Following the ‘Day of Action’ in support of net neutrality, should the US Congress reconsider the move to scrap it? | City A.M. July 13, 2017 DEBATE: Following the ‘Day of Action’ in support of net neutrality, should the US Congress reconsider the move to scrap it? YES – StJohn Deakins, founder of CitizenMe. This is economics 101. Infrastructure and service companies have very different financial models. There’s a rich history of infrastructure firms attempting to raise profits by expanding into [...]
Hot UK cyber security startup Darktrace raises $75m series D at $825m valuation July 11, 2017 One of the Uk’s hottest startups has millions of pounds in fresh funding, pushing the firm’s valuation surging past the half a billion dollars mark. Cyber security startup Darktrace has raised $75m (£58m) in a series D round of funding, valuing it at $825m, almost double of what it was when it raised $65m this [...]
We have Apple to thank for a decade of fintech revolution | City A.M. June 29, 2017 Today marks the 10 year anniversary of when the iPhone first went on sale, and to say it has transformed how we work, interact, and run our day-to-day lives is an understatement. The iPhone has not only led to significant technology advancements in the smartphone space, it has also been the driver of mass industry [...]
How regulation and market priorities drive fintech focus globally June 28, 2017 The interest in fintech worldwide shows no signs of abating, as illustrated by the strong attendance at each stop on our recent CFA Institute speaker tour throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. But even more interesting is the regional variation in what 'fintech' means to local entrepreneurs. Talking to investors, company founders, [...]
Global cyber attack hits UK firms as WPP reports hack June 27, 2017 A massive cyber attack which has hit a number of institutions in Ukraine appears to be spreading across Europe. Several firms, banks and government offices in Ukraine began to report attacks earlier today caused by ransomware named “Petya”. London-based advertising giant WPP has reported problems with its IT systems caused by a “suspected cyber attack”, [...]
Meet Charlie Muirhead and Tabitha Goldstaub from Cogx, preparing London (and the world) for our AI future June 19, 2017 In the last few years, gradually, and despite lamentations from the old guard, the world has started to accept the reality of a new economy. It’s the “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” “The Data Economy”, the “Information Age,” or a “Digital Epoch”. Whatever nomenclature one denotes the phenomenon, it is clear that it is here to stay. [...]
Why the robot apocalypse won’t come tomorrow June 16, 2017 Read any media article on artificial intelligence or ‘AI’ these days and you are likely to come away with the impression it won’t be so very long before your life is being run by the Matrix and your boss is a marginally more benign version of the Terminator. Apparently, however, there are still a couple [...]
Goldman Sachs-backed fintech startup Circle wants to become the Alipay of Europe with social payment app expansion plans June 15, 2017 A fintech startup backed by Goldman Sachs has unveiled ambitious plans to make emoji friendly social payments as popular in Europe as they are in China, where nearly $3 trillion was sent via WeChat and Alipay last year. Circle lets users send payments to each other via its WhatsApp-style chat app and iMessage. It is [...]
Job cuts? No, artificial intelligence and automation will usher in a new wave of roles, IT bosses say June 12, 2017 Widespread job losses will not be a natural consequence of greater use of artificial intelligence (AI) by UK businesses, research released today by telecoms giant BT suggested. In fact, a third of those polled by BT felt AI and automation said the so-called “Fourth Industrial Revolution”, would have the opposite effect: to create more jobs. [...]
London is home to more of the hottest fintech startups than ever before according to the Fintech50 2017 June 7, 2017 London’s status as the world leading centre of fintech has been questioned in the wake of Brexit, but new figures suggest the capital continues to be a global powerhouse for financial technology. The city has produced more of the hottest fintech startups than ever before, with over half of the Fintech50 calling it home. Challenger [...]