19, 2016 Peer-to-peer lender Zopa is branching out with a new loan product offering car refinancing in a bid for a share of the £12bn a year market. Around 40 per cent of Zopa's loans are used for buying a car and Zopa Car ReFi will be a dedicated product aimed at those who already have a car [...]
This banking platform is using wearables delivering electric shocks to stop people going over their spending limit May 19, 2016 A new banking platform promises to reduce overspending among millennials, by using the "Internet of Things" to break bad spending habits. The platform – called "Interact IoT" – was devised by FinTech company Intelligent Environments and connects individuals’ bank details with smart devices such as Nest and Pavlok. Go beyond your spending limit, and your heating will automatically be turned [...]