Fintech boom means Brexit won’t hurt exports June 14, 2016 Exporting can be a powerful driver of business growth, and small and medium-sized enterprises that sell overseas often find themselves more successful in their domestic market as a result of what they learn from exporting. So, I was disheartened to see at a recent seminar hosted by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, that only around 20 per [...]
Watch out PayPal: Now you can use Apple Pay online June 13, 2016 Apple has made a major move with its mobile pay service, adding support for it online. This means users can simply use a "Pay by Apple" button when browsing on the iPhone or Mac, in addition to using the iPhone to pay at tills. An Apple Pay button will appear when you pay online, via [...]
Tennis star Andy Murray serves up three more investments via Seedrs June 13, 2016 Tennis star and former Wimbledon champ Andy Murray has announced three more investments in British startups, made via the crowdfunding platform Seedrs. Murray, who lost to rival Novak Djokovic in the final of the French Open last weekend, has invested in Beeline, Dog Tracker Nano and blow LTD. The size of the investments has not been disclosed. Beeline is [...]
Don’t bank on an Uber moment… yet June 10, 2016 It’s an interesting time to be working with most of the world’s largest banks. If economic instability, skills gaps and a tsunami of regulation weren’t enough, they now face stern warnings from respected ex-colleagues about the future of the industry. Step forward Anthony Jenkins, the ex-Barclays banker who reiterated last week that banks are facing their ‘Uber moment’. That’s [...]
Is fintech the new black? Lower trust in disruptors gives banks reason to cheer June 10, 2016 Digital innovation – and more specifically the impact of fintech – is currently the most intensely debated topic in the financial services sector. Two years ago hardly anyone outside the industry had heard of fintech. Now it’s the hottest investment class globally for VCs. PwC recently produced a report claiming that over 20 per cent [...]
Fintech startup GoHenry just smashed crowdfunding records (and that’s a problem) June 7, 2016 A fintech firm which teaches kids how to manage money has smashed its fundraising target, becoming the most highly funded crowdfunded business in Britain. The success of startup GoHenry, which raised just shy of £4m and surpasses the previous record of £3.5m for JustPark, has spurred crowdfunding platform Crowdcube to call for the existing limit on the value of investments to be raised. Early-stage businesses can currently raise [...]
Why the mortgage market is due to be shaken up by the tech revolution June 3, 2016 Scaling the housing ladder can feel like climbing Everest and nowhere more so than in the capital. From saving every penny for a first deposit, to scouring the tube map for the next undiscovered, reasonably priced gem, the affordability challenges are well documented. But there are other unnecessary challenges driven by an outdated industry that [...]
These are six ways banking is about to change, according to former Barclays boss Antony Jenkins June 2, 2016 Antony Jenkins thinks that banking is having an "Uber" moment, undergoing a transformation that will leave the sector looking entirely unrecognisable. Jenkins, who is currently chairman of Business in the Community and was previously group chief executive of Barclays, imparted his wisdom at an event hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales this evening, remarking "there [...]
This London startup claims it’s launched the first ever working blockchain platform for financial institutions June 1, 2016 A London startup which boasts the former chairman of Barclays bank on its board has launched a new blockchain platform for financial institutions which it claims is the first of its kind. Several organisations are in the race to build a distributed ledger platform with blockchain technology, which can be used across the industry for processing transactions more quickly and [...]
Monitise is keeping hold of its content business after all May 31, 2016 Monitise has cancelled a potential sale of its content business which includes the MyVoucherCodes website, sending shares diving as much as nine per cent in early trading on Tuesday morning. The firm first revealed talks were taking place in early March for the sale of Markco Media, sending shares soaring more than 40 per cent. It today said those [...]