Barclays is ditching telephone passwords for voice recognition August 1, 2016 Barclays is making passwords for telephone banking obsolete by rolling out voice recognition technology to all its customers. The use of biometric technology is being explored by several banks, but Barclays is the first UK bank to make the technology – which works in the same way as a fingerprint – widely available. Read more: Passwords are [...]
Mobile momentum: Why advertising on handheld devices will allow Google and Facebook to sustain their remarkable growth August 1, 2016 If there was any lingering doubt about the potential of mobile advertising, it was put paid to last week. Advertising’s two behemoths, Google and Facebook, beat analysts’ expectations for growth in the second quarter, thanks largely to the rise of mobile advertising. In its statement, Google’s parent company Alphabet said that not only were companies continuing [...]
David McCourt explains why micro-working is vital, and why he’s so disappointed by Trump and Clinton August 1, 2016 Do you mind always having to up sticks?” I ask David McCourt, founder, chairman and chief executive of telecoms and media investment firm Granahan McCourt, in regard to his likely move to London later this year. “No,” he replies. “I was only in the house my kids grew up in for 14 days last year; I’m [...]
Talking the talk: Harding on Ofcom, hacks, and fibre July 31, 2016 At TalkTalk's Shepherd's Bush offices, cavernous rooms enclosed by exposed walls and trendy staff make this company feel more like an outsized Shoreditch startup than a FTSE 250 constituent. Fitting surroundings for a firm that is out to ape Google’s growing US broadband service, Google Fibre, as it ramps up its challenge to BT’s faux-fibre offering. [...]
Phew! Facebook’s AI chief says intelligent machines are not a threat to humanity July 31, 2016 The chief scientist leading Facebook's research into artificial intelligence doesn't believe the technology is a threat to human existence – unless we are very stupid. "I don’t think at AI will become an existential threat to humanity," said Yann LeCun, the top professor who is leading Facebook's efforts in the space of AI and machine learning. "I’m [...]
China’s Ant Financial is testing out blockchain technology July 31, 2016 Ant Financial, the Chinese fintech giant spun off from Alibaba, is testing out blockchain technology for the first time to build a more transparent process for donating money. The group's charity platform, Ant Love, will use blockchain technology to track donations to one project being funded via the site. “We are trying to bring small and [...]
French bank BPCE acquires hot fintech challenger Fidor July 28, 2016 France’s fourth largest bank has gobbled up a fintech startup that specialises in digital banking. BPCE has acquired German challenger Fidor to push forward its digital strategy across Europe. Fidor, named one of Europe’s hottest fintech companies, currently operates in several countries including the UK. Founded in 2009 and with investment from Anthemis Group among others, BPCE has agreed [...]
An upside down hype cycle is the reassuring Brexit chart you’ve been looking for July 28, 2016 Meet the chart that might put your mind at ease over the hand wringing brought about by Brexit. Gartner’s hype cycle is the go-to chart that lays out the ups and downs of the trends in technology, if you’re not familiar. There’s the “innovation trigger” stage when ideas are at the earliest research stage, then the “peak [...]
Mark Zuckerberg added $1.9bn to his wealth in less than 24 hours July 28, 2016 How do you fancy making $1.9bn in less than a day? You'd need to have founded the hottest company of the last decade and exclusively wear grey T-shirts – yep, basically, be Mark Zuckerberg. Yesterday the Facebook founder was worth $53.3bn. Today, his wealth stands at an even heftier $55.2bn. Not at all bad for less than 24 [...]
The monster that is Facebook just hit a record high and overtook Exxon July 28, 2016 Shares in Facebook have hit a record high after smashing Wall Street forecasts across the board, helping it briefly overtake oil firm Exxon Mobil to become the fourth largest company in the world. Shares jumped nearly four per cent on the back of a more than impressive 59 per cent growth in revenue while net income rocketed [...]