Blockchain payment revolution: How to ensure confidence in twenty-first century transactions January 22, 2016 We are on the threshold of a revolution in financial services which promises extraordinary leaps in efficiency for all kinds of transactions. And arguably the biggest obstacle to our society reaping the full benefit of this findustrial revolution is the issue of trust in transactions. When stock exchanges developed centuries ago, a handshake between (predominantly) [...]
These countries contribute most to global innovation: UK third behind only Finland and Sweden thanks to positive policy January 21, 2016 The UK has been identified as the third biggest contributor to global innovation in the world behind only Finland and Sweden according to a new study. The stronger a country's contribution to global innovation, the greater its own success in innovation domestically, research from think tank the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) found. The countries were ranked [...]
The firms benefiting from the cybercrime arms race: NCC, Sophos and Darktrace make UK a cybersecurity leader January 21, 2016 Cybercrime fears are on the rise but it’s not bad news for everyone: the IT security sector is booming. With high-profile hacks against firms like JD Wetherspoons and TalkTalk exposing hundreds of thousands’ personal and financial data, and government and big business alike have been racing to tackle the growing threat, with the UK doubling [...]
The Uniwheel is the British-made alternative to last year’s cheap, exploding hoverboard toys January 21, 2016 The last time I attempted to ride a hoverboard, the device turned on me. The supposedly self-balancing bastard hurled my innocent body to the ground and shattered my left elbow before zooming off, filling the air with triumphant bleeps and bloops as it made good its escape. If this was the first punch thrown in [...]
Buoyant in Bexley or sad in Sutton: These are London’s happiest and saddest boroughs, according to Twitter January 21, 2016 If you live in Sutton and find it hard to drag yourself out of bed in the morning, it's not your fault, it turns out. A new survey, which has ranked London's boroughs from happiest to saddest based on their tweets, has found Sutton is London's most miserable borough. Enfield comes a close second, with Lewisham [...]
News Corp says rumours of interest in buying Twitter are untrue as social network’s share price jumps on rumours of potential takeover January 20, 2016 News Corp has denied that it is interested in buying or building a stake in Twitter, after rumours of potential takeover interest pushed the social network's shares up by almost six per cent earlier today. Rupert Murdoch's media giant was cited by CNBC as one potential bidder for the struggling tech firm, however a spokesperson for News Corp [...]
Citymapper raises $40m with funding from Index Ventures and Benchmark Capital January 20, 2016 The London founded startup Citymapper has raised a new round of funding from venture capital investors worth $40m (£28m). Index Ventures and Benchmark Capital have funded the series B round along with Yuri Milner, Tom Stafford and Michael Lynton. The hugely popular app founded in 2010 uses data to give users real-time travel information. It [...]
Blockchain technology is useful – just not for everything January 20, 2016 You may have heard of blockchains and Bitcoin as exciting new innovations but you’d be forgiven if you’re confused about what they are or their relationship to each other. Blockchains provide a way to store information so that many people can see it, keep a copy of it, and add to it. Once added, it [...]
Davos 2016: Why London fintech can transform the 21st century January 20, 2016 In recent years, there has been cynicism about the objectives of the World Economic Forum annual meeting at Davos, with reports of parties, private jets and closed-door discussions. However, the core purpose of the forum should not be dismissed in an era of global upheaval, tensions and economic uncertainty for billions across the developed and [...]
As challenger banks, fintech and digital payments take off, here are four reasons why 2016 will be the year banks are on the run January 20, 2016 Until recently, managing your money meant dealing with a bank. For both businesses and individuals they were pretty much the only game in town. But that’s no longer the case. Thanks to digital challengers, tech startups and the ongoing fallout from the financial crisis, banks face huge competition in all areas of their business. Each [...]