The Co-op is exploring blockchain technology September 7, 2016 The Co-Operative Group is exploring how blockchain technology can be used to prove the authenticity of its food in a pilot of a "fairtrade for the digital age" project. The supermarket is working with early stage blockchain startup Provenance to investigate how its technology can be used to track that its produce comes from sustainable sources [...]
London is still number one for fintech – and now we’re going global September 6, 2016 Ten weeks on from Brexit, the City is back to business following the summer, and the fintech community is as busy as ever working through its plans for an ever-changing world. While the uncertainty of Brexit may loom for some time, London is still the number one fintech hub on the planet. We have created [...]
Hong Kong follows UK lead with fintech “sandbox” September 6, 2016 Hong Kong is the latest city to follow the example of the UK's financial watchdog and set up its own scheme to accelerate the development of financial technology. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has launched a so-called sandbox to let banks experiment with as yet unregulated technology and ideas. Read more: A new corporate-backed fintech [...]
Insurtech investment in the UK has tripled September 6, 2016 Investment in the insurance technology sector – part of London's world leading fintech scene – is booming. More than $22m (£16.5m) has been ploughed into insurtech so far this year – nearly triple the amount invested in the whole of last year and faster growth than any other country in the world. The research from Accenture and CB Insights, [...]
London fintech star Transferwise doubles revenue as losses grow September 5, 2016 Fintech unicorn Transferwise has revealed revenue tripled last year but losses grew as it continues to plough cash into global growth. Revenue came in at £28m in 2015, up from £10m the previous year, while pre-tax losses grew to £17m from £11m a year earlier. The payments firm transfered more than £800m a month for customers, which now number one million. The number of transactions has also [...]
Northzone raises €300m fund and is eyeing London fintech startups September 5, 2016 A European venture capital firm which has previously backed Spotify, iZettle and London fintech startup MarketInvoice, has launched a new multi-million pound fund to plough into tech startups across Europe, including the UK in another vote of confidence in the country after Brexit. Northzone has closed a €300m (£252m) fund to invest in early stage companies from global institutional investors and is eyeing up tech [...]
London tech startup and Visa partner on blockchain – and want banks’ help September 1, 2016 A London-based blockchain startup has partnered with pay giant Visa and will start testing the technology to make cross-border payments. It's the latest collaboration between an established financial services firm and a startup to experiment with the distributed ledger technology which experts believe could reduce costs and speed up transactions. Read more: These big banks are [...]
These big banks are working on a digital currency together August 24, 2016 Several of the world's biggest banks are working together to create a digital currency to speed up settlements with the ambitious goal of putting the blockchain-based system into practice by 2018. UBS has been working on the Utility Settlement Coin (USC) since last year and is now being joined by Santander, Deutsche Bank, BNY Mellon and the broker Icap on [...]
Watch out Carney: Here’s what Japan’s central bank just said about fintech August 23, 2016 The Bank of England made history this summer with the launch of the first ever fintech accelerator by a central bank. But, forward-thinking Mark Carney is not the only governor eyeing the potential of the fintech sector and its future role in monetary policy making and central banking. Haruhiko Kuroda, the governor of the Bank of Japan, has indicated [...]
The mobile payments battle just intensified in the UK August 23, 2016 iZettle is likely a familiar sight if you frequent small coffee shops or market stalls across the capital. The tiny card reading machine has sprung up across the UK, making it easier for shops to offer customers the option of paying by card without having to invest in the pricey systems offered by the big tech companies. [...]