Challenger banks land £280m to improve SME banking

Challengers banks land £280m for SME focus

Three challenger banks have been awarded grants totalling £280m to improve business banking for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Metro Bank, Starling and ClearBank have been awarded grants of £120m, £100m and £60m respectively by the RBS Alternative Remedies package. The money is part of a £775m fund backed by the UK Government and overseen…

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Better prepared

Brendan Jones

Former MBNA/Bank of America product development director Brendan Jones is now a part of the leadership team at Konsentus. He looks at the challenges that organisations are facing from PSD2 Open Banking.   Q: How has your career to date informed your opinions on the changing payments landscape? I have worked in the payments arena…

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The gloves are off

The gloves are off - payments punch up

The payments arena is fast becoming one of the most competitive sub-sectors of the banking industry, full of companies with vastly different backgrounds. We asked four industry experts who they thought would come out on top.   “What type of organisation will dominate the payments sector in 10 years?”   Marko Sjoblom Founder & CEO,…

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Opinion: James Varga

James Varga

As has been widely discussed elsewhere, one of the primary reasons for the introduction of Open Banking was to open up the proverbial treasure trove of data on which banks sit. Everything in our financial histories is known to the banks, and with 90 per cent of consumers banking with one of the big nine…

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What’s been going on so far in 2019?

As the year of Open Banking begins, consumer organisations, academics and even the Church are looking at what it means for consumers. I kicked off my January writing and presenting an essay for the Vatican on fintech, competition and vulnerability – levelling the playing field was the central theme. It was fascinating to join a…

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How Open Banking can save branch banking

Wayne Brown

People have been predicting the demise of bank branches for years. Today that death knell seems to be ringing louder than ever as foot traffic continues to decline, new technologies allow customers to conduct banking from their phones, and mobile-only challenger banks are rapidly attracting customers and accounts. But the traditional branch network is far…

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Opinion – Carlos Figueredo

Carlos Figueredo

While Open Banking started in the UK as primarily a mandatory step for the nine top banks (CMA9) under the directive of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) through the CMA Order, none of us involved in the initial steps of Open Banking could have imagined the global impact that this initiative would have. Countries…

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Fintech adoption driving wholesale banking business goals

Fintech 'driving wholesale banking'

Fintechs are increasingly helping financial institutions attain their wholesale banking goals, but the relationship between the smaller firms and large company executives still needs work, a survey has claimed. Reducing operational costs is the way most banking executives cite fintechs enabling them to reach these goals, according to 87 per cent of respondents to a…

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Business leaders failing to capitalise on fintech

Business leaders failing to capitalise on fintech

More than a fifth of businesses in the UK believe decision-makers have not grasped the value and opportunities offered by financial technology providers. In a survey of 500 chief executives, chief financial officers and managing directors of large and medium-sized companies, foreign exchange and payments business Centtrip found a gulf between what was available to…

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Nationwide buys into fintech for business banking boost

Nordea forges ahead with plans on PSD2

Nationwide has invested in a leading fintech, citing its aim to disrupt business banking by delivering “game-changing” customer service both on the high street and online. The building society, the world’s largest, has taken a minority stake in 10x Future Technologies. The fintech will work with Nationwide to deliver its first digital platform for business…

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